Kuranda Envirocare has been working for over ten years to conserve and repair biodiversity and to educate the Kuranda community to value and protect biodiversity. Much of this work is cumulative and hard to quantify, as it aims to gradually change attitudes and habits within the local community, and at all levels of Government. However there are aspects of our work that we can point to with some pride, and say “Here is what we have done”.

• By far the largest of our achievements, in terms of the time and effort put in by dozens of volunteer workers over the years, has been the revegetation of over a kilometre of riverbank near the area known as “Big Sands” on the Barron River. Many thousands of trees have been planted, and degraded and weed infested areas are returning to rainforest as these plantings develop a canopy. There has been much to learn along the way, in terms of site preparation, species selection, and appropriate follow up maintenance. There have been some losses due to fires and floods. Funding from Federal Government Landcare and Rivercare sources has made much of the work possible. This revegetation work continues.

The Big Sands area is perhaps the most degraded section of the Envirolink Corridor (see Map) and much of the land is publicly owned, making this the obvious focus for revegetation at this time. We have included a number of species of Cassowary food plants in our plantings, as the shallow stretch of river near Big Sands may be a key to re-establishing contact between Cassowary communities to the north and south of Kuranda.

• Second only to the revegetation efforts described above, and supportive of them, has been the establishment and maintenance of the Envirocare nursery. Originally established near the home of Jax Bergersen, founder of Envirocare, the nursery is currently situated in Kullaroo Close, Kuranda, while negotiations are ongoing for a site on publicly owned land near the Kuranda Amphitheatre. A team of dedicated volunteer staff collect seeds, plant and pot up the seedlings, and grow them on to a stage where they can be used in local plantings. While most seedlings are for our own use, we also supply plants to the public and to other organisations. Currently some of the seedlings required for the Green Corridor plantings near Kuranda on the Barron River are coming from the Kuranda Envirocare nursery.

A good deal of expertise is required to source appropriate seeds from local seed trees, to ensure germination occurs, to develop the appropriate potting mixes and fertilizers, to provide appropriate shade and watering regimes, and to produce the right mix of pioneer species for the different environments we are revegetating, all working towards having the right mix of species available for the plantings that will occur in several months time. Committee member Druce Horton has invaluable experience in nursery practice and recently ran training courses for volunteers and residents from Kuranda.

• Kuranda Envirocare has put a great deal of effort into planning issues since its inception. Poor planning associated with the relentless urbanisation of the Kuranda area has been responsible for most environmental degradation in recent years. An early planning process involving dozens of local residents over a period of two years resulted in the production of an award winning planning document which had the potential to guide future development in the Kuranda area. To our delight, much of this document was incorporated into a planning document prepared by consultants for Mareeba Shire Council. However the resulting document was never gazetted, as the new Queensland Government Integrated Planning Act came into force. Again Kuranda Envirocare worked hard to influence the Council’s new planning scheme, in a Shire which has traditionally been unwilling to pay much attention to environmental issues.

Kuranda Envirocare regularly responds to development applications going before Council, and our submissions sometimes influence Council decisions. We have on occasion taken court action to stop inappropriate development. One such action prevented a development from proceeding which would have significantly impacted on the scenic amenity of the Kuranda area. Such outcomes have been almost unknown in Queensland, so this was a notable achievement in this State. We also act to ensure that developers are fulfilling their obligations under the Commonwealth Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 ( EPBC Act).

As well we have been involved in a number of the major planning issues in Far North Queensland, including the 2010 Plan for the Cairns region, the Kuranda Range Road upgrade, the Cairns Transport Study, and the Myola Plan, which involves future urban development on the Barron River adjacent to Kuranda and abutting the Envirolink corridor. Kuranda Envirocare has made numerous submissions on its own behalf as well as contributing to broader planning processes. Three major planning processes are occurring in 2007; the 2025 Plan for the Cairns Region, an updated Myola plan, and a review of the Mareeba Shire IPA plan. Committee member John Beasley coordinates planning issues.

• Community education is an ongoing part of Envirocare’s work. We produce a newsletter for our members, and a regular column in the monthly Kuranda Paper. We were funded to produce a “Welcome to Kuranda” booklet for new residents in the area, which includes in its loose-leaf format information on pets, wildlife, things that bite and sting, local laws, vegetation types, weeds, and much more. This booklet is available on-line. See Kuranda Information. A display trailer was set up to go to various community events to spread the environmental message. Displays have been mounted in public places, especially in the Rainforest Resort near Kuranda, and school groups have been involved in tree planting and other activities. Groups of students from overseas have also been involved. This website is part of our ongoing commitment to education of the wider community. Kuranda Envirocare has hosted a great variety of guest speakers at its meetings, informing the community on a wide range of issues. Thom Hartmann from the USA, author of “The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight”, was a special guest at a well attended meeting co-hosted by Kuranda Envirocare in Kuranda. Kuranda Envirocare vice president John Beasley is also producing plant identification books which sell well in Far North Queensland, and help with environmental education.

• With about 100 members, Kuranda Envirocare directly involves a significant proportion of the local population. As important, though, is the community perception of our organisation. We have been careful to avoid being labelled as ‘anti-development’ and ‘rabid’ environmentalists, as we realise that our work of influencing the community means that we must build bridges to where most people reside. Our hands-on work of revegetation is viewed positively by most people in the community, and we are accepted as a part of the Kuranda scene, with a valid voice in many local issues. While we have been prepared to make difficult decisions and to take a stand on a number of divisive issues, we have also sought to be open to differences and accepting of a broad range of community views. We strive to maintain this difficult balance, and to build good will towards us in the community we serve.