Another eight rivers in Cape York Peninsula would be declared protected Wild Rivers under a re-elected Labor government.
The Queensland Premier, Anna Bligh, made the announcement during a barramundi fishing trip on the Chapman River on the cape’s west coast early yesterday.
Under the Wild Rivers legislation, any development that could affect the flow of the river would be banned, but grazing, tourism and fishing would still be still allowed.
The Watson, Coleman and Olive-Pascoe river basins would be the next three systems to become Wild Rivers, bringing the state’s total to 16.
Draft declarations for their inclusion would be released for public consultation this year and, if successful, they would be awarded protection in the next term of government.
Ms Bligh also nominated the next five river basins that would be protected: the Jeannie, Jacky Jacky, Ducie, Jardine and Holroyd.
Indigenous reference groups would be set up and draft declarations would also be put to the public. Under the plan, Wild Rivers rangers - local indigenous people - would also be doubled to 100 by 2015 at a cost of $15 million.
The river basins are some of the most pristine in the world. Some retain 99 per cent of original vegetation species and all are home to threatened and endangered species.
Ms Bligh said Wild Rivers declarations were among the most important of protection measures available.
”Without doubt this is some of the most beautiful country on earth and it is our job to look after it well,” she told reporters in Pormpuraaw.
Traditional owner and Wild Rivers ranger Lenny Ned said the locals wanted to see the Coleman basin gain the protection.
”To me, this river is like a shopping centre,” he told reporters. ”We live off the land and we live off the water.
”It supports us and we want it to be there for the next generation.”
Ms Bligh raised concern that a Liberal National Party government would scrap the program in the cape and the Gulf of Carpentaria.
”These rivers will then be up for grabs for mining interests and other big changes of river systems like big irrigation and every project will be assessed and some will make it through the gate,” she said.
The opposition environment spokesman, Andrew Powell, said the LNP would rescind all Wild Rivers declarations in the cape if it won power because, he said, they were declared by Labor only to garner green preferences.
To manage the cape’s environment, an LNP government would instead work with local communities to create a ”bio-region” management plan which looked at overall conservation of the cape, including rivers, national parks and pest control.
”The plan … is about working with local communities to strike a balance between preserving the environment and empowering indigenous communities with job opportunities to free them from welfare dependence,” Mr Powell said.
”We are committed to protecting those pristine areas.”
He said the LNP had not yet decided whether Wild Rivers declarations would also be wound back in the gulf and western Queensland.
Mr Ned and three junior rangers took the Premier and media on a fishing trip up the Chapman River, part of the Coleman River basin.
Ms Bligh extended the trip waiting for a barramundi to bite but she did not manage to land one.
