Greening For Shade
North Queensland is getting hotter, and shade is no longer a nice extra - it’s essential infrastructure for health, liveability, and climate resilience.
We’re calling for smarter greening across our region to create cooler neighbourhoods, healthier communities, and more space for nature.
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Our solution
Councils are already planting trees, and that’s an important and valued start.
For example, in 2025, Townsville City Council planted almost 1,600 street trees across suburbs including Currajong, Douglas, Pimlico, Wulguru, Kelso, and Belgian Gardens as part of its Street Tree Planting Program. These efforts play an important role in cooling suburbs and improving liveability.
But to truly cool our cities in North Queensland and plan for the future, we need a coordinated, long-term approach.
Our ask:
Adopt and fund comprehensive Greening Strategies by 2028.
Within two years, we want to see at least three North Queensland councils adopt Greening Strategies that:
- improve shade and liveability
- support biodiversity
- address climate and equity
These strategies should include:
- cooler public spaces with shade in parks, playgrounds, and walking routes
- greener neighbourhoods guided by principles like the 3-30-300 rule and urban design that responds to local climate conditions
- stronger ecosystems through wildlife corridors and habitat restoration
- nature-based solutions such as urban forests, wetlands, and coastal protection to build climate resilience
- prioritising the hottest and most vulnerable areas
- clear targets and public reporting so progress is visible and accountable
READ MORE ABOUT WHY THIS MATTERS
Help shape the solution
We want more shade, more space for nature, and healthier communities. But we need your voice to make it happen!
By endorsing this campaign below, you will:
- stay updated
- be invited to local actions
- help build momentum for change
Share with us in the comment section:
- Why would you like to see a Greening Strategy for North Queensland?
- What would make your neighbourhood cooler and more liveable?
- What are hot spots in your community that need changing?
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Green Drinks - Volunteer Welcome Night
Volunteer Welcome Night: Growing Community, Action, and Connection
Last week at our Volunteer Welcome Night, we explored the many ways our community can make a difference for the environment - from hands-on action like plantings and events, to using your voice to advocate for change. It was a wonderful chance to connect with people who care about protecting North Queensland and to reflect on how NQCC supports these efforts while building strong community connections.
Read moreLove Where You Live - One month of action
What do you love about living in North Queensland?
The reef, the hills, the rivers, the wildlife - the places that make this region home.
This April, we’re celebrating those places through Love Where You Live, a month-long community fundraiser hosted by the North Queensland Conservation Council (NQCC).
From March 28 (starting with Earth Hour) to April 30, locals have been taking action for nature — and 15 dedicated fundraisers are already out there making a difference.
Now, we’re inviting you to support them.
Read moreHeat is a Natural Hazard!
We’ve been talking with locals about extreme weather - and again and again, heat comes up.
People tell us about the toll it’s taking on their bodies and daily lives. One local shared a story from a power outage:
“After the third night of really hot nights, my body was just done. I felt so sick I couldn’t eat, and I was crying.”
Heat as a Natural Hazard in Queensland
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Heat as a Natural Hazard in Queensland
Queenslanders are experiencing extreme heat more frequently than ever before, with serious impacts on our health, wellbeing and productivity.
Heatwaves already claim more lives than any other natural hazard in Queensland, according to the State of the Environment Report 2024. Yet our planning system still does not recognise heat as a natural hazard.
NQCC is supporting a parliamentary petition calling on the Queensland Government to modernise the State Planning Policy so heat risk is considered alongside floods, bushfires and cyclones - ensuring all future development supports healthy, resilient communities in a warming climate.
To reduce Queenslanders’ exposure to extreme and cumulative heat, planning and urban design must prioritise cost-effective natural solutions such as green spaces, shade and tree canopy, particularly around homes, community hubs and transport routes.
Recognising heat as a natural hazard is a critical first step to protecting community health, reducing heat-related illness and saving lives.
This would be the first step in addressing heat risk in Queensland, with a suite of necessary measures to follow, such as better protections for workers, community education for newcomers, better access to affordable air-conditioning, and more support for emergency services, healthcare providers and wildlife carers.
Beyond the petition
Alongside pushing for state-level change, NQCC is also learning from and advocating with communities locally. We want to better understand:
- what the biggest heat pressures are across North Queensland and urban Townsville
- who is most affected by extreme heat
- where community action and local solutions can make the biggest difference
- Your experience helps shape this work!
If you agree that heat should be recognised as a natural hazard in Queensland, follow the steps below!
Take action — it’s easy
Step 1: Sign on to our campaign below to stay connected and receive updates
Step 2: Leave a comment sharing how extreme heat has affected you or your community
Step 3: You’ll receive an email with a link to sign the official parliamentary petition
Jcu Market Day 2026 – Connecting Students With Action
2026 is off to a fantastic start for the North Queensland Conservation Council, and JCU Market Day set the tone beautifully. The campus was buzzing, the stalls were packed, and we were thrilled to meet so many students eager to get involved.
Read moreOctober Paperbark
Having just recently returned from meetings, roundtables, workshops and an Alliance Convention in Meanjin/Brisbane, I am equal parts exhausted and inspired.
There are remarkable, intelligent, compassionate and hard-working people all across this state who are dedicated to our natural world and protecting it in perpetuity. When we collaborate and put our strengths together, we are powerful - and I'm so privileged to get to see it in action!
What's even better is returning home to the (hot!) dry tropics and seeing NQCC's own remarkable community in action!
As I prepare to hit the road for a short break, Luna is organising NQCC's upcoming Mayoral Candidates' Forum, which is shaping up to be an event not to be missed! If you can lend a hand or spare some cash to help bring it to life, I know it would be appreciated!
Thanks for all that you do.
- Crystal, NQCC Coordinator
Green Drinks Recap – Healthy Waterways Report Card
At this month’s Green Drinks we were grateful to be joined by Kara-Mae Coulter-Atkins and Dinny Taylor from the Healthy Waterways Partnership for the Dry Tropics, along with our current NQCC interns, to unpack the latest Dry Tropics Waterways Report Card.
Read moreWeaving Worry and Hope at the Healthy Waters Arvo
On a sunny but windy Saturday afternoon, we joined other local organisations, businesses, and council initiatives at Strand Park for the second Healthy Waters Arvo - a community event celebrating efforts to protect and restore water health across our region.
Read moreFinding the Hope: What JCU Students Told Us About Climate Feelings
The weather last Wednesday at JCU Market Day mirrored what many students told us they were feeling — overcast, a little heavy.
We set up a large “Climate Mood” board to check in with students about how they’re feeling about the climate crisis. Since the peak of the school strikes and the disruptions of COVID, things have quietened down. We wanted to know — what’s shifted, and where are people at now?
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