We have an incredible range of wildlife here in far north Queensland – flora and fauna species that have flourished in our tropical climate for millions of years. We have one of the most diverse range of creatures and plants of any distinct region. We rate very high on the biodiversity scale.
There are some complex evolutionary and environmental reasons for that, which we’ll talk about in a minute. Basically, we are an ideal place for flora and fauna – a tropical environment with plenty of water and food, but not so close to the equator as to make for much more oppressive heat.
Our ABC Far North wildlife correspondent Martin Cohen paints a very detailed picture of our rich biodiversity. He tells me Queensland makes up about one per cent of the earth’s 150 million square kilometres of land. The Wet Tropics World Heritage area of FNQ is just a minute fraction of that one per cent – at just under nine thousand square kilometres. But within that area, most of it rainforest, there is an abundance of plants and animals, some of them going back to the very dawn of time.
What lives in there? Why is life so abundant here? And what does the future hold? Dr Martin Cohen has the answers LISTEN Click on the red arrow to hear Martin explore the biodiversity of our Wet Tropics World Heritage area
AEDES AEGYPTI MOSQUITO – CARRIES DENGUE FEVER IN FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND
You’ve got to look after yourself in the tropics, The climate that makes far north Queensland such an attractive place to live also makes it a great place for diseases and the creatures that carry them. Don’t worry – a few basic precautions will keep you safe – and we have world class experts researching and practising tropical medicine.
The main concern in FNQ these days is Dengue fever – a viral illness spread by mosquito bite. The disease is not endemic here, but one of the mosquitos that can carry it is present – Aedes Aegypti. Travellers arriving from Papua New Guinea or south-east Asia bring dengue back with them, the local mosquitos bite them and spread it around. This wet season we’ve had 112 cases of Dengue in the Cairns region. There’s no cure, but prevention is very effective – repellent and keeping your property clear of potential mosquito breeding sites are critical. Read more about dengue in tropical Queensland here http://www.health.qld.gov.au/dengue/
There’s some great work being done here to reduce the risk of dengue from the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, and a very effective program to keep its much more dangerous relative – Aedes Albopictus – out of Australia. But Federal funding for that is about to run out and scientists are worried about the health risks if it doesn’t continue.
THE ASIAN TIGER MOSQUITO – AEDES ALBOPICTUS
Aedes Aegypti is a tropical mosquito – and so the Dengue risk is confined to north Queensland. But Aedes Albopictus – also known as the Asian Tiger mosquito – can survive outside the tropics, in the more temperate zones of southern Australia. This, according to the experts, means that the area in which you could be bitten by a Dengue-infected mosquito could extend to Brisbane, and well into New South Wales or Victoria in the future. And Albopictus can also carry a nasty tropical disease called Chikungunya.
Currently, the Tropical Public Health Service in Cairns runs an Asian Tiger mosquito control program in the Torres Strait.The mozzies used to be found in significant numbers on Thursday and Horn islands, but are now rarely seen there. But one was found recently on a ship in Cairns, and they’re routinely present in near neighbours Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. If they get established on the Australian mainland, they will spread, and scientists tell us that will require major new control strategies at local, state and federal level.
LISTEN Click on the red arrow to hear Professor Scott Ritchie of James Cook University Cairns and Dr Greg Devine of the Tropical Public Health Service Cairns talk about the current program and make the case for it to continue.
LISTEN Click on the red arrow to hear Scott & Greg talk about the current Dengue outbreaks in Cairns and some the programs to control the spread of the disease
Scott Ritchie is a member of the Aedes albopictus technical advisory committee and the National Arbovirus and Malaria Advisory Committee..
Greg Devine is Director of Medical Entomology with Tropical Public Health Services in Cairns.
DENGUE ZONES AROUND THE TROPICS
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I’m writing this on a wet and very windy Cairns evening. We’ve had 40 knot winds along our coast today, with a gale warning issued by the Bureau of Meteorology. It’s being driven by an unusual combination of weather – a wet north-westerly air flow higher up in the atmosphere. and a wet south-easterly at lower altitudes. And it’s very rare to have gale force winds in far north Queensland when there’s no cyclone in the neighbourhood.
Ooops. Sorry for using the “C” word! We’ve only had to use it once this wet season – when cyclone Oswald came out of the Gulf of Carpentaria in January and hit western Cape York Peninsula. Oswald was a “little fella” – a category one that did some damage around FNQ, but did its worst much further south as a rain depression. And Oswald was a traveller. He made it all the way to Sydney.
