by Prue Hewitt
Cooper Creek Wildnerness
 

An article  published in The Newsport's online news on Tuesday 15 March 2011 entitled “Eco-librium – Ever heard of a Striped Possum?”  was written by Garry Sullivan, General Manager of Wildlife Habitat. 

It provoked a critical response from “Brett” and a reply from Garry that included, “Not once have I encouraged people to visit our park via this article or used it as a marketing tool.”

This unexpected statement got me thinking about the commercial exploitation of wildlife. 

This is what Cooper Creek Wilderness and Wildlife Habitat have in common.  We present Nature in different ways and rely on visitors with interests in wildlife and rainforest to pay for the privilege of seeing and learning about Nature.  Garry and Brett have put forward legitimate points of view that have opened up a debate that we need to have.

Cooper Creek Wilderness manages and conserves outstanding fan palm rainforest in the heart of the most ancient rainforest in the world.  A conservation economy is important to Cooper Creek Wilderness.  

I have no hesitation in telling visitors to the Daintree Rainforest that their payments contribute to the protection and presentation of significant natural and cultural heritage values. 

World Heritage listing of the Daintree in 1988 brought logging of cabinet timber trees, extraction of gravel and farming to an end, leaving a financial void.  Ecotourism has provided a sustainable alternative that pays for the protection of the environment and supports the well-being of the local custodians.  It is a mutually supportive relationship that allows both visitors and locals to benefit.

Cooper Creek Wilderness conducts guided interpreted day and night rainforest tours through old growth rainforest.  It is during the nocturnal walks that we are most likely to see the adorable striped possum like the one pictured - a mum with her newborn.

Seeing wildlife in its natural habitat is the best way of learning about the creatures, their habitats and the extraordinary relationships that bond them with their environment.  People and communities are also part of the environment and the intellectual property that the locals share bind them together.

Visitors to the Daintree Rainforest are here for a short time.  They have clearly stated their wish to see wildlife in its natural habitat, but wildlife is not predictable and not so easy to see.  This is where Garry and Wildlife Habitat have importance.  It is not a substitute for the real rainforest experience, but it provides an excellent addition that supports sustainable tourism.

Protection of freehold rainforest is a new concept.  We have been taught to think that only government reserved land is protected.  This is not strictly true.  National Parks are subsidised by the taxpayer at the rate of 97% of the full life cycle cost of recovery, not paid for by the user, but by our taxes. 
It does not meet the criteria for sustainability. 

Inclusion of freehold estate in the World Heritage Area in 1988 brought an extraordinary change to our understanding of conservation.  The onus of balancing the budget to make it user-pays is shared by the landholder and the consumer (tourism).  There is little support from government, which mostly competes against private enterprise by subsidising its own lands, inadvertently undermining non-government viability. 

Queensland Government does not really support any protected land that it does not own.  It does not measure the rainforest regrowth on private land and it does not measure the carbon offsets achieved through conservation of non-government lands.

If an article about a striped possum catches your eye and encourages you to take an interest in the environment, then it is a good thing.   If it entices you to want to know more about this magnificent part of the world and leads you to contribute financially to its conservation, then this, too, is a good thing. 
Ecotourism is the life blood of the Daintree Rainforest.  It needs support. Equally important is human interaction with the environment through immersion in an ancient landscape that is humbling and spiritually uplifting.

To gain a better understanding of the biodiversity of the Daintree Rainforest you can come to Cooper Creek Wilderness Knowledge Centre.

My thanks to Garry and Brett for creating an opportunity for a different point of view to be presented.  Perhaps this will lead to an extension of the debate that we need to have before carbon taxes are imposed.

Prue Hewett
Cooper Creek Wilderness