Partners review wetland restoration progress

Launched in 2024, the Eastern Cape York Coastal Wetland Restoration project is a three-year initiative aimed at improving the health and resilience of coastal habitats within Great Barrier Reef catchments.

Funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust, the project focuses on restoring wetlands in the Hann, Normanby, and Jeannie catchments.

In November 2025, project partners came together for a mid-point review workshop to assess progress, share insights, and plan future actions.

Participants reviewed wetland restoration activities, water quality monitoring data, feral pig management progress, and adaptive management approaches across Cape York.

A Social and Cultural Benefits Survey was also completed, giving participants the chance to reflect on how the project supports cultural connections, skill development, and long-term partnerships.

The workshop included updates on three aligned initiatives, allowing partners with overlapping objectives to collaborate in a single, unified session:

• University of Queensland’s Nature Repair Market Feral Ungulate Method investigation

• NAILSMA’s NESP Feral Pig Integrated Pest Management work

• Cape York Water Partnerships’ wetland restoration research

The workshop reviewed progress in tackling environmental threats to the wetlands.

Key highlights included the treatment of the invasive weed olive hymenachne (Hymenachne amplexicaulis) across 20,000 ha, and the culling of 3,825 feral pigs across 179,200 ha by Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service over the past 12 months.

These efforts took place in Cape Melville National Park (CYPAL) and Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park (CYPAL), in partnership with Indigenous ranger teams.

The project is also delivering cultural co-benefits — creating jobs, providing training, and protecting wetlands of cultural significance for Traditional Owners.

Find out more: https://www.capeyorknrm.com.au/what-we-do 

This project is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust.

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