Cairns meeting sets up committee and terms for future management of Cape York parks

Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal Land Trusts and Aboriginal corporations have nominated members for a committee to provide advice to the Palaszczuk Government on managing national parks and other protected areas on Cape York.

Environment Minister Dr Steven Miles welcomed the nominations for the Cape York Peninsula Regional Protected Area Management Committee in Cairns today (Thursday 23 February).

“Cape York Peninsula has outstanding values, and I’m looking for guidance from Aboriginal landowners on how the Government can work best with them to manage this special region, to take good care of its exceptional natural and cultural heritage,” Dr Miles said in Cairns.

“This meeting is not a Government forum, but a gathering of approximately 30 Traditional Owners of national parks, to elect a chair and a committee that will report regularly to the Government with advice on managing the protected areas on Cape York Peninsula.

“They will also be making recommendations on the committee’s terms of reference including what it will be reporting on.

“The Committee will be comprised of Indigenous people with an interest in a protected area in the region, nominated by Aboriginal Land Trusts or Aboriginal Corporations.

“The Committee’s purpose is to provide advice on matters relating to protected areas in the region, such as Indigenous employment, resourcing and management plans for protected areas,” he said.

Dr Miles said the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) had consulted with Traditional Owners on the best way to convene the committee. QPWS is providing secretariat services for the committee’s operation.

“The Aboriginal Land Trusts and Corporations are doing great work on Cape York Peninsula with QPWS and their other partners – one example is a project that has controlled salvinia weed near the headwaters of the East Normanby River,” he said.

“Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation Rangers spotted this water-clogging, fish-destroying weed infesting two old mining dams and realised it could wash downstream and damage 3500 wetlands, including some on Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park (CYPAL) – Queensland’s second-largest national park.

“They got their partners involved, and after a year of hand removal, regular chemical control and monitoring, the dams were almost free of the weed and the downstream areas were saved from the impacts,” Dr Miles said.

Gail Barry, Jabalbina Director and Eastern Kuku Yalanji Traditional Owner representative at the meeting, welcomed the reestablishment of the Committee.

“Traditional Owners have important knowledge and play a critical role in managing and protecting the environment and cultural heritage of Cape York Peninsula,” Ms Barry said.

“The Committee will strengthen partnerships between QPWS and Traditional Owners and build on the work already being done by ranger groups like Jabalbina.

“Controlling salvinia is one example of what strong partnerships can achieve. It has involved different agencies and companies coming together working with Jabalbina Rangers to trial different methods of control.

“The result is the salvinia threat was identified early and is being controlled efficiently, demonstrating that partnerships with Traditional Owners are critical to successful management of protected areas on Cape York,” she said.

ENDS

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