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Fraser Island Pandanus Rescue
Joel Fostin has launched Fraser Island’s first ever crowd-sourcing campaign. Can you help?
Fraser Island (K’Gari) has suffered catastrophic losses. Up to 50% of the east coast’s Pandanus have perished (approximately 50,000 plants). A further 20% are likely perish without intervention within the next two months. Preserving the remaining Pandanus is crucial for successful natural regeneration, and vital for the many species of wildlife that rely on them for food and habitat. The Pandanus on Fraser Island (K’Gari) need help right now. (more…)
Working with the Mob
Participants of the Working with the Mob training program held in June 2016
Over two days in June, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) staff and representatives of the Butchulla Traditional Owners, came together on K’gari to participate in the training program Working with the Mob.
The QPWS Partnerships Team developed the Working with the Mob training program to support its commitment to enhancing cultural competency within the agency. The time together was a great opportunity for QPWS employees to engage with the Butchulla people through an appreciation of history, tradition, culture and respect.
The training offered opportunities to break into informal groups led by Butchulla representatives. These sessions provided an excellent opportunity to learn more about the local Traditional Owners’ protocols, beliefs and values. Other training sessions included topics such as native title, indigenous cultural heritage and developing good working relationships.
Ross Belcher, Principal Ranger, Fraser Coast Area, QPWS shared some of his reflections after the training program:
“It was a pleasure to take part in this initiative on K’gari, which has made a major contribution to maintaining and building on the relationship between the Butchulla Traditional Owners and QPWS. My impression is that the Butchulla people have a strong desire to engage with the current land managers (QPWS staff) to pass on traditional values, stories and aspirations and to build a strong and respectful working relationship. The QPWS staff demonstrate a strong desire to understand the Butchulla story and to positively engage with and contribute to our cooperative relationship. We certainly have people with feet in both camps, Butchulla and other indigenous people employed by QPWS are making an outstanding contribution to K’gari, hopefully we can build the numbers up in good time. Good progress has been made in our collaboration in the management of K’gari, and I hope that in future the Butchulla people will be taking the lead in developing and coordinating more opportunities for sharing of stories and aspirations, and we will be working as one mob protecting the natural and cultural values of K’gari and surrounding Butchulla land and sea. Looking forward to the next meeting ”
Contributed by Moyra McRae, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, Maryborough
Fraser Island WHA Indigenous Advisory Committee FINALIST in National Landcare Awards!
Vote now for the People’s Choice Awards
The Recognising & Recording K’Gari’s (Fraser Island) Cultural Heritage project was initiated by the Fraser Island World Heritage Area Indigenous Advisory Committee in 2012 and was delivered by the Butchulla people and Aboriginal Rangers of Fraser Island.
Through strong partnerships, the project provided training to the Butchulla community, leading to additional cultural heritage sites being located including the highly significant Bogimbah Mission grave sites on this World Heritage listed property. The project has established closer ties between the Aboriginal Ranger team and Butchulla elders and broader engagement and stewardship by the Butchulla community with forums, field trips and newsletters.
Judging is currently underway with the announcements to be made at the National Landcare Conference and Gala Awards being held in Melbourne in September. You can also vote for the Indigenous Advisory Committee in the People’s Choice Awards, just click on the icon.
Note: Although you are able to vote in every category, you don’t have to, so just look for the group in the Indigenous Land Corporation Indigenous Landcare Category.
Prestigious Win for Indigenous Advisory Committee
In September, the Fraser Island World Heritage Area Indigenous Advisory Committee (FIWHA-IAC) was awarded the prestigious Queensland Landcare Award for Indigenous Land Management for their Recognising & Recording K’Gari’s (Fraser Island) Cultural Heritage project.
Butchulla elder Lillian Burke is pictured on the RHS of the photo at the Awards ceremony held in Caloundra in September
Butchulla elder Lillian Burke is pictured on the RHS of the photo at the Awards ceremony held in Caloundra in September
The project was initiated by the Fraser Island World Heritage Area Indigenous Advisory Committee in 2012 and was delivered by the Butchulla people and Aboriginal Rangers of Fraser Island in conjunction with Fauna & Flora International Australia.
Through strong partnerships, the project provided training to the Butchulla community, leading to additional cultural heritage sites being located, including the highly significant Bogimbah Mission gravesites on this World Heritage listed property. Following their training, the Aboriginal Rangers delivered their own training to non-Indigenous Fraser Island Parks Rangers. The project has established closer ties between the Aboriginal Ranger team and Butchulla elders, and broader engagement and stewardship by the Butchulla community with forums, field trips and newsletters.
