State Coastal Management Plan

Schedule 1: Regional overviews The Queensland coast has been subdivided into eleven coastal regions for the purpose of preparing regional coastal plans. The regions’ boundaries are based on coastal local government boundaries. The overview for each region generally describes the region, its coastal resources, existing management and administration arrangements, and the key coastal management issues.18 The eleven coastal regions are illustrated in map 1. Map 3 shows the terrestrial and marine bioregions referred to in this schedule. Marine Terrestrial 145 E 140 E yy Arafura 1 Cape York Peninsula Carpentaria 2 Gulf Plains yy 10 S 1 1 Wellesley 3 Einasleigh Uplands Karumba-Nassau 4 Wet Tropical Rainforest yy yyyyyyyyy West Cape York 5 Mount Isa Inlier 1 Torres Strait 6 Gulf Fall Upland yy yyyyyyyyy | 1 East Cape York 7 Mitchell Grass Downs Weipa Ribbons 8 yyyyyyyyy Brigalow Belt North 1 1 Wet Tropic Coast 9 Central Queensland Coast Coen yyyyyyyyyy1 yyCentral Reef 10 Desert Uplands Lucinda-Mackay Coast 11 South Brigalow 1 1 yyyyyyy1 Mackay-Capricorn 12 South-east Queensland 15 S 1 1 Cooktown Pompey-Swains 13 Simpson-Strzelecki Dunefields yyyyyyyyyyyyyyy 2 4 Shoalwater Coast 14 NSW North Coast 3 Tweed-Moreton 2 2 15 Darling-Riverine Plain yyyyyy yyyCairns yy zy 2 Outer Provinces 2 16 New England Tableland 2 Atherton 4 6 2 Normanton 17 3 4 Nandewar yyyBurketownyyy yyy 2 3 18 Channel Country 6 Einasleigh 4 2 3 Ingham 2 19 Mulga Lands yyyyyyyy 2 3 5 3 Townsville {|{ 2 Ayr 5 2 yyyyyCharters Towers 8 20 S 3 Bowen 20 S 5 2 3 Proserpine Mount Isa 10 yyyyy Cloncurry 8 Hughenden 8 9 Mackay 7 7 5 5 10 8 9 7 7 10 8 yyyyyyyyy 7 8 8 7 Winton 7 10 8 7 7 7 8 yyyy9 8 8 7 18 Longreach 10 Emerald Rockhampton 13 8 yyyy 7 18 7 8 Gladstone 18 11 13 18 7 11 12 19 yyyyyy Bundaberg 25 S 25 S 18 11 11 Maryborough Birdsville 13 yy 19 9 11 12 Gympie 18 11 Charleville Roma 19 yy12 19 11 18 19 Brisbane 19 19 11 Toowoomba yy12 Gold 11 Coast Warwick 14 13 18 19 15 15 17 16 yy 145 E 140 E 150 E km 100 0 100 200 300 km Map 3 — Terrestrial and marine biogeographical regions of Queensland 18 A large amount of the Indigenous Traditional Owner content in the regional overviews has been obtained through submissions on the draft Plan and outcomes of an Indigenous Traditional Owner workshop. This information should not be taken to comprehensively represent the views of Indigenous Traditional Owners regarding their ancestral homeland estates. Providing comprehensive information on Indigenous Traditional Owner matters (e.g. responsibility for ‘country’, Indigenous Traditional Owner belief systems and resource management, ability to practice culture) requires the development of culturally appropriate involvement mechanisms. It should also be noted that an Indigenous Traditional Owner view of the ‘country’ relevant to regional coastal planning may not necessarily conform to the coastal regions described in this schedule. State Coastal Management Plan — Queensland’s Coastal Policy 59 Gulf of Carpentaria Coast Region: Gulf of Carpentaria Coast Description The Gulf of Carpentaria Coast extends from the Northern Territory border to the northern boundary of Aurukun Shire and includes the Wellesley Group of islands. The major coastal towns include Aurukun, Pormpuraaw, Kowanyama, Queensland Gununa, Normanton, Karumba, Burketown, and Doomadgee. The region is characterised by extensive estuarine systems, coastal rises dominated by mangrove communities and well-developed sandy beaches. It is largely backed by broad coastal plains traversed by low-gradient streams draining extensive saline coastal flats. The embayment is shallow, less than 70 metres in depth, with extensive fringing sandflats. The tropical monsoon climate creates marked wet and dry seasons. The region is prone to tropical cyclone-induced storm tide inundation. Coastal resources Nationally important wetlands representing a range of wetland types are located on large river systems on the coast. The south-eastern Gulf of Carpentaria is one of the three most important sites for shorebirds in Australia. Very important marine conservation sites include Wellesley and Forsyth Islands, estuarine areas in the southern Gulf, and mangrove systems of the northern Gulf. These areas provide important habitat for seabird colonies, dugongs (Dugong dugon), estuarine crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus), marine turtles including the green (Chelonia mydas) and flatback (Natator depressus), Irrawaddy dolphins (Orcaella brevirostris) and Indo-Pacific dolphins (Sousa chinensis). Bountiful, Pisonia and Rocky Islands support an internationally significant green turtle nesting population. The Southern Gulf Plains, incorporating one of the largest, most diverse and least fragmented natural wetland aggregations in Australia, have