It’s been a below average wet season in FNQ, and the forecasters reckon we may have seen the last of the monsoon. It seems we’ve made it through the wet season without a major cyclone. If you’ve never been through one, count yourself lucky. Cyclones are about the worst thing nature can throw at you. We usually know they’re coming several days ahead, so there’s a long time in which to prepare and worry. The event itself is terrifying, with real risk to life and property lasting for hours. It’s the worst form of sensory overload, and when it’s over, the ordeal is really just beginning. It’s time to clean up, repair and rebuild, start again. That can take weeks, months, years, and in the early stages, you’ll be without so many of the things we take for granted – power, phone, ATMs, the Internet, shops, water, roads. It’s a challenging time, and poses real risk to your emotional well-being.
Thankfully, these days, there are people and agencies expert in helping us recover from natural disasters. And they tell us one of the best things you can do is to talk to each other – tell those cyclone stories. It might not be easy at first, but it gets easier and it does help make sense of the disaster you’ve just been through. And it helps others who’ve been there too, and can help people prepare for next time, especially people who have yet to experience a cyclone.
And let’s face it – cyclone stories can be amazing tales of the power of nature, of courage and the resilience of the human spirit. The Museum of Tropical Queensland in Townsville is about to put on an exhibition about cyclones in our part of the world – and they’d like your help.
If you’ve had first-hand experience with cyclones, tornados and other “big blows”, they’d like to hear from you. The exhibition will tell the story of how these fierce weather events have shaped the lives of North Queenslanders. The exhibition will look at cyclones that have affecyed North Queensland over the past 100 years with a focus on how the community has prepared for, lived through, cleaned up and counted the cost after each disaster. The Museum is keen to gather stories, photos and memorabilia about north Queensland cyclones since the early 1900s.
LISTEN Click on the red arrow to hear exhibition curator Robert de Jong talk about the exhibition and how you can help make it an authentic telling of an important north Queensland story.
Can you help? If you’d like to contribute to the tropical cyclones exhibition contact Robert de Jong on (61 7) 4726 0652 or by email: robert.dejong@qm.qld.gov.au.
There are some amazing cyclone stories in our radio documentary series Remembering Larry. Cyclone Larry hit FNQ in March 2006 – one year later, people took time to reflect on the region’s first severe cyclone in 20 years, and the lessons we learned.
You can listen to the series by clicking on the red arrow for each episode.
REMEMBERING LARRY EPISODE 1: TROUBLE BREWING OUT IN THE CORAL SEA
REMEMBERING LARRY EPISODE 2: WE’VE HAD A BIT OF A BLOW
REMEMBERING LARRY EPISODE 3: WHERE THE HELL DO YOU START
REMEMBERING LARRY EPISODE 4: AND IT WON’T BE LIKE THIS TOMORROW
REMBERING LARRY EPISODE 5: “REMEMBERING LARRY”
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Far north Queensland is home to wonderful creatures – but some of them are hard to see in the wild. If you’re very lucky you’ll see a cassowary strolling through the Daintree rainforest or the beautiful Cassowary Coast region. But getting to see a tree kangaroo in the wild is the wildlife equivalent of winning the lottery. They’re rare, reclusive, they blend in to the vegetation very well, and they occur in a very small area of FNQ.
Because they are so rarely seen, there’s still a lot we don’t know about tree kangaroos. But the crew at The Wildlife Habitat at Port Douglas are trying to do something about that. They have several Lumholz tree kangaroos at the habitat – including the only breeding tree kangaroos in captivity anywhere in the world. The Lumholz is a very rare creature, and up close, they’re beautiful and quite talkative too.
This week, undergraduate students from the Atherton Tablelands School for Field Studies are researching the scent marking behaviour of Lumholtz Tree Kangaroos – a valuable opportunity to observe and document some of the actions of this elusive species. “They’re only found in the central and southern parts of the Wet Tropics World Heritage region, making them very difficult to find, let alone research,” says Clare Anderson, wildlife manager at the Wildlife Habitat.
You can see the tree kangaroos at the Wildlife Habitat, and lots of other FNQ creatures too. http://wildlifehabitat.com.au/
LISTEN Click on the red arrow to meet Lily the tree kangaroo, and hear Clare Anderson talk about these beautiful creatures.
I visited the Wildllife Habitat with ABC Far North wildlife correspondent Martin Cohen. You can hear Martin on Wednesday afternoons at 445 on my radio program. Read more about Martin at http://www.wildaboutaustralia.com/
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One of the main reasons people visit far north Queensland is the chance to see rainforest areas – and we have the world’s oldest rainforest just 90 minutes drive north of Cairns in the Daintree. The Daintree rainforest grows right down to the sea between Mossman Gorge and the Bloomfield River. It’s Australia’s largest area of continuous rainforest. It’s named after Richard Daintree, the Queensland Government’s first geologist for north Queensland and a pioneer photographer.