A highlight of the project was a two-day Youth Forum held on K’Gari with Butchulla elders, with several of the participants now aspiring to be archaeologists as well as to take an active role in the protection of cultural heritage in the future.
Butchulla elder, Indigenous Advisory Committee (and project Steering Committee) member, Lillian Burke was at the awards ceremony (attended by the Premier of Queensland, Annastacia Palaszczuk) to accept the award on behalf of the project team and participants. The group automatically qualify for the National Landcare Awards to be held in Canberra in 2016.
FINIA send a huge vote of congratulations to all concerned and wish the Committee good luck for next year’s Awards.
Managing Values other than Outstanding Universal Value on Fraser Island World Heritage Area
Adapted from Ross 2014 – K’gari Values
Fraser Island World Heritage Area is recognised for geological and geomorphic values of island formation and for biological processes relating to rainforest succession on high dunes. World Heritage Area listing did not extend to Aboriginal heritage significance, despite the acknowledged tangible and intangible cultural values of Fraser Island (known to Butchulla Traditional Owners as K’gari) in the form of campsites, scarred trees, shell middens, story places and the Indigenous knowledge of landscape and species management. Nevertheless, management of K’gari can and does take Butchulla knowledge into account.
The Fraser Island World Heritage Area managers are formally advised by three Advisory Committees: the Fraser Island World Heritage Area Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and the Indigenous Advisory Committee (IAC). These committees help ensure that a range of values, including Aboriginal heritage values, are reviewed, and where deemed appropriate, taken into account by managers. For example, in 2014, Butchulla concerns regarding the proposed management of Takky Wooroo (Indian Head) were aired at a combined Advisory Committee meeting, and managers responded by agreeing to seek further information from Butchulla knowledge holders before proceeding with planning proposals.
The input of Butchulla knowledge holders is contributing to the management of Takky Wooroo (Indian Head)
The three Advisory Committees thus have an opportunity to ensure that the full range of values of K’gari are considered for incorporation into management planning for this World Heritage place, despite the formal limitations of listing. It is imperative that the Advisory Committees are continued into the future, with appropriate levels of government funding and support.
Anne Ross
Anne Ross’s full article, ‘Managing Values Other than Outstanding Universal Value—A case study from K’gari (Fraser Island World Heritage Area), Queensland, Australia’, originally published in Historic Environment, 26(2), 2014, can be found here: Ross 2014 – K’gari Values (pdf)
FINIA Congratulates the Butchulla People
The Fraser Island Natural Integrity Alliance congratulates the Butchulla People on the Federal Court’s formal recognition of their native title rights and interests over 164,958 hectares of land and waters of Fraser Island.
Friday 24th October was an emotional experience for the 450 Butchulla People gathered at the Federal Court’s temporary ‘courtroom’ on the beach as Justice Berna Collier officially recognised the Butchulla people as the island’s native title holders. (more…)
Recognising and Recording K’Gari’s (Fraser Island’s) Cultural Heritage
Funded through the Australian Government’s Indigenous Heritage Program, Fauna and Flora International along with South Pacific Strategic Solutions are currently assisting the Fraser Island World Heritage Area Indigenous Advisory Committee with a 1-year pilot project to train Butchulla community members and Aboriginal rangers to be able to recognise, record and assess cultural heritage resources on K’Gari (Fraser Island). (more…)
Signage goes digital!
FINIA has led a number of communication initiatives over the years – starting with our Weed Information Shelters at Happy Valley and Eurong and the notice board at Orchid Beach. These were designed to provide a community space as well as information about some of the worst weed threats and our efforts to control them. (more…)
Fraser Island excites international interest
The latest news on Fraser Island research will be discussed at a Conference in Brisbane on 8th August to help advance the island’s case for its wider use as a natural laboratory and bring with them a global perspective.
A new look for Eurong
Smiley has reasons to smile after the Butchulla boys helped FIDO relocate the Eurong sign shelter for weeds and community notices.
John Sinclair – Fraser Island Defenders Organisation
The spirit of cooperation between the FINIA partners was well demonstrated when an enthusiastic team of indigenous, QPWS and heavy machinery assisted FIDO to relocate the sign shelter at Eurong from beside a walking track no longer used to to a very prominent site adjacent to the public toilet block at Eurong where it is expected to have a much greater impact.
FINIA 