Hinchinbrook 'beach being built'
Video evidence collected by the Friends of Hinchinbrook and the North Queensland Conservation Council shows that Cardwell Properties, the Hinchinbrook developer, is constructing a beach on the foreshore and over mangrove areas at Oyster Point.
This is a breach of federal environment minister Senator Robert Hill's promise that there will be no beach at Port Hinchinbrook.
Addressing a press conference on November 28, Dr Joanna Ellison, an expert on mangrove ecology, said as little as five centimetres of sediment on top of roots can kill mangroves.
The video evidence shows hundreds of tonnes of sand dumped in the mangrove regrowth area of the marine park. Dr Ellison said mangroves buried by sand would probably not survive.
Dr Norm Duke indicated that loss of mangroves would cause increased erosion. Dr Tony Preen said an increase in erosion would decrease dugong feeding areas. Oyster Point is a major dugong feeding area. Up to 100 dugong have been seen feeding in the seagrass.
"The developer is out of control. [Cardwell Properties] ... is destroying mangroves that the Commonwealth has promised to protect and is building a beach that the Commonwealth has promised to prevent", said David Haigh, president of Friends of Hinchinbrook.
"Equally disturbing is that it is conservation groups that brought this matter to the attention of the government. Where are the independent monitor and the environmental site supervisor, the two employees paid out of the public purse, that are charged with protecting World Heritage?", asked Haigh.
"The developer must be made to remove the sand and restore the mangroves", Haigh added.