Stop the bridge across the Daintree River  

 

A proposed bridge across the Daintree River will fuel further development of the World Heritage value rainforest along the Daintree coast and must be stopped.

 

  • Currently, the only way to reach the Daintree is by vehicular barge across the Daintree River. 
  • The local authority, Douglas Shire Council is exploring options for a bridge over the Daintree River.
  • A bridge will have an enormous flow-on effect. It will increase the number of vehicles and the hours of the day that they’re on roads. Vehicle strike is a killer of the Southern Cassowary and endangered species critical to the rainforest’s natural ability to regenerate.
  • An increase in traffic will lead to growth in property prices, increased demand for additional services such as energy supply, further fragmentation of highly sensitive ecosystems, and disturbance of terrestrial and aquatic environments.
  • The Daintree Lowland Rainforest in North Queensland is the oldest rainforest on the planet, with an unbroken evolutionary history going back over 120 million years to the first flowering plants. Let's not change that now.

 

People power has saved the Daintree time and time again and it will this time too. Sign the petition to demand the Douglas Shire Council to dismiss all proposals for a bridge over the Daintree River which will irreparably impact fragile ecosystems and the endangered animals that live within them.

Will you sign?

 

 

To Douglas Shire Council

 

Urgently put a stop to proposals for a bridge across the Daintree River and instead work to protect the region’s natural values.

 

_ _ _ _

 

Building a bridge over the Daintree River will support further undesirable development. For decades, governments and NGOs have been investing in buying back blocks adjacent to the World Heritage Area to slow down development. And now the Douglas Shire Council has put a bridge back on the table.

 

A bridge over the Daintree has been floated on and off for decades and has been met with opposition from the local community and conservationists across the world.

 

A bridge poses a significant threat to the area’s biodiversity. There’s no doubt a bridge brings with it an increase in vehicular traffic to this internationally significant region. With a bridge will come the following impacts:

 

  • 24-hour access across the river means cars are crossing the river at all times of day and night, putting at risk already endangered wildlife.
  • The construction phase and inevitable road upgrade will disturb sensitive ecosystems, both terrestrial and aquatic.
  • The bridge is likely to increase the number and type of services available to residents and tourists of the Daintree, for example, deliveries and waste services
  • An increase in tourism development will increase road kills of native wildlife, including the endangered Southern Cassowary
  • Expansion to the road network will create an edge effect, opening up the rainforest canopy and further catalyzing the spread of pest plants and animals
  • Tourists currently visit the Daintree for its intact rainforest and genuine wildlife experiences. Additional infrastructure will undermine the region’s natural values

 

People power has saved the Daintree time and time again and it will this time too. We’re calling on the Douglas Shire Council to put a stop to development in the Daintree once and for all and to cease all proposals exploring a bridge across the Daintree River.

 

 

 

