Land use and community planning decisions made by local and state authorities affect our day to day lives as well as the biodiversity and character of our region. These decisions are guided by a legislative framework, which is often very complicated.
We recognise that legislative reform is a critical part of ensuring environmental protection and the sustainability of our communities. We work to encourage the appropriate consideration of the environment, sustainability, climate change and peak oil in all relevant legislation that is developed or reviewed.
For example, we worked for many years to ensure that the current Far North Queensland Regional Plan 2009-2031 adequately addresses to the issues of climate change, peak oil, biodiversity conservation and sustainability. For more information on this work see the History of the 2031 Regional Plan.
More recently we engaged with local Councils in the formation of the Community Plans, which will be integral for all future planning decisions, to ensure that community concerns around sustainability issues were given adequate emphasis.
CAFNEC will continue to lobby industry and all levels of government to adopt development policies and planning approaches which genuinely aim to achieve ecologically sustainable development. Raising community awareness of the environmental alternatives and exposing urban developments that pose an intolerable threat to our rich tropical ecosystems.
Developments in the region that CAFNEC has campaigned against in the last few years include the Reef Cove resort development at False Cape, the Kuranda Range Road upgrade, high-density residential development in the Redlynch Valley, the Ella Bay Residential Resort Community and the Walsh River Nullinga Dam.
| Federal Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act 2000 |
| State (Queensland) Sustainable Planning Act 2009 Queensland Coastal Plan 2012 Nature Conservation Act 1992 Vegetation Management Act 1999 Wet Tropics World Heritage Protection and Management Act 1993 |
| Regional Far North Queensland Regional Plan 2009 – 2031 |
| Local Planning Schemes (e.g. CairnsPlan 2009) Community Plans (e.g. Cairns Regional Council Community Plan 2011-2031, Tablelands Regional Council Community Plan 2011-2031) |
FACT SHEETS
Impact of planning and development on Cassowaries