Podcast S6E10. Steve and Richelle Lizzio, Growing Bananas Beside the Reef
Managing the environmental is actually about managing people and understanding more about how they interact with it.
Healthy waterways underpin our lifestyles and livelihoods. When waterways thrive, so do we.
SEASON 4 | EPISODE 4
Tropical cyclones, though destructive, are part of the natural dynamics of the rainforest and reef. We see their land-based impacts most vividly, but they also impact coral reefs and seagrass beds.
Over the past 50 years there has been a decline in the forward motion of cyclones in the coral sea, which means the reef and seagrass beds can be exposed to destructive wind and wave energy for longer periods of time.
We catch up with Professor Steve Turton to find out how anthropogenic climate change is changing the frequency and location of cyclones, and why we can expect to see an increase in the intensity of severe tropical cyclones.
Managing the environmental is actually about managing people and understanding more about how they interact with it.
Managing the environmental is actually about managing people and understanding more about how they interact with it.
It may be a long way off but the Tablelands has 10 river catchments and contributes up to 22% of annual flow to the reef.
Martine joined the Wet Tropics Waterways team as a Science Technical Officer in early 2024 and is keen to apply her experience in statistical programming and database development for the Report Card.
She is an environmental scientist and ecologist and has worked on water quality and aquatic ecology projects as a consultant and in private industry for over 20 years.
Martine has many hobbies and is currently dabbling in horticulture.
With a degree in marine biology and zoology from JCU, Phil has had a diverse career covering research in fisheries biology, 15 years in reef tourism and 13 years with GBRMPA delivering engagement and partnerships programs. Since 2019 he has been self-employed and operates as a consultant to a range of stakeholders on waterway related programs.
He is a keen fisherman.
James joined Wet Tropics Waterways as Executive Officer in 2021 and is passionate about working with stakeholders to communicate the value of our unique waterways. His role involves facilitating and coordinating our partnership program, growing our network and investment into the report card program, and science communication. James oversaw the 2022 Innovations in Waterway Health Forum, and hosted season four of the Reef and Rivers podcast.
James is an ecologist and has previously worked on wetland management in the Murray Darling basin, fish passage in Mackay, and aquatic research in the Wet Tropics.
Outside of work you’ll find him in a local waterway with a mask and snorkel, or hiking or biking around our beautiful region.
Richard has been the Science Technical Officer for Wet Tropics Waterways since 2016. His role involves producing the annual results for the waterway health assessment of the wet tropics region using data from a wide range of sources, to present as scores and grades, as well as developing new indicators to address knowledge and monitoring gaps. He works in collaboration with technical staff at other regional report cards.
Richard has a background in freshwater ecology research projects and environmental assessments with CSIRO, University of Queensland, Queensland Government and as a consultant. For a long time he’s been interested in freshwater aquaculture and continues this interest through farming freshwater crayfish, alongside other farming activities.