Send an urgent email
to
Australian senators
&
UNESCO
YOUR URGENT ACTION REQUIRED TO PROTECT SPRINGBROOK UNESCO LISTED WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Dear Senator,
I hope you are well, and I apologise for contacting you unexpectedly. However, I am reaching out because this matter has now become extremely urgent, and I genuinely believe it is an issue that requires immediate attention at a state and federal level.
I am writing regarding the accelerating tourism and infrastructure proposals being advanced by the Gold Coast City Council for Springbrook and the surrounding World Heritage-listed rainforest regions in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympics.
A community information and action page has been established here:
The proposals and associated discussions currently underway raise profound concerns regarding:
- large-scale increases in tourism numbers;
- pressure on fragile cloud-forest ecosystems;
- environmental degradation;
- impacts on threatened wildlife habitats;
- increased traffic and infrastructure expansion;
- drone transport proposals;
- commercial pressures on sensitive water catchments;
- and the broader long-term destruction of one of Queensland’s most ecologically and culturally significant regions.
Springbrook is not a commercial theme park. It is a UNESCO World Heritage-listed wilderness, an internationally significant cloud forest ecosystem, a vital water catchment, and one of the last remaining areas of its kind on Earth.
The greatest concern shared by many residents, environmental advocates, and Indigenous stakeholders is that these developments appear to be accelerating before proper environmental, cultural and community consultation has taken place.
An extremely important consultation milestone has already passed on May 31 under the Gold Coast City Council’s “Have Your Say” process. Many in the community feel the time frame provided was grossly inadequate given the scale and potential consequences of what is being proposed.
Once ancient cloud-forest ecosystems, aquifers, wildlife habitats and sacred cultural landscapes are damaged, they cannot simply be restored. The destruction would be permanent.
There is growing fear that short-term commercial and Olympic-driven interests are being prioritised over the long-term protection of an internationally recognised environmental treasure.
I respectfully but urgently ask whether you and your office can:
- review the information being presented by the community;
- investigate whether proper consultation and environmental processes are being followed;
- help raise awareness at state and federal level;
- and consider what immediate action may be possible to slow or intervene in this process before irreversible damage occurs.
The community urgently needs strong voices willing to act before decisions become irreversible.
Many residents feel they are trying to protect not only a local environment, but part of Australia’s natural heritage on behalf of future generations.
Thank you sincerely for your time, consideration and ongoing advocacy for environmental protection in Queensland. It would mean an enormous amount to many members of the community to know this issue is being heard at higher levels before it is too late.
Kind regards,
Springbrook Residents
savespringbrook.org