From drone surveys and camera trapping to water quality monitoring… Indigenous rangers are increasingly blending cutting edge technology and cultural knowledge to help restore and protect Country.

Across the Wet Tropics, there are more than 20 Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples groups, many with ranger programs at different stages of development. The Queensland Government’s Reef Assist Traditional Owner Grants Program is helping, with grants that are opening up career pathways, particularly for young people.

In the Gordonvale area, the funding has been used to start a junior Jawajawa ranger program.

“We had a lot of interest in our ranger program, so we took the opportunity to pilot a one year traineeship,” Jasmine Clubb from Dulabed and Malanbarra Yidinji Aboriginal Corporation (DMY) says.

“Young people think being a ranger is cool. They learn land management skills but it’s also about empowerment and creating meaningful career pathways.

“We’ve seen how working on Country and reconnecting with culture has strengthened confidence and self identity.”
DMY was one of eight Traditional Owner groups in the Wet Tropics to receive funding through the program – a $2 million initiative underneath the Reef Assist program, which has supported 11 groups from the Wet Tropics to the Burnett Mary.

For the Babinda based Madjaybana Rangers, the grant opened doors to new scientific partnerships and skills development beyond traditional land management.

Anthony Satini says the team worked alongside scientists to design a water quality monitoring program in the Russell River, measuring nutrients, pesticides and sediment levels.

“We selected a range of sites — some pristine, others degraded,’’ he says. “It is interesting to see how the science lined up with our cultural knowledge.

“Working alongside scientists is helping us to build skills. We’ve had plant identification training from botanists and worked with bird experts on surveys. It all adds to what we can do as rangers.”

In Malanda, the Ngadjon Jii Noongyanbudda Rangers have recruited and trained new rangers while delivering restoration projects along the North Johnstone River. They are helping to reduce sediment runoff and weeds, and to create wildlife corridors.

“One site is behind the Malanda cheese factory,” Natalie Foster says. “Bega Group stepped up and covered the cost of 1000 trees, as well as ongoing maintenance.”

“We’re a fairly new team, so this work allowed us to upskill rangers in conservation practices like nursery propagation, as well as project planning and reporting.

“It has been a big learning curve, but there’s a strong network among ranger groups and we’re able to support each other.”

The Reef Assist Traditional Owner Grants Program is funded through the Queensland Government’s Queensland Reef Water Quality Program.