Warren George Spicer fined over dam breach in Proserpine

A Whitsundays man has been ordered to pay a hefty fine after he built a large dam that encroached on national park and threatened an endangered wallaby.

A man has been fined over $16,000 after he built a dam on a protected national park that’s one of the only known habitats of the endangered Proserpine rock wallaby. Picture: Dep Environment and Science / JERAD WILLIAMS

A Proserpine man has been ordered to pay more than $16,000 after he built a dam encroaching on national park.

Warren George Spicer, 81, faced Proserpine Magistrates Court after officials learned he had cleared land and vegetation to build a dam encroaching about 2000sq m into the Dryander National Park.

A Department of Environment and Science spokeswoman said the park was “one of the only known habitats of the endangered Proserpine rock wallaby”.

“During their inspection, rangers also found a water tank, building materials and other property being unlawfully stored within the park,” the DES spokeswoman said.

“As a result of this investigation, the man was charged with two offences of taking and/or using a natural resource of a protected area and one offence of keeping an unauthorised structure in a protected area.”

A Proserpine man has been ordered to pay more than $16,000 after he built a dam encroaching on national park. Credit: Department of Environment and Science

The national park is also home to 52 flora species of local or state significance, and spans 55km of coastline that links to the UNESCO World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef marine park.

The DES spokeswoman said the dam had risked erosion within the park, and could have led to excess run-off entering the GBR.

Spicer pleaded guilty on October 5 to all three offences and was ordered to pay a $14,000 fine as well as $2250 in legal costs.

Rangers also found a water tank, building materials and other property being unlawfully stored within the park. Credit: Department of Environment and Science

“The man is also required to remove the encroaching part of the dam along with his personal property and restore the impacted area within a year,” the DES spokeswoman said.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service senior conservation officer Craig Dunk said property owners were responsible for checking boundaries before doing landscaping or building work.

The Dryander National Park is one of the only habitat for the endangered Proserpine rock wallabies Picture: JERAD WILLIAMS

“Protected areas are there to ensure the survival of Queensland’s unique biodiversity, and we take damage to these areas very seriously,” Mr Dunk said.

“We hope that this significant fine serves as a wake-up call to other neighbours of national parks to do their due diligence and check their boundary lines before clearing any land.”