Townsville City Council: A Reef Guardian Council
Townsville City Council is proud to be recognised as a Reef Guardian Council, for our efforts to help protect, conserve, and enhance the values of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. |
 |
The Reef Guardian Council program is an initiative of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, involving the coastal councils of the Great Barrier Reef region. The program aims to protect and conserve the Great Barrier Reef for future generations by encouraging, promoting and recognising improved environmental practices by local government. These actions lead to improved environmental outcomes for the Great Barrier Reef, including improving water quality and helping build its resilience in the face of climate change impacts.
The program recognises local government actions across:
- water management,
- waste management,
- land management,
- climate change and,
- community engagement.
Visit the Reef Guardian Councils Website for further information.
Why is Townsville City Council a Reef Guardian Council?
Townsville City Council is committed to helping to protect, conserve and enhance the values of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area for future generations. Council recognises its role in helping to improve land-based management practices and how these actions will help protect the Great Barrier Reef.
Townsville City Council guiding principles:
- Commit to investigating and implementing best environmental practice in our daily operations and other core business activities;
- Commit to investigating and implementing best environmental practice principles in land use and infrastructure planning;
- Commit to providing locally relevant environmental communication and education programs for staff and the community; and
- Commit to identifying and developing key partnerships and collaborations that can help meet these objectives.
Selected Reef Guardian Council Actions
Water and catchment management actions
Council is committed to implementing programs and actions to help reduce and manage the impacts of landuse activities on the Great Barrier Reef, including helping to reduce catchment based and point source pollution sources.
Selected Council programs and actions supporting this objective include:
Waste management actions
Council is committed to implementing programs and actions that help reduce waste, litter and other land-based pollution sources from entering the Great Barrier Reef.
Selected Council programs and actions supporting this objective include:
- implementing innovative capping of landfill sites,
- implementation of electricity co-generation at Stuart landfill and flaring at Harvey’s Range landfill,
- participation in ‘butt free city’ campaign annually, and
- provision of kerb side, public place and event recycling.
Land management actions
Council is committed to implementing programs and actions to promote responsible land management and promote awareness of harms to the reef from inappropriate land management activities.
Selected Council programs and actions supporting this objective include:
- developing and implementing pest plants and pest animal management programs,
- providing local native plant giveaways at major community events, and
- supporting community awareness program for weeds recognition and eradication through Weedbuster Week, Weedswap (swapping weeds for local native plants)
Community engagement actions
Council is committed to engage the wider community in various environmental activities to help raise awareness of environmental issues and to achieve on-ground activities that would contribute to protecting the Great Barrier Reef.
Selected Council programs and actions supporting this objective include:
- undertaking community revegetation days,
- delivering eco-catchment and eco-electricity education tours (resource dependent),
- supporting community involvement in catchment management through the Creek to Coral partnership and supporting the Creekwatch groups,
- providing and participating in major community events such Eco-Fiesta and Smart Lifestyle Expo, and
- undertaking community capacity building and training e.g. Thematic communication.
Climate change mitigation actions
Council is committed to fostering the implementation of programs and actions that help reduce the overall carbon footprint of Townsville, while also helping to also mitigate against the impacts of climate change in the future.
Selected Council programs and actions supporting this objective include:
- promoting residential energy demand management and efficiency, and uptake of renewable energy sources in Townsville through the City Solar program,
- investigating options to reduce energy use and peak demand across Council operations, and
- supporting and promoting Earth Hour in Townsville