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Half a century ago, five nations including Australia signed a convention in Ramsar, Iran, meant to provide a framework for the conservation of various aqua habitats across the globe.
Now, on February 2 each year, World Wetlands Day is celebrated in honour of the Ramsar Conventionâs efforts to preserve the environment.
Central Queensland is no exception - the Fitzroy region has almost 9500 wetlands, 17 of which are considered nationally significant; and in 1996, Shoalwater Bay and Corio Bay were registered as internationally important.
This yearâs theme is âWetlands and Waterâ, mainly highlighting the way in which wetlands help provide clean water.
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Subscriber only Turtle conservationists have unearthed key information about local nesting hot spots which will help in prioritising and protecting these environments into the future. Reef Catchments staff have conducted survey flights over islands and beaches in the Whitsundays. They also went as far south as Stanage Bay, which 75km north-east of Rockhampton, and as far east as Bushy Island, 70km east of Mackay. The surveys identified both the number and species of nesting turtle tracks that had been made the previous night as green turtles and flatback turtles moved through. The team also recorded the number of old nesting turtle tracks.
THE Fitzroy Regionâs coastal ecosystems are in safe hands after the Australian Governmentâs Reef Trust provided $4 million to fund a number of important environmental programs over the next two-and-a-half years.
The funding was directed to Central Queenslandâs natural resource management body Fitzroy Basin Association (FBA), who have 23 years of experience developing and delivering projects that protect the regionâs natural assets; including the Great Barrier Reef.
Spanning the coast line between St Lawrence and Boyne Island, the FBAâs multifaceted project was designed to work with local communities and stakeholders to protect iconic species and the overall health and resilience of the Great Barrier Reef and associated coastal habitats.