Douglas Shire is the Coconut Capital of Australia and ‘we’re proud of it’ announces Douglas Shire Council.

DSC has reported that the number of coconut palms on council-controlled land in Port Douglas is 11,063 compared to Cairns 4,800 and the Whitsundays 975.

Whilst the figures reported indicate an obvious difference in numbers of coconut palms on council-controlled land between these regions, it fails to compare the council-controlled land sizes for each region housing these coconut populations. This may only suggest that there is perhaps more council-controlled land in Port Douglas; or if the numbers are based on exact land sizes for each region, then maybe the other regions are eradicating coconut palms invasively based on their own Coconut Management Plan. That is not to say that we are not proud to be the Coconut Capital of Australia.

However, the focus in our region at the moment is on the Draft Coconut Management Plan that is currently in community consultation phase. As the closing date for community feedback draws near (20/7), now is the time to give Council your feedback on a matter that has fuelled much debate and confusion in the community.

Council have stated that the purpose of the Coconut Management Plan is to predominately address any impact coconut palms have on natural vegetation and potential risk in unsuitable streetscapes, whilst protecting those along beaches, parks and foreshores.  But most importantly there currently is no management plan in place, which may sound odd for the ìCoconut Capital of Australia.  But on a serious note, with no management plan in place, this can ultimately threaten the protection of coconut palms from being removed on an ad-hoc basis. Under the Plan, Council says that the vast majority of the palms on the foreshore and beaches would be protected and it absolutely does not plan to remove thousands of coconut palms. It seems the aim of the plan is to have no net increase in the number of coconut palms in the Douglas Shire.

The Draft Coconut Plan defines Councils objectives to manage coconut palms effectively on Council-controlled lands and the Coconut Management Policy (also to be read in conjunction with 8 other documents containing laws, policies, administration instruction, arrangements, agreements, categorisations and assessment tools) is to provide clear direction regarding the management and maintenance of coconut palms based on assessment and classifications.  Is it any wonder there is so much debate and confusion and little understanding surrounding the matter.

The provision of the policy broadly categorises coconut palms into four classifications based on the following factors:

• Potential to cause harm or damage (based on location)ï
• Ease of maintenance
• Practical, aesthetic and tourism values
• Benefits provided in the larger urban forest
• Possible damage caused in natural areas; and
• Customer Request Management records
  
  

The policy states all palms should be classified into management classes based on their location.  The location relates to and informs the risk of harm or damage from coconuts and fronds, aesthetic value, value in the urban forest, damage to natural areas and cost benefits.  

Council states that the recent coconut audit found that there are 11,639 specimens of coconut palms growing in places where the falling fruit had the potential to cause personal injury to members of the public.  According to the Table of Results of the 2014 Coconut Audit Summary of Data, of those 11,639 coconut palms, 2,572 are non-fruit bearing, and 576 are on private land. The actual balance of 8,491 are fruit bearing on council-controlled land.  The question is, of those 8,491 fruit bearing coconuts what is the level of risk to Council in relation to the location of the fruit bearing coconut palms?  This is identified by the Management Class 1-4 in Table 1.  

According to this table the coconut palms that are categorised as Class 3 Streetscapes and 4 Environment appear to form part of the action plan for removal based on their value and level of risk within that location.  Whilst the level of risk causing personal injury is low to moderate, the level of risk to property and the environment is high.  

The location of coconut palms categorised as Classes 1 and 2 fall under beaches/esplanades/foreshores/parks and Councils management options for action are to retain and maintain and or remove/install signage based on their value and level of risk within that location. These proposed actions are based on Appendix 2 - DSC Coconut Palm Assessment Tool involving a 2 step process. Step 1 is a location assessment whereby the palm is assessed in relation to its location (as per Table 1: Management options based on location classification) and Step 2 is the condition and level of risk of the palm involving a Condition Assessment and Risk Assessment.  The results of which will formulate the action and final action for the management of the palm in Classes 1 and 2.  

According to the draft plan, the final action for palms assessed as Classes 3 Streetscape and 4 Environment will be removal.  Alternatively should any appeal be made against the removal of a palm for reasons other than safety/risk management issues, Council may consider entering into a coconut maintenance agreement.

From a visual perspective,  the Appendix 4: All Districts coconut location distribution/classification maps, clearly identify the location of coconut palm classification Classes 1-4 on 39 coconut management maps and the proposed management actions for the coconut palms in each specific location.

There is a lot of debate in the community over our coconut palms as to whether these trees are native to our shores, what is the level of risk to personal injury, whether they cause erosion and strangle existing ecosystems and the level of appeal of the ambience and aesthetic they offer to a tropical destination.

What do Newsport Readers think?

