A chance to save three wild rivers

The Aurukun wetlands teem with wildlife (Archer River basin - Cape York Peninsula) . Photo: Kerry Trapnell

As the Australian environment and community suffers from the increasing effects of climate change and drought, one amazing part of Australia is still lush, abundant and surviving. It’s fate is about to be decided.

The Archer, Stewart and Lockhart Rivers and the wilderness that surrounds them have been nominated for declaration under Queensland’s Wild Rivers Act.

  VIDEO - watch our feature clip on Cape York's wild rivers (4:38 mins)

As the global environmental crisis escalates and evidence of climate change mounts, it is easy to feel disempowered to act – to feel as though it is too difficult to control what is happening on a global scale. But we now have a once in a lifetime opportunity to protect one of the best parts of Queensland if we make our voices heard immediately.

The Wilderness Society has helped pry open an enormous opportunity on Cape York Peninsula to shape a new future that integrates the needs of nature, with the needs of communities. The momentum is rapidly building for this new vision, but unless there is strong support from the community, this rare opportunity will be squandered.

The Queensland and Commonwealth Governments are now pursuing a World Heritage listing for Cape York.

Nearly two-thirds the size of Victoria, Cape York is a land of nature and culture in abundance: a place where Indigenous people’s connections to Country remain strong. A place where less than one per cent of the land has ever been cleared, and wild monsoonal rivers continue to flow freely.

With more wetlands than Kakadu, the largest expanse of tropical rainforest in Australia and some of the most intact savannah left on Earth, it is home to one third of all Australian mammal species and half of our entire bird species. Cape York is without doubt an important part of the world’s heritage.

Our vision for Cape York is about a holistic package for nature and people - within one of the world’s largest and most impressive World Heritage areas. It is also about recognising the immense ecological knowledge and rights of local Indigenous people, and expanding the Indigenous Conservation Estate.

In order to achieve this vision and secure World Heritage protection, it is critical we ensure the protection of Cape York’s wild rivers.

Cape York’s monsoonal river systems are the life support system for local communities and its incomparable environments. For example, the endangered Speartooth Shark and Freshwater Sawfish, found in the Wenlock River, require natural river flows and minimal river disturbance to continue to survive; the Indigenous-owned boat tour company of Aurukun needs healthy wetlands to maintain a healthy business.

Currently Cape York’s wild rivers remain open to many of the same threats that have torn the heart out of other Australian rivers, such as the Murray. Many remain threatened by strip mining for bauxite, and the water extraction that comes with this mining activity.

A window of opportunity to protect Cape York’s precious wild rivers has just opened.

The Queensland Government has released protection proposals for the Stewart, Archer and Lockhart River basins (including major streams, creeks and wetland areas) under Queensland’s Wild Rivers legislation. The protection proposal includes the incredible Aurukun wetlands - almost five times the size of the world famous Kakadu wetlands. 

And with river protection will come sustainable livelihoods for Indigenous people who wish to live and work on their ancestral homelands under the Wild Rivers Ranger program.

Already with your help we have protected six wild river systems in Queensland under the Wild Rivers legislation and have sealed the commitment from the Queensland Government to pursue protection for 13 wild rivers on Cape York.

The protection of these first three wild river systems on Cape York is not yet assured. There will be powerful large-scale development forces that will oppose the protection plans.

The Wenlock River protection proposal, due to be released later this year, will also face fierce opposition from mining companies seeking to guard their interests and current unfettered access to water.

This is your opportunity to help protect three more river basins.

With community consultations underway, you can make a difference by supporting these first three protection proposals.

We have been gifted a rare choice to protect or let perish; to take the opportunity or let it slip by. If we succeed, our ability to achieve our vision for Cape York and World Heritage protection will be greatly enhanced.

• Sign online - support the protection of Cape York's wild rivers

• Read more about the Wild Rivers campaign here

List of Queensland wild rivers

Protected
1.    Settlement Creek
2.    Gregory River
3.    Morning Inlet
4.    Staaten River
5.    Hinchinbrook Island
6.    Fraser Island

Nominated for protection
9.  Archer River
17. Lockhart River
18. Stewart River

Unprotected
7.  Coleman River
8.  Holroyd River
10. Watson River
11. Wenlock River
12. Ducie River
13. Jardine River
14. Jacky Jacky Creek
15. Olive River
16. Pascoe River
19. Jeannie River