Brisbane three major environmental centres are facing reduced staff and access when they should be scaled up because they offer substantial tourism benefits close to the CBD, the state’s main conservation body says. The Queensland Conservation Council believes they should all be reimagined as environmental tourism drawcards – within 30 minutes of the CBD – for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Brisbane has three major environment centres: Boondall Wetlands, Downfall Creek at Chermside West and Karawatha Forest in Karawatha near Stretton and Underwood.
Staff from Boondall Wetlands Environment Centre may be relocated to operate the Planetarium at the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens. Credit: Brisbane City Council Each has walking trails through different ecosystems – Boondall has wetlands and wet sclerophyll forests, Downfall Creek has small patches of rainforest and dry sclerophyll forest, while Karawatha has koala eucalypts. However, Boondall Wetlands has its opening hours cut back from July 6 and Downfall Creek no longer opens on weekends.
A spokeswoman for lord mayor Adrian Schrinner rejected rumours of cutbacks at Karawatha Forest Park . QCC’s director Dave Copeman said he was worried the reduced hours were “the thin edge of the wedge”. “Brisbane City Council should be doing more to engage people in conservation and environment issues, not less,” he said.
“We are facing increasing pressures on housing and I would be concerned that at a time when counc.
