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Qld gov't must protect likely World Heritage sites: Wilderness Society /Newsport
Qld gov't must protect likely World Heritage sites: Wilderness Society
Friday March 7 2014
By Derek Tipper
The Wilderness Society is calling on the Queensland Environment Minister to include the future listing of Cape York in the announced review of land-based World Heritage in the state.
Wilderness Society Campaigner, Kerry Trapnell, said Andrew Powell must commit to strengthening environmental protections in the Draft Cape York Regional Plan, currently out for public comment.
Ms Trapnell said likely Cape York World Heritage areas, such as the popular tourist site, Laura split rock art public gallery, could be mined under the Draft regional plan.
"Any World Heritage review must include assessment of how a future nomination for Cape York would be incorporated," Ms Trapnell said.
"There is no guarantee of protection in the regional plan for areas of Cape York already acknowledged as having World Heritage level values.
"Strengthening the regional plan is a good first step to future World Heritage protection."
Ms Trapnell said more needed to be done to protect the strategic environmental areas proposed under the Cape York regional plan.
"Do we really want to see brodscale agriculture in some of the region’s most significant landscapes," Ms Trapnell said.