been included in the Register of the National Estate. The Australian Heritage Commission, in preparing a National Wilderness Inventory, has identified parts of the Gulf Region that have important wilderness qualities. Indigenous Traditional Owner groups from the region continue to retain strong and continuous connections to their land and traditional marine estates through the maintenance of a diverse range of cultural values, such as language, traditional law, art, resource management and the fulfilment of ceremonial obligations. The region includes many places that are of significance to Indigenous Traditional Owners (refer policy 2.5.1 for examples). Important cultural heritage values are also associated with historical processes such as coastal exploration, mining, pastoralism, early Aboriginal-European contact, the positioning of Aboriginal missions and reserves, and other timber, scientific and wilderness values. Cape Keerweer is the site of the first recorded contact between Aboriginal people and Europeans in Queensland (William Janz in 1606), and other contact sites are also important. The region is likely to contain many cultural heritage places which have not yet been identified or assessed. The Port of Karumba provides for shipping of goods including live cattle and seafood. The development of mines in north-west Queensland has made expanded port facilities necessary for export of mineral concentrates, primarily from the Century Zinc mine. Other important industries are the northern prawn fishery, inshore barramundi and grunter fishery, and beef cattle production. The south-eastern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria is increasingly attracting tourists for the savannah experience and recreational fishing. A number of commercial operators provide camping and fishing safaris. Biogeographic description: ◆ Terrestrial bioregion — Gulf Plains and Cape York Peninsula ◆ Marine bioregion — Wellesley, Karumba-Nassau and West Cape York 60 State Coastal Management Plan — Queensland’s Coastal Policy Existing management and administration Major Aboriginal communities are situated at Aurukun, Kowanyama, Pormpuraaw, Mornington Island and Doomadgee. Kowanyama, Pormpuraaw and Doomadgee communities are serviced by an Aboriginal council with management responsibility within the Deed of Grant in Trust (DOGIT) areas, while Mornington Island and Aurukun (which has a 50 year lease) communities have Shire Councils established under the Local Government (Aboriginal Lands) Act 1978. Indigenous Traditional Owner communities in the region have initiated, and are involved in addressing, coastal management issues through activities such as sustainable fishing practices, tourism and catchment management, and believe these programs and other traditional management processes exemplify best practice environmental management. Kowanyama Aboriginal Council and other Aboriginal agencies with land management responsibilities manage coastal access to protect environmental values and preserve opportunities for Indigenous Traditional Owners to access coastal resources. Some local governments in the region, particularly Carpentaria and Burke, work together through Gulf Savannah Development (previously the Gulf Local Authorities Development Association Inc.) to actively promote the Gulf. The Councils of Carpentaria, Burke and Cook have existing planning schemes or interim development controls and are required to prepare new planning schemes under the Integrated Planning Act 1997 by 30 March 2003. The Councils of Mornington and Aurukun do not have existing planning schemes or interim development controls. Other management arrangements relevant to the Gulf region include the Cape York Peninsula Land Use Strategy (CYPLUS), and FNQ 2010 Regional Planning Project (FNQ 2010). Key coastal management issues Important coastal management issues include: ◆ development of the Port of Karumba to de-water slurry from Century Zinc mine and transfer it by barge to ships at sea; ◆ maintenance dredging of the Port of Karumba; ◆ storm tide risk potential at Karumba, Normanton, Burketown and the numerous remote coastal communities; ◆ consideration of the national importance of the natural resources of the area; ◆ protection of regionally appropriate sport and outdoor recreation resources; ◆ ecologically and culturally sustainable tourism and outdoor recreation, including consideration of impacts and capacity to contribute to the economy and quality of life; ◆ impacts of acid sulfate soils; ◆ incursion of exotic plants, animals and diseases; ◆ ongoing resolution of native title (land and sea) issues; ◆ recognition of Aboriginal Council jurisdictions; ◆ recognition of community-based land and/or sea management organisations; ◆ ongoing

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