Fwd: DAINTREE NEEDS YOUR HELP NOW!!!.

["John Harris" <>]

Dear All

Please take time to read this as it threatens a very special area of Oz.

DAINTREE NEEDS YOUR HELP NOW...

Where The Rainforest Meets The Reef

THIS IS OUR LAST CHANCE TO SAVE THE DAINTREE!!! - Please take a few

minutes of your time to read this email and take some ACTION  - this is URGENT!!!!

The Daintree Lowlands is considered to be a biodiversity hot-spot for  Gondwanan Flora.

*          It has highest number of primitive plants in the world, many found only in this                         region.

*          It is the oldest continuous rainforest on Earth.

*          It is where "the rainforest meets the reef", where the complex wet tropical             rainforests flow uninterrupted from the coastal uplands to the Great Barrier               0;          Reef.

*          It is home to a host of rare and threatened plants and animals including the                         Southern Cassowary and the Bennett's Tree-Kangaroo.

*          It is considered one of the world's  ten plant biodiversity hot-spots

Despite the obvious conservation significance of the region, most of the Daintree lowlands lie outside the World Heritage Area and National Park and are not protected. However, with your support, this may soon change.

The Douglas Shire Council (DSC) recently took a courageous step to protect the lowlands by introducing a restriction on new development north of the Alexandra Range, located approximately 3 km to the north of the Daintree River. About half of the 1000 blocks of land sold off in the Daintree have yet to be settled. $10 million worth of funds have been committed so far to buy back this land and compensate affected landholders.

A  Temporary Local Planning Instrument (TLPI) was put in place by the DSC to prevent a flood of development applications for being lodged whilst the development restriction is given due consideration by the community. (Please find below a brief History of the Daintree Issue)

THE THREAT:

Some of the DSC councillors are now pushing for the removal of the TLPI and the development restrictions due to pressure from people who want to develop their land. A meeting will be held on September 3 to decide if the TLPI will be lifted.  If it is, this window of opportunity to save the Daintree lowlands will be lost forever!

ACTION REQUIRED.

The Douglas Shire Councillors need and deserve our ongoing support to stand firm and keep the TLPI in place and adopt the development restrictions. Please take the time now to write a short letter or email to each of the Douglas Shire Councillors, to the State and Federal Government leaders, as well as Letters to local papers - and let them know that you support the protection the spectacular rainforests of the

Daintree lowlands.

Below is a list of all the contacts that you need. We have also provided you with some dot points that you can either include in your letter or email to them. It would be even better if you could use this information to create your own personal message. Please note that a letter has far more impact than an email and a personal letter has more impact then a form letter. The Douglas Shire Council, the Queensland and Federal

Governments ALL need hear from you.

We cannot stress how important this is - if the Douglas Shire Councillors don't support this TILP and the new Douglas Shire Plan - the unprotected Daintree lowlands will literally be lost forever. This is urgent and this is important. We need your support. It is in fact an "end-game", and the fate of this critical World Heritage Environment will be sealed.

We thank you for taking the time to help protect the Daintree once and for all. For more information please contact CAFNEC on 07 4032 1746

See attached submission and contact details (Not attached)

Thanks

Nicky

Nicky Hungerford

Campaigner

Cairns & Far Nth Environment Centre

PO Box 323N, NORTH CAIRNS. 4870

Ph: (07) 40321586

Fax: (07) 40533779

Mob: 0419 768 676

Email:  <>

Regards

John Harris

Year 9 & Environmental Coordinator

Donvale Christian College

03 9844 2471