Annette and Dennis Werner and their son John are third and fourth generation farmers growing sugarcane west of Mackay. Their 330ha property is also home to breeding cattle and a small herd of 12 camels that assist in weed control.
The family has long led the way in new and sustainable practice change in sugarcane farming. In 1988 they were among the earliest to adopt of green cane harvesting in the region, moving from a burnt cane harvest to 100 percent green cane harvest. Continue Reading…
A Mossman landholder plans on keeping sediment and nutrients on his property during the next wet wet season with help from a number of partners. Not only has he constructed a wetland on his property, he also seeks to link important habitat corridors from the hills to the coast. Continue Reading…
A federally funded project aimed at conserving and enhancing wildlife habitat across properties in the Kerry Valley is starting to welcome back wildlife, with a nationally threatened long-nosed potaroo spotted on a cattle property last month. Continue Reading…
2013 looks set to be a promising year for the conservation of endangered mahogany glider habitat with the Wet Tropics’ Terrain NRM hoping to exceed the target that was set for fire management in habitat by the Federal Government’s Caring for Our Country Habitat Incentives Project.
The endangered mahogany glider is only found in a very restricted area, a 110 kilometers narrow band from Ollera Creek (40 kilometers south of Ingham) up to Hull River near Tully, in Far North Queensland. Continue Reading…
When you think of seagrass, it probably doesn’t conjure up the same tropical images as if you thought of coral reefs.
It doesn’t have an award winning Pixar movie associated with it or a world famous fish, and sure, it is probably a little less eye catching than the rainbow coloured reefs. But don’t be fooled by its appearance.
Seagrass beds are one of the most important marine environments on earth. They are home to juvenile fish and crustaceans that form the basis of commercial and recreational fisheries. They provide food for dugongs, listed globally as vulnerable to extinction, as well as the vulnerable green turtle.
But according to a scientific study, 58 percent of world’s seagrass meadows are currently declining. There are many factors that contribute to the decline of seagrass, including sediment runoff and algal blooms, but perhaps less known is the damage from block and chain moorings.
