Since 2020 the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre has been raising concerns about the Wangetti Eco Trail proposed by the Queensland Government. There are ongoing and unresolved issues that have not been acknowledged or resolved. 

In 2020, CAFNEC submitted a submission to the early engagement opportunities embedded in the legislation. Throughout the 4 years following the engagement from the Queensland Government with CAFNEC and our community has been intermittent and lacking. There has been minimal to no effort to understand the concerns and aspirations of the community in relation to this project. 

CAFNEC has, and continues to raise the following issues; 

• Failure to Engage the Community: CAFNEC has continuously raised concerns about the lack of available information and community engagement from the EcoTrails Team, and the QLD Government. There has been minimal opportunity for engagement and no feedback to the community regarding the little input they have received. We do acknowledge the work done to work with Traditional Owners for Stage One.
• Lack of an ongoing finance mechanism: Apart from the initial funds to develop Stage 1 of the Wangetti Trail the EcoTrails Proposal demonstrates no mechanism to fund the ongoing management of the trail. QPWS currently lacks sufficient funds to manage trails across FNQ that already exist. 

• Dual use mountain biking and hiking: Although there has been a reduction of dual use trail from the original proposal, there are still parts of the trail that will have mountain bikes and hikers using the trail together. The community has strongly expressed opposition to this, and in many other countries, dual use trails have been discontinued because of the conflicting use profiles of sport. 

• Ecosystem impacts: We have raised concerns about ecosystem impacts to aquatic life in streams that the trails cross, and threatened species. These concerns have only increased after the Floods of the Summer 2023. We don’t fully understand the impacts of that event on threatened species on the trail footprint, and how the trail development might exacerbate these. 

• Ecotourism Development in National Parks: CAFNEC has major concerns about development associated with Stage 2 of the trail. We support adjacency for tourism development, not in protected areas. There is a history of stranded tourism assets in our region and without mechanisms to hold developers to account if they abandon their development. 

• Pest and Weeds: We still have ongoing concerns about the vector for weeds on the trail. Without a clear funding mechanism, there will not be adequate management of the pests and weeds that will be introduced to new areas of the park through the trail. 

A multi day hiking trail that has well funded management and benefits for Traditional Owner Management and knowledge sharing is something that many in our region could support. However the lack of community engagement is seeing an outcome that isn’t reflective of community aspirations.