Pascoe River

Conservation and cultural values

Rising in the dense rainforests of the Iron Range and Table Range of Cape York Peninsula’s east coast, the Pascoe River traverses typical Cape York savanna country on its route north, before re-entering the luscious rainforest landscape of the Iron Range and flowing into the Great Barrier Reef lagoon in the east.

The Pascoe River catchment features the Iron Range National Park – protecting parts of the biggest area of lowland rainforest in Australia. Here the rainforest supports a wealth of unique and important wildlife including the Eclectus Parrot, Grey Cuscus, Striped Possum, and Rifle-bird and plants including Lawyer Vine, Folk Fern and Blue Quandong, a favourite fruit of the Southern Cassowary. Many of plants in this remote rainforest are highly dependent on the Cassowary to spread their seeds, and the healthy rivers and streams are in turn a critical source of water for this keystone species.

The gallery rainforest that forms a thick arch of ferns and rainforest trees along the Pascoe in the woodland savanna provides a refuge for Spotted Cuscus and a food source for the unmistakable and iconic Palm Cockatoo.

The sweeping heathlands of the Tozer Range in the east of the Pascoe River catchment are a startling contrast to the wet rainforests of the Iron Range, but are just as spectacular. Sheoaks, grevilleas, banksias and orchids blanket the hilly country, with towering termite mounds providing the distinct northern Australian panorama. The Pascoe’s tributaries here help cycle nutrients and fresh water through the landscape, while the healthy, intact vegetation ensures the natural river flows are maintained.

At the coast, where the Pascoe spills out onto the Great Barrier Reef Lagoon, the river supports a dense mangrove forest – a critical nursery for fish and other marine wildlife. The mangrove forest is home to the Mangrove Palm, the only palm found in mangrove forests, with a distinct spiky seed the size of a soccer ball.

The Kuuku Ya’u, Kaanju and Umpila people are the Traditional Owners of the Pascoe River catchment area and maintain strong cultural and spiritual connections with the land and rivers. The traditional ecological knowledge and health of these communities is in turn critical to the ongoing health of this wild river system.

Threats

The current threats to the health of the Pascoe River catchment are feral animals like wild pigs, invasive weeds and inappropriate fire management (non-Indigenous burning regimes). Wild River protection, as well as the Indigenous Wild River Ranger program, will help address these impacts.