The Cassowary Coast, in partnership with Cassowary Coast Tourism and key local, state and national stakeholders is on the journey to becoming an ECO Destination Certified by 2024

Located on the fringes of the Great Barrier Reef and bordered by the Wet Tropics Rainforest, the land and sea of our traditional owners the Mamu, Djiru, Girramay, Gulngay, Warrgamay, Jirrbal and Bandjin Peoples, the Cassowary Coast region is committed to working at protecting and supporting this natural environment for future generations.

Achieving ECO Certification will recognise the Cassowary Coast as a world class region that is strengthened by the destination’s commitment to ongoing improvement of sustainable practices, as well as providing high-quality nature-based tourism experiences. Certification of our region will appeal to the increasing number of conscious travellers looking to minimise their impact on the environment and be involved in the unique and authentic experiences our community has to offer.

The certification process considers six main themes:

  1. Destination Management
  2. Nature and Scenery
  3. Environment and Climate
  4. Culture and Tradition
  5. Social and Well-being
  6. Business and Hospitality

Examples on the Cassowary Coast

Together the Cassowary Coast region is already implementing sustainable practices in different areas of our community, see our progress below.

At local government level, Council is the closest level to the community and most able to have direct dialogue with residents in the region.

In 2023, Council developed an Advocacy Plan which highlights the opportunities to collaborate with state and federal governments, industry, business and community to improve our quality of life and support social, economic and environmental sustainability.

Cassowary Coast Regional Council utilises the Your Say platform to directly engage with community members on a variety of Council projects and is a key tool for facilitating transparent and productive consultation.

Our coastal and hinterland regions are within the lands and waters of seven Traditional Owner Groups -

Mamu, Djiru, Girramay, Gulgnay, Warrgamay, Jirrbal and Bandjin Peoples. In total 60% of the land area

of the Cassowary Coast LGA is protected area of parks, forests and reserves.

Cassowary Coast Regional Council regularly engages with our Traditional Owners and is privileged to have indigenous leaders who provide input and guidance as we continue to work with traditional owners to encourage greater awareness, understanding and respect for Traditional Owner history and culture.

Cassowary Coast Regional Council has committed to the Small Business Friendly Local Government Charter and works to support the local business community in a variety of ways:

  • There are over 3,000 small businesses across the Cassowary Coast region that will benefit from the charter through the support, resources and additional tools available.

Cassowary Coast Regional Council is a proud Reef Guardian Council. The Reef Guardian Council program was developed to achieve better environmental outcomes for the Great Barrier Reef through local government actions in natural resource management and through improvements in local government and community capacity.

Council's action plan is monitored by council staff in conjunction with staff from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

Council takes pride in its activities as a Reef Guardian Council and seeks to identify opportunities to embed practices which have good outcomes for the Great Barrier Reef within its everyday operations.

  • Business Certification Programs

    Cassowary Coast Regional Council encourages all tourism businesses to consider completing the certification programs offered by EcoTourism Australia.

    These certification programs assure travellers that certified products and businesses are backed by a strong, well-managed commitment to sustainable practices. Tourism businesses and experiences are certified using international best practice standards.

    Take the first steps for your business! 

  • Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard

    Launched by Ecotourism Australia in 2022, the Strive 4 Sustainability Scorecard is a pathway program for any tourism business to start their sustainability journey.

    The scorecard measures where a business or tourism operator is at on their sustainability journey at a point in time and assesses the following four pillars of sustainability:

    • Environmental impacts
    • Socio-economic impacts
    • Cultural impacts
    • Sustainable management

    Apply for the pathway program  

How can you contribute? Our goal is for the Cassowary Coast Region to become a Eco Certified Destination by 2024.

You can get involved by:

  • Getting a Nature Tourism, Ecotourism, or Advance Ecotourism certification for your business. Visit ecotourism.org.au for more information
  • Developing our own sustainability plan
  • Choosing locally produced consumables
  • Saying no to plastic bags
  • Knowing your carbon emissions and working to reduce them
  • Sharing your sustainability measures with your customers
  • Reduce, reuse, recycle!