Girringun: caring for 1.2m hectares of nth Qld On an early midweek morning, half a dozen khaki-clad Indigenous rangers patrol the still waters between Cardwell and Hinchinbrook Island in far northQueensland. Several large sea turtles and a couple of dugongs surface, but there’s no sign of the resident crocodile which does laps of the coastline between here and Mission Beach to the north. There had been discussion about relocating the animal, but it was decided “better the devil you know” since his inevitable replacement might be more inclined to come ashore looking for food. The rangers are from the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation, a trailblazing organisation which is educating and encouraging the next generation to help take care of a unique 1.2m hectare environmental protectorate area. As well as running numerous programs including an arts centre, cultural museum, and community development programs, Girringun co-manages the enormous land and sea area under the region’s first Indigenous protected area agreement (IPA). Its success over almost 20 years has seen Girringun shortlisted, as reported in The Guardian, for the Indigenous Governance Awards, and this week members presented their years of work to a team of visiting judges. Girringun – now a fully incorporated not-for-profit organisation – was established in 1996, and represents around 650 traditional owners across nine traditional groups – Bandjin, Djiru, Girramay, Gugu Badhun, Gulnay, Jirrbal, Nywaigi, Warrgamay and Warungnu. Read the full story here: goo.gl/rOJKTS
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 22:13:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015