Cairns Airport is a major gateway for domestic and international visitors to the Wet Tropics region. It manages approximately 350 hectares of coastal forests, most of which is mangrove wetlands, in partnership with the local Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation’s Rangers. This includes a project to improve fish connectivity within the mangroves and regular community beach clean ups at Ellie Point.

The organisation is committed to six environmental goals:

• to be carbon neutral
• to reduce its waste going to landfill by 50%
• to reduce use of potable water by 50%
• to protect biodiversity
• to sustain healthy waterways
• to work closely with its neighbours

Airport operations use significant amounts of chemicals which need careful management to avoid pollution of soil, groundwater and surface water, which could impact the health of local waterways including the Great Barrier Reef.