ENVIRONMENT Minister Dr Stephen Miles has agreed to upgrade the crocodile zoning of some areas in the Douglas Shire, but it’s still unclear whether Four Mile Beach is one of them.

Mayor Julia Leu met with Dr Miles, Mareeba Mayor Tom Gilmore and Cassowary Coast Mayor John Kremastos in Cairns on Wednesday. 

Leu wrote a request to the State Government last month to rezone the Port Douglas tourist beach and other areas across the Shire due to an increasing threat of crocodiles.

The region is currently classified as a monitoring and education zone, meaning crocodiles moving up and down the coastline could not be removed unless they displayed aggressive behaviour.

“I’m very thankful for Environment Minister Stephen Miles taking the time to discuss his Government’s crocodile management plan,” Leu told Newsport.

“The Minister has committed to strengthening crocodile management in the Douglas Shire, in particular upgrading the zoning in some areas of the Douglas Shire.

“I commend the Minister for taking the initiative to come up and meet with us on this very important issue, take the time to listen to our concerns and learn more about the impacts crocodiles are having on our communities first-hand.”

Leu said Council would be working on the finer details of the rezoning plan with the Department ‘in the coming weeks’. She also pointed out she was ‘certainly not advocating a cull’ despite her tougher stance on crocodiles in the region.

“We wish to preserve them (crocodiles) in appropriate locations including the Daintree River,” Leu said.

“However, we do want a tougher management plan to minimise the increasing risk to residents and tourists on our beaches, boat ramps and freshwater creeks.”

Two crocodiles approaching boat ramps in Port Douglas were removed last year, including a 4.2 metre animal near The Tin Shed.

Dr Miles said it was always his Governments intention to work closely with local councils after the release of their revised crocodile management plan.

“We will review the maps and upgrade zoning for certain areas in the Douglas Shire,” he said.

“Whilst we consulted with local governments during the drafting of our Crocodile Management Plan, we’ve been clear that it is flexible and we are open to considering any reasonable changes that councils might come to need.

“We’ve also committed to improving our communications with all the councils so that they have better understanding of the work our officers are doing in their communities.”

Do you agree with crocodile rezoning across the Douglas Shire? Let us know in the comments below!

* Readers are encouraged to use their full details below to ensure comment legitimacy. Comments are the opinions of readers and do not represent the views of Newsport or its staff. Comments containing unlawful, obscene, defamatory or abusive material will not be published.