Luke Murray from Port Douglas asks please tell me how a coconut palm strangles the rainforest and please tell me how they cause erosion?

While Ian Locke of Port Douglas states that this is going on everywhere, so you can't blame the local council, the trees have made their own way to our coast through currents and tides, I personally think they should be left alone, especially around our main beaches.

Andrea Collisson of Oak Beach claims she does not believe that coconut palms are an invasive species. In the years I’ve been visiting the beaches at Oak and Pretty and driving past Pebbly Beach, I have not noticed an increase in numbers of these trees. If anything, I’ve seen losses as the tides wash them away. It’s possible that they may be sprouting too easily in certain places where the rainfall is high but where it’s not the case, as in the places I’ve just mentioned, the argument fails and shouldn't apply. You should really only cull them where they are getting out of hand.  I've even noticed that no one has died as a result of the uncut nuts at Oak Beach and Pretty Beach.

Maria O’Brien from Port Douglas expressed her concerns.  However much the current Council may deny their intention of mass removal of coconut palms, the plan provides current and future Councils the ability to remove, at their will, most coconuts along the North Queensland coastline.  Removal of coconut palms will diminish the gene pool of coconut varieties. Using coconuts sourced from the Douglas Shire, the University of Queensland in Brisbane is researching safe coconut embryo transfer techniques for coconut production as a food source across the Pacific and worldwide. It is doubtful DSC is even aware of this research and the importance of coconuts in the economy and environment. Removal will also impact the livelihood of many local small business operators who harvest wild coconuts for use at tourism events, sale to restaurants and at local markets, production of coconut oil, water, etc.

Stephen Turner comments that an unbiased observer might conclude that the draft management plan to deal with coconuts is

• (a) overly detailed and ambitious,
• (b) founded on false precepts and
• (c) a waste of Shire resources in compiling it.  
  
  

I object very strongly to the view, stated in and underlining the draft Plan, that coconuts are an alien species that should in most cases be eradicated. In the case of most of the coconut palms on beaches, the palms are classified as category 2, permitting removal if judged appropriate although leaving the faint option that the palms might be retained in certain unspecified circumstances. This categorisation gives carte blanche to whomever is the manager of this Plan to remove almost all the palms on beaches (aside from the few noted as category 1. Leaving aside the matter of whether coconut palms are alien or not, the brutal fact is that Port Douglas, and our Shire, are a major tourist destination and our visitors expect to see appropriate tropical features. Thus coconut palms are a tangible and natural example of a tropical environment and visitors expect to see them. Unsubstantiated concerns about dangers to the public of falling nuts are a symptom of the current love of Health and Safety for its own sake and bear no relation to the actual facts. I urge Council to review the value of coconut palms on our beaches and leave them alone. The cost of managing these palms must be set against the very real value of to our Shire as one of the premier tropical destinations in Australia.

Council claims the risk of serious injury or death from being hit by falling fruit is real with many anecdotal stories telling of near misses. Falling fronds also represent a danger as do fruit dislodged by cyclonic winds. It is estimated that, around the world, falling co coconut fruit are responsible for the death of around one hundred and fifty people a year. Deaths and injuries resulting from falling coconuts have been the subject of several legal proceedings occurring throughout the world.

Whilst ‘anecdotal stories’ are not necessarily reliable because they are based on personal accounts rather than facts or research, if we apply this information on a local level, the reported incidences are very minimal.

With regard to whether coconut palms are native to our shores Dr Hugh Spencer from the Australian Tropical Research Foundation states that

“Coconuts were first planted in Cape Trib in 1935 by Walter Mason's brother (Hist Soc.) and .. our prevailing winds are from the SE, and the dominant current flows in the Great Barrier Reef "lagoon" (that between the coast and the outer reef) from south (enters around Fraser Island) and exits at Princess Charlotte Bay.  So the winds and currents are rather against coconuts from NG or the islands reaching our coast!  We have identified about 17 different coconut cultivars here in the Cape Trib area.  Some varieties are high fecundity... in that virtually every nut dropped sprouts (and we get coconut forests), others are very low fecundity - and probably wouldn't pose much of a problem... identification of these individuals is not always that easy.”

With reference to the environmental issues and the proposed threat coconut palms have on our ecosystems Dr Hugh Spencer states that ‘Littoral rainforest, that is the rainforest fringing the shorelines, is our most endangered WH listed rainforest - and should be protected, but isn't.  It occupies a very narrow strip (often less than 30m) - and is comprised of trees and plants that are resistant to salt and wind and protects the rainforest behind it. They also act as 'shock absorbers' during periods of heavy seas, preventing beach erosion. Coconuts don't perform this function (as was made very evident during the recent Christmas Tsunami in Asia - the least damage was behind areas that still had mangroves).