Brian venables to Cairns Birding Forum There has been a lot of emotion lately about the clearing of mangroves by Cairns Regional Council along Saltwater Creek in the Centenary Lakes. What are the facts? Firstly with various councils over a long period there has been a succession of unwise decisions with regard to zoning and building. We now have the situation where homes have been built on, or too close to, the ground in flood prone areas. This is the real problem today and I believe it is set to continue, inevitably impacting on the environment. Flooding did occur this year and council promised to "do something about it". That something was to widen and deepen the section of Saltwater Creek between Greenslopes Street and Collins Avenue. A laudable course of action you might say but it is what council did as much as it did not do that is a cause great concern. Any mangrove habitat which is comprised of native species and by natural recruitment to a place in the tideal zone natural to that suite of species is in my estimation worthy of protection. At least if it absolutely must be annihilated then it should be done after the most thorough research. This was not done by council as it relied on an hydrology report first done in 1972 referred to in 1994 and never upgraded. Neither environment nor family homes is served by this action. Council did not take into account the fauna which is in its care. It does not and apparently has no need to know about such things as a breeding pair of Rufous Owls in a nest hollow immediately adjacent the work area much less the effect of the work will have on its habitat. This situation may be in the correction this week with the commissioning of an environmental impact assessment. The long term impact of this work on the habitat and range of this species will hardly be known from this hastily commissioned assessment. In my lifetime I have witnessed some dreadful decisions regarding clearing of mangroves in Cairns. Some of them still today are recognised as ecological disasters. Hills Creek (East Trinity) probably being the most notorious. If my protest today was about Saltwater Creek and nothing else it would be a little hollow. My protest is not about family homes verses environment. The environment will have lost habitat and the homes will still be in the flood zone. The council are feeling some reaction from the people like myself right now but will still have to face the music when the next king tide co-insides with a monsoon downpour. There can be no winners. We must change the culture of council and force it to reconsider future planing in the light of past mistakes. We must ask council to consider the environment with regard to zoning and building. The well-being of the environment is inextricably linked to our own. Brian Venables Cairns.
Brian venables to Cairns Birding Forum
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of emotion lately about the clearing of mangroves by Cairns Regional Council along Saltwater Creek in the Centenary Lakes. What are the facts?
Firstly with various councils over a long period there has been a succession of unwise decisions with regard to zoning and building. We now have the situation where homes have been built on, or too close to, the ground in flood prone areas. This is the real problem today and I believe it is set to continue, inevitably impacting on the environment.
Flooding did occur this year and council promised to "do something about it". That something was to widen and deepen the section of Saltwater Creek between Greenslopes Street and Collins Avenue. A laudable course of action you might say but it is what council did as much as it did not do that is a cause great concern.
Any mangrove habitat which is comprised of native species and by natural recruitment to a place in the tideal zone natural to that suite of species is in my estimation worthy of protection. At least if it absolutely must be annihilated then it should be done after the most thorough research. This was not done by council as it relied on an hydrology report first done in 1972 referred to in 1994 and never upgraded. Neither environment nor family homes is served by this action. Council did not take into account the fauna which is in its care. It does not and apparently has no need to know about such things as a breeding pair of Rufous Owls in a nest hollow immediately adjacent the work area much less the effect of the work will have on its habitat.
This situation may be in the correction this week with the commissioning of an environmental impact assessment. The long term impact of this work on the habitat and range of this species will hardly be known from this hastily commissioned assessment.
In my lifetime I have witnessed some dreadful decisions regarding clearing of mangroves in Cairns. Some of them still today are recognised as ecological disasters. Hills Creek (East Trinity) probably being the most notorious. If my protest today was about Saltwater Creek and nothing else it would be a little hollow.
My protest is not about family homes verses environment. The environment will have lost habitat and the homes will still be in the flood zone. The council are feeling some reaction from the people like myself right now but will still have to face the music when the next king tide co-insides with a monsoon downpour. There can be no winners.
We must change the culture of council and force it to reconsider future planing in the light of past mistakes. We must ask council to consider the environment with regard to zoning and building.
The well-being of the environment is inextricably linked to our own.
Brian Venables Cairns.