Thread: World Heritage for Cape York Peninsula

Fair enough mate. We've both had our say and I'm happy to leave it at that.

And I was just getting warmed up
Hadnt even hit the red yet!

All is well tonight in Cookie and the boat is ready to go for a swim tommorrow!

S

Originally Posted by wally

Steve, no-one is going to shut down existing mining operations. I understand what you're saying. I lived in Cooktown and I worked in Hopevale. I've been to the Cape Flattery silica mine - toured all around it in fact. I too have camped on the McIvor, and no, from there I wouldn't have known that there was a mine a short distance up the coast. But just because you can't see or hear it from there doesn't mean it's not having an impact. Mines always have an environmental impact, but the impact is variable depending on the nature and scale of the operation and where it is situated. Even a small operation in a sensitive area can have a devastating and irreversible impact that you might not notice from your beach camp 100km away. I would argue that mining, not World Heritage listing, is throwing away the future. Those mineral resources are non-renewable. Tourism needs to be well managed, but it's sustainable. People leave rubbish, contribute to erosion, crap everywhere, light fires and facilitate the spread of weeds (I know, I dealt with it on a daily basis for ten years) but they usually don't leave massive scars on the landscape or cause irrevocable damage to entire catchments. Not allowing mines that don't already exist is not taking away anyone's future. In any event it's unlikely that the entire peninsula will become a World Heritage area. It's more likely that, if it happens at all, there'll be an assessment to determine which areas comply with the requirements for World Heritage listing, and a boundary will be created to include those areas. Those areas are then afforded a level of protection that national parks can't give them. Other areas will probably still be available for mining. I'm trying to reasonable here. By saying that I'm advocating protection of the place because it's "pretty" is to engage in the kind of parody and sarcasm that I'm trying to avoid. The tone of the thread deteriorates once that starts.

Wally for PM, I say. I don't see any loony-greeny stuff in this. Just worth keeping in mind how much the big end of town and the lure of money has pushed wildlife and wild systems around for a long, long time - largely unchecked. Mostly this has happened with little cultural awareness of the damage being caused. What people love to lampoon as crazy lefty conservation is a pretty small brake on a tidal wave of history. It's worth taking a sceptical, dare I say conservative, view of how we approach and threaten irreplaceable ecosystems and landscapes.

S Time we all stood together on this issue. You will find that the majority of Cape York people do not want a world heritage nomination. If you support this please call Trish at CYSF on 40532856.

Originally Posted by roverrescue

Tourists drive to the Cape in vehicles that are built with the minerals that are mined and fuelled by minerals that are non renewable.

But lets move away from mining... There wont be any working cattle country if my reading of the proposed World Heritage Listing is correct.

Not sure when you were up this way but the ferals and weeds are unbelievable now in National Parks - yet the working cattle stations have a much better handle on them.

Surely once a place gets World Heritage listing there wont be any more weed eradication or feral control than what currently happens in the National Parks. If there is a magic bucket of money for weed control and pest control then it should be spent now in the parks like Rinyirri (Lakefield) that are seriously threatened by weeds especially.

A place like Fraser Island can be World Heritage listed and then actually develop and maintain a tourism only existence. The Cape is iconic but much to big to actually survive long term on the meagre tourist dollar.

By a future I mean that once declared World Heritage then NO FURTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CAN TAKE PLACE... that is pretty limiting whether it be a mine, a cattle property, fish processing, timber resources etc etc

IF as you say World Heritage could be piecemeal approach go on draw an imaginary map. IMO all the current amazing environmental locations are currently within declared nature reserves or National Parks... what will changing them to World Heritage actually do.

The proposal I have read on World Heritage listing is for a blanket listing effectively north of Cape Trib.

Of course it wont float - but then again the same groups putting this out were the ones 10 years ago calling for a Marine Park around all of Australia...

Now that is almost a reality and in a few years we will realise the folly of our ways.

Humans need food and use resources.
If you want to limit the impact of humans on the environment stop talking about silly parks and stop breeding. The world needs population control not carbon taxes.
But oh yeah you cant have limitless 4% economic growth if you stop breeding.

I really dont think this is parody or sarcastic but I just cant see that World Heritage will achieve anymore than current protected areas BUT it will hamper the region if it is applied to all land north of Cape Trib.

S