The project

Open Lines helped facilitate approval for the proposed Ella Bay Resort in north Queensland.

What we did

The EPBC Act assessment process for Ella Bay was complex and ran over a number of years. It had to deal with a set of important environmental issues including potential impacts to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and the endangered Cassowary.

Open Lines was engaged towards the end of the process to help:

• Define and review the approvals strategy
• Liaise with the Commonwealth Department of the Environment to talk through and resolve the key issues

We established a productive working relationship with the Commonwealth and the project was given EPBC Act approval in 2012.

Importantly, the project resulted in much improved management for Cassowaries including a reduction in threats such as:

• The invasive weed pond apple (Annona glabra) which affects the overall viability of habitat for the species
• Wild dogs which are a major cause of Cassowary deaths