The first time most Australians heard of the Daintree was in the early 1980s when construction of a road in the recently declared Cape Tribulation National Park sparked one of this country’s biggest environmental protests – the Daintree blockade. http://www.daintreeblockade.com.au/
Not long after that protest, Pam and Ron Birkett visited the Daintree and went away disappointed – not by the rainforest, but by the lack of information available to visitors. They remember people frustrated that there was no way to experience the rainforest close up or to understand its history and biology. It was possible to get in to the forest on man-made walking trails, but Pam & Ron say this caused significant damage to the fragile environment and disturbed the wildlife. They campaigned for interpretive information and an environmental centre allowing controlled access to the rainforest. The Government of the day liked the idea but didn’t want to spend the money, so Pam & Ron stepped in and set up the Rainforest Environmental Centre in 1989 – it’s now known as the Daintree Discovery Centre. It welcomed its one millionth visitor in mid 2010. http://www.daintree-rec.com.au/
You can get right into the rainforest on the aerial walkway and the canopy tower, without trampling through the sensitive under-storey or having an unfortunate encounter with a stinging tree. There are great views to be had, and plenty of information to help you understand what you’re seeing. And there are some amazing things to see – the view across the Alexander Range is worth the climb to the top of the tower, and you’ll see one of the world’s most popular palm trees — the Alexandra Palm – this is its home country. And there’s the king fern – a plant that hasn’t changed in hundreds of millions of years. There’s plenty of bird-life – and there’s a reasonable chance of sighting the usually reclusive cassowary.
LISTEN Click on the red arrow to take a tour of the Daintree Discovery Centre with our wildlife correspondent Martin Cohen
When you’re in the rainforest, there are fruits and plants that may look good – but should never be eaten. Such treats as the cassowary plum, stink horn and idiot fruit. LISTEN Click on the red arrow to hear Abi Ralph & Martin explain.
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Dr Martin Cohen is ABC Far Northwildlife correspondent. He’s on my radio program Wednesdays at 4.45pm. Read more about Martin at http://www.wildaboutaustralia.com/
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Far north Queensland is home to all manner of birds – their presence or absence can tell us a lot about our changing seasons, the weather and environment. Lately we’ve seen red tailed black cockatoos in parts of the far north where they would not usually be seen. They’ve even been seen in significant numbers in down-town Cairns. They’re more often seen in drier parts of our region, but given the below average wet season and above average temperatures this summer, maybe they’re looking to find cooler conditions on the coast.
AUDIO Click on the red arrow to hear our wildlife correspondent Martin Cohen talk about cockatoos, the red tail black, and why they’re turning up in some unusual places.
The red tail black cockatoo is thought to have been the first eastern Australian bird illustrated by a European – Joseph Banks’ draughtsman Sydney Parkinson sketched a bird taken at Endeavour River, Cooktown in 1770.
The northern subspecies of red-tailed black cockatoo has a wide distribution and is not considered endangered. The Western Australian inland red tail is more frequently seen than was once the case, but loss of suitable nesting trees in southern Australia has adversely affected populations.
Malaria has been making humans sick for at least one hundred thousand years. It’s caused by parasites with an astonishing capacity to develop resistance to drug treatments. The parasites are transmitted by mosquitos. Every year hundreds of millions of people in tropical regions of the developing world become ill with malaria. Recent World Health Organisation figures indicate upwards of two thousand people a day die of the disease.
The term malaria comes from the Italian mala aria – literally “bad air”. It was once known as ague or marsh fever, due to its association with swamps and marshland. Malaria was once common in North America and Europe – it’s thought to have been a major factor in the fall of the Roman Empire. These days, malaria occurs in or close to the tropics, primarily in developing nations.
There are five known types of malaria parasite and they’re becoming increasingly resistant to current anti-malarial drugs. There’s been good progress reducing the incidence of malaria using repellents and mosquito nets, and the disease has been eradicated from some areas. But around the world, researchers continue to look for a vaccine, and for more effective treatments.
During World War Two, malaria was a major problem for troops on both sides in the Asia-Pacific theatre. It was quite common then to deliberately infect people with malaria as part of research looking for treatments and cures, particularly here in Cairns. That practice fell out of favour, but is now being used again by the Queensland Institute of Medical Research.
It’s a safer research method these days. Volunteers are injected with parasite-infected human blood, under careful medical supervision. They may experience some minor symptoms, but don’t develop malaria. Professor James McCarthy says this is one of the best ways to find new cures for malaria. Professor McCarthy is an infectious diseases specialist at the Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital and leader of a research group at
the Queensland Institute of Medical Research. He researches human parasites including worms, scabies and malaria. He says there are some exciting developments in the field of malaria research. Click on the red arrow to hear Professor McCarthy explain his malaria research.
