It’s only 30 kilometres east of Brisbane but the economic gap between Cleveland and the Queensland capital is massive.

Now an influential developer wants to revitalise the coastal town by building a $1.4 billion precinct on the foreshore.

There’s just one problem: the region’s wetlands are protected under an international treaty known as the Ramsar convention.

So who prevails in a battle between birdlife and business? Steve Cannane investigates.