March in North Queensland saw another mass coral bleaching event, flash flooding and the highest king tides many of us have ever seen. 

Our climate is growing more chaotic, our environment is facing increasing pressures and our political landscape appears to be increasingly dynamic and unpredictable. Here at NQCC, we're building our capacity, to ensure North Queensland's environment has a powerful voice in these challenging times.

Townsville's urban forest is an invaluable asset to the city. Our trees and other vegetation provide shade, shelter and habitat, prevent erosion, mitigate the impacts of flooding and store carbon. They are arguably our best weapon for adapting to climate change and preventing biodiversity loss.

Our current campaigns include:

• Climate Change - seeking real action for climate mitigation and adaptation at all levels of government to address the climate crisis
• Renewables Done Right - advocating for a nature positive renewable energy industry that increases biodiversity and empowers First Nations people and regional communities
• Nature and Biodiversity - fighting for the long-term protection and rehabilitation of North Queensland's species, habitats and ecosystems
• Reef and Water - standing up for our Great Barrier Reef and the waterways of North Queensland

Some recent past campaigns include:

• The Burdekin Basin
  Led by NQCC's Burdekin Basin Subcommittee, we researched and campaigned for a sustainable future for this unique catchment and the communities and wildlife that depend on it. Through this campaign, we successfully fought the development of multiple dams proposed for the Burdekin Basin (including Hells Gates Dam), which would have threatened irreplaceable natural and cultural values, with no proven benefit for water security. We also secured ongoing government contributions to improving sustainable irrigation practices in the Lower Burdekin to improve outcomes for water conservation and water quality and to address rising water tables.
• Queensland EPA
  Working with organisations from across the state, NQCC played a lead role in pushing for an independent Environmental Protection Agency for Queensland to keep polluters to account and give our environment the level of protection it needs and deserves. Through this collaborative campaign, we secured a commitment from the Queensland Labor Government in October 2024 to establish an independent EPA for Queensland if re-elected.
• Townsville Tree Protection
  In 2021 and 2022, NQCC worked with community members and groups to ensure Townsville City Council introduced a Public Tree Management Policy that was informed by community voices and provided a higher level of protection to Townsville's significant trees.