Prof James McCarthy
Professor McCarthy spoke in Cairns at the Queensland Tropical Health Alliance. Read more about the Alliance at http://www.qtha.org.au/
CAPE YORK RIVER CROSSING AT END OF THE DRY. NOT A LOT WETTER YET
It hasn’t been much of a wet season so far here in far north Queensland. We’ve had just one burst of the monsoon, which spawned cyclone Oswald. Most of the rain generated by Oswald fell much further south, causing flooding and major damage in central and southern Queensland.
Here in FNQ, some places got rainfalls upwards of 300mm, but most of our region is much drier and hotter than it would normally be at this time of year. And this after a long and hot dry spell late in 2012. The forecasters tell us it’ll be at least two, maybe three weeks, before we see the next surge of the monsoon – until then, any rain will come in the form of intermittent showers blown in from the Coral Sea on the south-easterly trade wind.
The late onset of the wet means our wildlife is having a tough time. Food is less plentiful, temperatures are higher. It’s affecting breeding, behaviour, and patterns of migration.
AUDIO Click on the red arrow to hear our wildlife correspondent MARTIN COHEN explain the impact on the creatures of far north Queensland.
Kauri Pines near Lake Barrine on the Atherton Tablelands FNQ
Some of the trees in far north Queensland are very old, perhaps going back hundreds of years. A James Cook University study getting underway on the Atherton Tablelands hopes those trees can tell us more about the weather over the past 400 years and help forecast future extreme weather events.
The study will use the science of dendrochronology – the analysis of patterns of tree rings, which form in trunks during periods of rapid tree growth. Dendrochronology was developed by astronomer A E Douglass in the first half of the 20th century – he was looking to understand cycles of sunspot activity. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._E._Douglass
It’s long been possible to learn about past climate events from tree rings, but the general view was reliable information couldn’t be drawn from tropical trees because they grow so much faster than trees in more temperate zones.
But James Cook University’s Dr Nathan English says it’s time to reconsider that view. He believes tropical tree rings may help inform our understanding and forecasting of weather in the tropics.
“Now we are having a second look at tropical trees for dendrochronology because we’re finding more and more tree species with good, annual rings, which are formed during wet-dry seasons, and the tropics are an important part of the global climate system,” Dr English said.
Tree rings visible in a very old Kauri pine
AUDIO Click on the red arrow to hear Nathan English explain his study, and how it could help forecast future floods and droughts.
Dr English works at JCU’s Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science – the Atherton Tablelands study is one of many around the world, including Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Indonesia, that are trying to fill the gaps in our knowledge of tropical climate.
“As a bonus, I hope we’ll learn something about the last 400 years or more of drought and flood history in Queensland and that in turn can guide us in the future,”Dr English said.
The information gathered in this study over the next three years could help us make better decisions about natural disaster mitigation efforts, insurance, and how we live and make our livings here in tropical north Queensland.
Drills used for dendochronology studies don’t harm the trees
The long hot dry season is coming to an end. The wet season is not far off. The signs are all there. Afternoon storms building up on the Atherton Tablelands and Cape York Peninsula. In Cairns and along the east coast, the south-east trade wind has dropped out, replaced by the much less-refreshing north-easter. Days are becoming stickier. The night-time temperatures seem higher. Sleep comes to a sound-track of calling frogs and rumbling air conditioners.
Somewhere around Xmas. the monsoon will arrive. Heavy rain, the prospect of cyclones and flooding. Summer in the far north is a curious mix of bliss, tedium, and anxiety. The first real rain will have us dancing in the streets, some of us not fully clothed at the time. And the renewal of the FNQ environment is an extraordinary thing to behold.
Mind you,after a while, the thrill does wear off. A soggy, stinky, mouldy ennui prevails, the moist adjectives get a flogging and people begin to scan airline websites for cheap flights to arid destinations.
And there’s the worrying prospect of a cyclone developing in the Gulf or the Coral Sea. They can meander out there for ages, sometimes coming to nought. Other times, they make landfall and cause tremendous damage.
It’s hard to imagine that such a potentially dangerous time of year is, for our wildlife, a time of renewal. But that’s exactly what it is. Food sources become plentiful, water abundant, and the critters flourish. Even now, a few weeks out from the wet, our wildlife has sensed it coming, and is getting excited at the prospect.
Martin Cohen at Lake Eacham FNQ
AUDIO Click on the red arrow to hear ABC Far North Wildlife Correspondent Martin Cohen explain how the approach of the wet season affects FNQ and its amazing creatures.
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We have an incredible range of wildlife here in far north Queensland – flora and fauna species that have flourished in our tropical climate for millions of years. We have one of the most diverse range of creatures and plants of any distinct region. We rate very high on the biodiversity scale.
The Mojowire 