TRADITIONAL Owner organisations from across Queensland will receive a boost with nearly 50 new Indigenous land and sea ranger positions set to be funded by the State Government.
The newest rangers will be employed by organisations based in a range of communities including Yeppoon, Murgon, Croydon, the Sunshine Coast, and Ayton in Cape York.
The new positions deliver on a commitment to double the number of funded Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger positions from 100 to 200 by 2023-24. The Buda-dji Aboriginal Development Association Aboriginal Corporation in Kuranda is one of the organisations that has received funding.
Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers are combining Traditional knowledge with new technologies to protect and conserve Country, based on Traditional Owner and community priorities.
The rangers undertake fire management, biodiversity surveys, marine debris removal from beaches and estuaries, feral animal control, weed treatment and cultural site management.
Indigenous Rangers are also integral in the protection of Queensland’s threatened species, including marine turtle, dugong, migratory shorebirds and the golden-shouldered parrot.
Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef Leanne Linard said who better to care for the land than its original custodians.
“After all, who better to care for Country – managing native wetlands, bushlands, coastal areas and estuaries across Queensland – than the people who have been caring for it for the past 60,000 years,” she said.
“The Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger program is not just an investment in jobs and our environment, it’s also an investment in rebuilding Indigenous knowledge and empowering Queensland’s Traditional Owners to care for country.
“These rangers are also playing a key role in their communities.”
The rangers not only protect the country but they also inspire the next generation of rangers by delivering junior ranger and youth engagement services, including in-class talks at Queensland schools and on-country camps.
“The program has a strong emphasis on training, with many rangers achieving qualifications in Conservation and Land Management and completing leadership development,” Minister Linard said.
“Thirty-one rangers are currently completing a tailored Indigenous Ranger Leadership Program which is helping to foster a new generation of leaders in the care of Country.
“The Leadership Program provides rangers with the skills, tools and confidence to pursue leadership roles.”
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