By Leut-Cmdr Tony Underwood
APART from fighting and winning the war, the 10,000 participants in Exercise Crocodile 03 faced the challenge of doing so with minimal impact on the environment.

Defence has exercised in the Shoalwater Bay training area for many decades. The property, centring on Samuel Hill, was bought by the Government for Defence purposes in 1965.

Croc 03 was the first major Defence exercise subjected to the environmental impact assessment requirements of the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

There was extensive community consultation during exercise planning including liaison with Environment Australia, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and the Queensland Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

As part of the approval process by the (Commonwealth) Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Defence was required to conduct a public review process of the proposed activity.

This involved the public display of all the information provided to the Environment Minister in public libraries and councils.

Safeguards in place applied equally to US forces participating in the exercise.

The Directorate of Environmental Stewardship in Defence set up a network to monitor compliance with the Combined Exercise Instruction.

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