New Environmental Policies

Council recently adopted two policies to protect the Shire’s natural assets and manage climate change risks to Council services, infrastructure and operations.

Mareeba Shire Mayor Angela Toppin said both policies reflect Council’s corporate plan to foster a resilient economy that promotes and supports the Shire’s natural assets and local industry and encourages investment while preserving and future-proofing for generations to come.

The Environmental Protection and Sustainability Policy was developed in recognition of the Shire’s natural assets.

Mayor Toppin said the Shire has a diversity of landscapes ranging from a Wet Tropics World Heritage Area to the dry savannah outback.

“Our Shire is home to many outstanding natural assets and a variety of unique fauna that needs to be cared for and preserved well into the future,” Cr Toppin said.

The policy underpins relevant environmental legislation and regulations, natural asset protection and management, sustainable waste management and paves the way for an environmentally sustainable future.

Any variation in the climate poses strategic, financial, operational and human resource enterprise risk. Council’s Climate Change Resilience Policy aims to mitigate these risks by leveraging several risk management policies, procedures and frameworks.

Mayor Toppin said climate change was identified as a significant threat and had the potential to be damaging to the organisation.

“Any changes in the climate presents the potential for negative impacts on business, increased insurance risk, infrastructure failure, greater workplace and safety risk to workers and increased local disaster management,” Cr Toppin said.

“A lack of an appropriate response may also present reputational risk and lost opportunity to have positive implications for Council and the environment.”

The policy highlights Council’s resilience and adaption to any climate changes in the future.

Both policies can be found on Council’s website.