Priority Places — Eastern forests of Far North Queensland

The Eastern Forests of Far North Queensland stretch along the coast from Townsville to Cape Melville and include the globally significant Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. These landscapes support some of Australia’s most diverse rainforests, coastal vine thickets, savanna woodlands and wetlands.

Cape York NRM is leading a project to improve the condition of two highly sensitive threatened ecological communities within this priority place:

• Littoral rainforest and coastal vine thickets
• Lowland tropical rainforest

These ecosystems provide irreplaceable habitat for threatened plants and animals, protect waterways and coastlines and hold deep cultural significance for Traditional Owners. They are increasingly threatened by invasive weeds, feral animals, unmanaged grazing and destructive wildfires.

Improvements to these priority areas, as well as habitat suitability and knowledge of nesting and roosting sites for threatened species such as the Golden-shouldered Parrot and Spectacled Flying-fox, will be achieved through targeted management actions.

Key activities

• Habitat assessments and restoration.
• Managing invasive species, including feral pigs and weeds.
• Implementing appropriate fire regimes.