We can all see how quickly things are changing around Mission Beach. Within the urban footprint, planning pressures are building and, too often, the environment loses out.
Regional councils use a planning scheme to make decisions about land use, and decide what kind of development can happen, and where. These decisions are based on the data they have which is often shown as mapping layers (eg. flood zones, vegetation, or wildlife corridors). The better those layers reflect what’s actually on the ground, the more likely it is that our environment gets a fair say in the process.
The Mission Beach Mapping & Planning Project (announced here) aims to map areas of local environmental significance across Mission Beach, with the goal of directly influencing the Cassowary Coast Regional Council’s planning scheme. In other words, it’s about making sure our local knowledge and values are visible in future planning decisions.
As part of this project, there is an opportunity to have your say. The first community workshop is coming up at Ninney Rise on Saturday 8 November, and it’s essential that our shared knowledge is represented there.
As C4, we’ve been fighting for decades to protect and restore wildlife connectivity from the coastal ranges to the lowland rainforest and into the larger protected areas outside town. But we also know that each of us has unique pieces of the puzzle that can be shared: the places we know, the wildlife we’ve seen, the changes we’ve noticed over time.
This workshop is a chance to put that unique knowledge on the map and make sure the things we care about most are recognised and protected.
If you’re a landholder, a local, or someone who’s spent years watching this landscape change, we’d love you to come along and share your perspective.
Community Workshop: Planning and Mapping for Mission Beach
Saturday 8 November, 8.30 am – 4.00 pm (lunch provided)
👉👉👉 Places are limited, register your interest here: https://tally.so/r/w20d29
Places are very limited for this workshop, submit your EOI (above) early, and you will be notified by the project team of confirmation to attend. If you need some help with the EOI form, please contact hello@cassowaryconservation.org