The property owner cleared land and built a dam that significantly encroached on Dryander National Park
Dryander National Park is one of the only known habitats of the endangered Proserpine rock wallaby
A Proserpine man has been ordered to pay a total of $16,250 for building a dam that illegally encroached on Dryander National Park, one of the only known habitats of the endangered Proserpine rock wallaby.
In August 2020, DES received a report that the property owner had cleared land and vegetation and built a dam that significantly encroached on the national park.
Rangers from Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) carried out investigations and confirmed that the encroachment was approximately 2,000 square metres into the national park where Proserpine rock wallabies had been sighted previously.
During their inspections, rangers also found a water tank, building materials and other property being unlawfully stored within the park.
As a result of this investigation, the man was charged with two offences of taking and/or using a natural resource of a protected area and one offence of keeping an unauthorised structure in a protected area.
Dryander National Park is not only home to the endangered Proserpine rock wallaby, but houses 52 flora species that are nationally, state or locally significant and encompasses 55km of coastline that leads straight into the UNESCO World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef marine park.
Disturbances to protected areas can damage protected vegetation and crucial animal habitat.
The encroachment of the dam also posed a risk of erosion occurring within the park, which could result in excess runoff entering the delicate Great Barrier Reef ecosystem.
On 5 October 2023, the man plead guilty in Proserpine Magistrates Court to all three offences and was ordered to pay a $14,000 fine plus $2,250 in legal costs.
The man is also required to remove the encroaching part of the dam along with his personal property and restore the impacted area within a year.
QPWS Senior Conservation Officer Craig Dunk said property owners neighbouring protected areas are responsible for properly checking the location of their boundaries before carrying out any landscaping or building work.
“Protected areas are there to ensure the survival of Queensland’s unique biodiversity, and we take damage to these areas very seriously,” Mr Dunk said.
“We hope that this significant fine serves as a wake-up call to other neighbours of national parks to do their due diligence and check their boundary lines before clearing any land.”
