Mission Beach is home to Australia’s second-largest area of lowland rainforest and the country’s highest density of cassowaries living alongside people and is the focus of a new planning and mapping project designed to protect its unique environment, while guiding sustainable development.
Supported by a Community Projects and Initiatives Grant from Cassowary Coast Regional Council, the project will map forest remnants, wildlife corridors and other ecological values across the Mission Beach region; review existing planning tools and incentives; and publish a web-based mapping layer and Outcomes Report for public review before final delivery to Council in July 2026.
A core purpose of the project is to establish the foundations for an MLES (Matters of Local Environmental Significance) mapping layer to bring planning and community attention to the critical habitats within Mission Beach. MLES are set by local governments to recognise locally important species, ecosystems and environmental values. This work is a vital step to ensure locally significant natural values are visible in day-to-day planning and can be better protected through scheme provisions, design responses and incentives.
The project will host two community workshops to gather local knowledge and perspectives. Insights from residents, Traditional Owners, scientists and land managers will be used to refine mapping and priorities before the draft Outcomes Report is released for public comment.
The initiative is led by Friends of Ninney Rise, with guidance from local and scientific experts including Dr Ro Hill (James Cook University), Tony O’Malley (Terrain NRM), Di Tarte (Marine Ecosystems Policy Advisors) and Liz Gallie (Friends of Ninney Rise).
Project timeline
- Commenced: June 2025
- Community stakeholder workshops: November 8th, 2025 & March 2026
- Final report: July 2026
Steering Committee
A steering committee has now been formed for the Project, bringing together representatives from Council, agriculture and farming, environment, next generation leaders, business, and tourism. Kate Blank and Peter Rowles are both serving on the steering committee over the year-long project and will keep C4 members informed of progress and opportunities to be involved as the project develops.
Importantly, C4’s community cassowary sightings database will feed into the mapping of current cassowary corridors within the urban footprint, making continued reporting of sightings by the community more valuable than ever over the coming year. If you have seen a cassowary, please report every sighting.
For more information, download the project fact sheet: