27/05/2005 - Brooklyn
Station - the site of some of Australia's
richest and most diverse wildlife - will be
protected with $4.5 million from the Australian
Government, the Minister for the Environment
and Heritage, Senator Ian Campbell, announced
today.
"Brooklyn Station in Queensland's wet
tropics is a jewel of Australia's biodiversity,"
Senator Campbell said.
"Stretching from some of the region's
highest mountains to the Einasleigh Uplands,
its 60,000 hectares contain an enormously
diverse range of environments. More than 290
of Australia's bird species are found there,
including the endangered Buff-breasted Button
quail, which is endemic to north-eastern Queensland.
"It's for this reason that Brooklyn Station
has been identified as a priority for protection
under the Australian Government's Maintaining
Biodiversity Hotspots Programme."
"With $4.5 million under this programme,we
have formed a partnership with the Australian
Wildlife Conservancy to buy Brooklyn Station
and protect it forever."
Brooklyn Station contains the only known
occurrences of Bunya Pines in north Queensland.
Other species endemic to the area include
the Mareeba Rock Wallaby and the endangered
northern Spotted-tailed Quoll. The vulnerable
Red Goshawk has nested on the property. It
has virgin Red Mahogany forest, essential
to the survival of the vulnerable north Queensland
Yellow-bellied Glider.
The $36 million hotspots programme was announced
by the Prime Minister in August 2004. It aims
to improve conservation of national biodiversity
hotspots on private and leasehold land by
funding the purchase of outstanding properties,
such as Brooklyn, and by assisting private
landholders in hotspot regions to improve
the condition of their bush.
Other initiatives funded under the programme
include the $1.5 million Mt Lofty initiative
and the $6 million Daintree initiative.
