We are all busy people doing our part to make a positive difference to our community and the environment. As the challenges grow, our knowledge of where to go to get help or find resources, how to reach out to get support for projects or how to develop strategies for a campaign can be a struggle. Maybe the Guardians of the Wet Tropics project could help you.
The aims of this Friends of the Earth FNQ project include
- connecting neighbours across the Wet Tropics bioregion to build healthy community relationships, including engaging with local Indigenous peoples and listening to people's stories.
- collectively upskilling Wet Tropics neighbours with best practices to protect the Wet Tropics World Heritage bioregional boundaries from the many threats including land clearing, weeds & pests.
- assisting neighbours to work together to revegetate, protect and enhance this Wet Tropics World Heritage buffer zone.
We are organising community lead gatherings to brainstorm and solve issues. This helps develop a strong and healthy community with shared values. It results in boots on the ground working bees particularly after natural disasters.
Our first gathering for 2021 consisted of different grassroots groups and members of the community in the Mission Beach region. We listened to everyone's core values and shared common interests – and what people would like to learn. We made new contacts/ friends and discussed a wide range of subjects. We plan to do it again on the 8th May with EnviroCare as a guest speaker.
Co-host CAFNEC discussed their Core trainers program. We heard from:
- Brett with his tree planting efforts to link critical corridors,
- Sue's interest for greater signage on beaches near shorebirds,
- C4 community engagement,
- people who see future food security concerns and
- people showed an interest in recycling, reusing and creativing environmentally educational art projects.
We also discussed:
- the many benefits of Voluntary Declaration Covenants on private land,
- river rights,
- being spray free in public spaces,
- how we can learn to speak to each other through Non Violent Communication as developed by Marshall Rosenberg ( to find out more see https://www.cnvc.org/ ) and
- the value of signing up as a member to the Humane Society International Wildlife Land Trust- see https://www.wildlifelandtrust.org.au/ for details
Perhaps you may like to host a relational gathering in your home or within the Kuranda community to discuss any of these subjects or interests. If you wish to do so – or to learn more about Wildlife Land Trust or the Guardians of the Wet Tropics project, please contact Ingrid Marker, FoE FNQ member and community organiser on 0438 688 229 or [email protected]
Please note that the Guardians of the Wet Tropics is now a stand alone project and no longer part of Friends of the Earth. For further details, see the new website