Total land protected: 554,600 hectares
We've been working with Cape York Traditional Owner groups and organisations on a range of conservation projects. Cape York Peninsula is one of the largest ecologically-intact, tropical, Indigenous domains on earth. Covering 137,000 square kilometres, the region is home to more than 10,000 Aboriginal people representing 50 diverse language groups.
Established: 2006
Location: Far North Qld
Abutting Queensland's Carnarvon Gorge National Park, this is one of the few remaining strongholds for woodland species largely lost to the rest of eastern Australia. Of almost 200 animal species found so far, at least 12 are threatened, including the nationally endangered Northern Quoll.
Established: 2001
Area: 59,000 hectares
Location: Central Qld 200 km south of Emerald
Its catchments channel life-giving flood waters into the Mulligan River, and its wetlands are used by a host of waterbirds. On the edge of the Simpson Desert, it protects gibber plains, red sandy dune fields, semi-permanent waterholes, Coolabah woodlands, and one of the richest reptile assemblages on earth.
Established: 2005
Area: 233,000 hectares
Location: Western Qld 470 km south of Mt Isa
Once part of the extensive rainforests of south-east Queensland it's now a rare remnant of forest cover. A small reserve bequested to us by local beekeeper and flower grower, Dr Alex Griffiths, it plays an important role as a conservation buffer for the adjacent Nicoll Scrub National Park.
Established: 2000
Area: 4 hectares
Location: 100km south of Brisbane
Home to what scientists have called the most significant natural springs for global biodiversity in the entire Great Artesian Basin. Fed by water travelling underground for hundreds of kilometres, these isolated springs have given rise to the evolution of more than two dozen species found nowhere else.
Established: 2008
Area: 8,100 hectares
Location: Central Qld 140km north east of Longreach
In the north of the Simpson Desert, Ethabuka is a haven for desert wildlife. Home to a wetland system of national significance, brimming with shrimps, fish and waterbirds following good rains. It also has one of the richest lists of reptile species in Australia, including Australia’s largest goanna, the Perentie.
Established: 2004
Area: 215,500 hectares
Location: Western Qld, 640km south of Mt Isa
Rescued from developers in 1993, it's our only reserve in Queensland's Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. The most striking feature is its fan palms, which grow up to 15 metres tall and form a dense canopy in the mesophyll vine forest. Elsewhere, much of this vegetation type has been cleared for farming.
Established: 1993
Area: 8.2 hectares
Location: 50km north of Port Douglas
In the heart of Queensland’s Brigalow Belt bioregion. Taking their name from the long-lived, silvery wattle known as brigalow, the once extensive Brigalow Belt shrublands have fallen prey to large-scale land clearance. Now, just 6% remains with only 2% protected in conservation reserves.
Established: 1998
Area: 593 ha hectares
Location: Central Qld 275 km west of Rockhampton
Protects intact Queensland coastal and riparian forest that's been dramatically cleared to make way for development. Has some very special neighbours including the Loggerhead Turtle – among the biggest marine turtles on earth – and the rare Grey Goshawk, which has been spotted on the reserve.
Established: 2004
Area: 475 hectares
Location: 130km north west of Bundaberg
Located in a biodiversity hotspot this important conservation area is a stronghold for 39 regional ecosystems, some not protected anywhere else in the country. Yourka Reserve is part of the Einasleigh Uplands and nestles up against Queensland’s Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
Established: 2007
Area: 43,500 hectares
Location: Far North Qld 130km south of Cairns