8,565 signatures
Save the Daintree Rainforest Stop the bridge across the Daintree River
  • Nevil Yates
    signed 2020-10-22 16:20:23 +1100
  • Tracy Barnett
    signed 2020-10-22 15:58:34 +1100
  • Erin Oui
    signed 2020-10-22 14:22:41 +1100
  • Helen Brown
    signed 2020-10-22 13:31:57 +1100
    The amount of rainforest and wetlands in Australia is so small we as a proud educated country need to protect what is left of these unique ecosystems.The rate our native wildlife is being destroyed and made extinct is a global disgrace and if we don’t stop the manmade constructions like that bridge our natural heritage will never be sustainable and be lost forever!!
  • Judy Thomas
    signed 2020-10-22 13:25:47 +1100
  • Ian Sinclair
    signed 2020-10-22 12:31:38 +1100
  • Peter Mumme
    signed 2020-10-22 12:30:43 +1100
    As we move away from roads, travelling, cars, fuels, life-styles .. toward calmer, nature based inclusive life – for all .. silly projects like building bridges (for what – more noise, more trash, more loss of habitat ?) cease
  • Bonnie Lijewski
    signed 2020-10-22 11:02:35 +1100
  • John Harris
    signed 2020-10-22 10:54:35 +1100
    This will be the road to riche$. Built for greed. Unaccountable and damaging beyond belief. It must be stopped.
  • Jody Hircock
    signed 2020-10-22 10:54:13 +1100
  • Alan Jamison
    signed 2020-10-22 10:44:44 +1100
  • Elena Garcia
    signed 2020-10-22 10:43:04 +1100
  • Jess Sangster
    signed 2020-10-22 10:30:10 +1100
    A bridge is a terrible idea for many reasons, most importantly it will have a negative impact on the unique daintree environment. No bridge!
  • Bettina Gorton
    signed 2020-10-22 10:24:55 +1100
  • Philip Reuter
    signed 2020-10-22 10:21:57 +1100
  • Noni Sangster
    signed 2020-10-22 10:15:26 +1100
  • Carol Sykes
    signed 2020-10-22 10:09:47 +1100
  • Jan Lancaster
    signed 2020-10-22 10:06:43 +1100
  • Lyn Obern
    signed 2020-10-22 09:56:56 +1100
    Australia is already the highest in the world for destruction of their native animals due to deforestation, expansion of building, increases of population, all monetary based issues. We have just had major fires and floods furtherdecimating native wildlife and habitat, some still not recovered nor possibly will not recover. We need to preserve the areas of forests and habitat we have remaining especially in view of climate change which will increase loss naturally if we don’t work now to reverse some of the destruction we continue to do under the guise of progress. This is regression. The cassowary habitat has already diminished. This bird is from prehistoric times and has survived until human occupation, this open door access via bridge will do nothing for the remaining wildlife and what exists of the habitat they must have to survive. Let Australia show the world we are not stupid, that we love our beautiful country and want to preserve our continent and its remaining but dwindling native wildlife. No to a bridge. The crossing is more attractive to tourism, it’s part of the Daintree experience. Very Australian.
  • Melissa Mander
    signed 2020-10-22 09:52:10 +1100
  • geoff gerhardt
    signed 2020-10-22 09:24:07 +1100
  • Sarah Westwood
    signed 2020-10-22 09:14:14 +1100
  • Rita Horta
    signed 2020-10-22 09:13:52 +1100
  • Paul Broomhall
    signed 2020-10-22 09:13:50 +1100
    No bridge 😡.
  • Jo Vabe
    signed 2020-10-22 09:11:04 +1100
    Why would one want to open this? MONEY! Can we please have one piece of paradise still protected. No more humans needed here and the bridge will just do that let more humans in. It will be the first step to develpment and more tourists, that none of us want. Only developers and tourist business to make bux or 3. It would be wise to look at the powers in charge here and their connections? Look at what happenend to Fraser Island. It is a struggle to keep the dingo’s protected.

    Please leave it as it is for the sake of nature and our kids. I rather pay more tax to keep the ferry and locals at work for times to come.
  • Janine Cowie
    signed 2020-10-22 09:05:05 +1100
  • Helen Konz
    signed 2020-10-22 09:04:57 +1100
  • Leisl Kaspar
    signed 2020-10-22 09:02:53 +1100
  • Ian Lock
    signed 2020-10-22 09:01:06 +1100
    Enjoy the Daintree as it is.
  • Sally Lawrance
    signed 2020-10-22 09:00:38 +1100
    If you want to influence a person- tell them what it is that will affect them. The Mayor needs to know that crossing by ferry is a great Tourist Experience, driving across a bridge is not. They need to keep the ferries and not build a bridge which will kill not only the rainforest but their Tourism. It will cost many $$$ that could go instead into other projects. Dumb move by the Council if they do this.

 

connect

Sign in with Facebook, Twitter or email.
Rainforest 4 Foundation (ABN 49 628 358 323)
Development by Bush Marketing