Pumicestone Passage scores badly in health report
Photo © WPSQWildlife Queensland is concerned that the State Government’s plans to fast-track development will put even greater pressure on many of south-east Queensland’s already failing waterways.
The release of the 2010 healthy waterways report card has reflected that while some of SEQ’s waterways remain steady or show small improvements there are many that continued decline in their health.
‘Healthy waterways report card is a cutting edge monitoring tool but what are we learning from it? Judging from the continually failing results and the Government’s unsustainable development agenda; very little’ said Fiona Maxwell spokesperson for Wildlife Queensland.
‘It is fair to say the declining health of catchments such as Pumiceston, Logan and Albert can be largely attributed to the unsustainable residential and industrial developments throughout these areas’ said Ms Maxwell
‘The Government’s plans for 4 fast-tracked Urban Development Areas (UDA) within SEQ will place added pressure on many of our waterways. The health of the Logan and Albert Estuaries continue to receive poor grades. These estuaries are faced with huge pressures from existing urban and industrial development. The situation will only get worse with the Government rushing through two new cities at Flagstone and Yarrabilba’ said Ms Maxwell
‘This year’s report card shows a significant reduction in the health of Pumiceston Catchment and a subsequent drop in the grade for Pumiceston Passage. The new fast-tracked Caloundra South UDA proposed for the doorstep of the internationally significant Pumiceston Passage has the potential to significantly impact the health of this area and the wildlife that rely on it’ said Ms Maxwell.
Ms Maxwell continued ‘The rush to push these developments through with unrealistic planning deadlines is resulting in many of the key sustainability guidelines being thrown out the window. The Government must slow down and ensure that best practice ecologically sustainable principles are in place or our waterways will continue to fail’.
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