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Reporting on the 8th Biennial K’gari (Fraser Island) Conference
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‘Snap Up Some Paradise’ photo competition
The ‘Snap Up Some Paradise’ photo competition celebrates the 25th anniversary of Fraser Island’s (K’gari) inscription on the World Heritage List. (more…)
Butchulla Celebration Day at Central Station
On the 28 of October, 2017, a Butchulla Celebration Day was held at Central Station, K’gari to mark the third anniversary of the Butchulla Peoples’ Native Title Consent Determination on 24 October, 2014.
Time, Tide and Tourism Conference
Never underestimate the power of sharing knowledge – especially when it comes to a World Heritage property.
One hundred people attended the 7th Biennial (Time, Tide and Tourism) Conference at the University of the Sunshine Coast Sippy Downs in August. Like the previous six conferences there was much informal interaction between the attendees, all of whom have a strong interest in K’gari. While some of the issues discussed such as managing K’gari’s invasive species are perennial topics, it was helpful for the audience to gain an insight into the progress being made and the on-going effort required. (more…)
Find a Frog in February!
Community assistance is needed to find out where our frogs are living from Burrum Heads south to Peregian and west to Conondale Range, Kilkivan and Mt Walsh. Frogs are a vital component of ecosystems and can be good indicators of environmental health. But they are in trouble world-wide due to habitat loss, pollution and disease and we need to know more about where they are. (more…)
Fraser Island to be BioBlitzed by Scientists
Led by FIDO, a huge Fraser Island (K’Gari) BioBlitz from 28 November to 4 December will bring together experts from many areas of biology to carry out a stocktake of the natural resources of the World Heritage island.
Based at the Dilli Village Fraser Island Research and Learning Centre, the BioBlitz is being well supported by the University of the Sunshine Coast, the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and FINIA.
The study area extends from the ocean beach to Lake Birrabeen, covering all six dune systems and encompassing most ecosystem types from heathlands, tall forests, swamps, fens and perched dune lakes except for the estuarine environments. It is hoped to achieve more by maintaining a tight and intense focus on this particular study area rather than an island wide hunt.
The study area is very accessible with a number of tracks through it that will allow scientists to easily access representative places of interest.
A BioBlitz for Fraser Island
A BioBlitz on Fraser Island (K’gari) has moved a few steps closer to reality with FIDO setting the proposed dates for the Blitz as 28 November – 4 December 2016. However, before FIDO can launch the promotion for the BioBlitz, which is supported by FINIA, the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC) and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, supplementary funding is required to engage a coordinator to liaise with scientists and other participants and retrieve the vital data collected. At this stage, FIDO is only issuing advance warning to alert people to the proposed BioBlitz event: Beach to Boomanjin and Birrabeen.
Details of Beach to Boomanjin and Birrabeen
Fraser Island (K’Gari) is inscribed on the World Heritage list because of its biological, geomorphological and aesthetic values; however, much more biological research is needed to know the extent of K’gari’s natural resources, with a BioBlitz of a discrete part of Fraser Island standing to add greatly to the ecological understanding of this site.
The BioBlitz, which is to be based at Dilli Village, aims to bring together teams of entomologists, botanists, ornithologists, zoologists, herpetologists and other specialist groups (fishes, fungi, etc.) to scour the study area. Each team will develop its own program and modus operandi. It is expected that the team leader will be responsible for compiling a report of the team’s findings to add to the existing data banks being built at USC.
FIDO is seeking to appoint a coordinator before this project can proceed. The coordinator will recruit specialist scientists from a range of disciplines to study the defined research area, which covers a diversity of habitats, to develop an inventory of the natural resources and species within that area. FIDO will also recruit volunteers as necessary to assist scientists and specialists logistically.
The study area includes samples of all six dune systems, including Dune System 4 east of Lake Birrabeen and Dune Systems 5 and 6 in the vicinity of the Boomanjin airstrip. In addition, the area includes three large perched dune lakes, two creeks and a number of old swamps, as well as various forest types. It will be a broad transect of a wide range of ecotypes, from the beach through the foredunes and the freshwater aquatic environments of Govi and Gerrawea Creeks. It will also enable comparison between mined and unmined areas in both the foredune and hind dune areas. It will include the large peat swamp, with its flarks and fens, never before studied in detail.
The proposed study area will include a diverse range of ecotypes, including all 6 dune system types
Dilli Village has accommodation for up to 60 people, as well as a large camping area and 24-hour 240V power, which may be needed for some equipment. It also has a large meeting area. There will be opportunities at Dilli Village each night for the various teams to compare notes and share observations of their field work.
John Sinclair (AO), FIDO
Fraser Island Umbrella Organisation Turns Ten
In late 2005, a small group of dedicated people spent two days visiting weed sites on the internationally significant Fraser Island World Heritage Area in a workshop facilitated by the Burnett Mary Regional Group. The group consisted of land managers – Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (National Park), the Department of Natural Resources and Mines (Unallocated State Land), the local council, the Cooperative Research Centre for Weeds, the National Parks Association of Queensland, Fraser Island Defenders Organisation and Sandy Cape Lighthouse Conservation Association as well as Butchulla participants Malcolm Burns, Jo Jo Gala and Marie Wilkinson.
FINIA partners gathered recently at Dilli Village to celebrate a successful 10-year partnership to help protect and restore Fraser Island’s natural assets
After those two days, it was clear to the group that weeds were just one of many issues threatening the Outstanding Universal Value of this UNESCO-listed site. Following the workshop, the Fraser Island Natural Integrity Alliance (FINIA) was formed with a goal to protect and restore the island’s natural integrity. The FINIA team developed an action plan that provided a framework for ongoing cross-tenure collaboration among the group’s participants and project partners.
Work commenced on addressing the issue of the spread of ‘garden escapees’ around the townships of Eurong and Happy Valley and the historic Sandy Cape Lighthouse that quickly became invasive weeds in the adjoining National Park. In addition to on-ground work to control weeds like mother-in-law’s tongue, Easter cassia, abrus and asparagus fern, FINIA partners also conducted workshops and awareness-raising campaigns to increase awareness and understanding of the damage these non-native, invasive weeds can cause to the island’s unique ecological environments.
As the partnership grew, so did the dedicated effort by group participants and their volunteers. FINIA collaborators ‘branched off’ to lead several other initiatives, including native seed collection; propagation and revegetation (starting with ‘Plant me instead’ replacement programs); pest management of the Jamella pandanus leafhopper and cane toad; marine debris clean-ups; research to address fire, dingo management and increase the knowledge of the island’s unique patterned fens and swamp orchids; erosion and rainfall monitoring; education and awareness (with a newsletter, website and Facebook pages); and cultural heritage mapping in conjunction with the Fraser Island World Heritage Area Indigenous Advisory Committee (which won the Queensland Landcare Award 2015 for Indigenous Land Management).
Members of FINIA gathered on the island recently to celebrate 10 years of collaboration and to review the group’s achievements—enjoying some generous sponsorship by the University of the Sunshine Coast. Mr John Sinclair AO, a long-standing advocate for Fraser Island, said that after 10 years, it was a good time to reflect and plan the next decade, with a recent workshop held at Dilli Village, where it all began. ‘FINIA provides a great vehicle to get things done. It’s overcome a number of issues that hampered on-ground work in the past, but also ensures that we all communicate more effectively’, said Mr Sinclair. ‘FINIA is the catalyst that holds us all together and makes things happen’, added Butchulla elder, Glen Miller. ‘Without FINIA, it’s unlikely that we would have been able to achieve the success we have and the range of projects that FINIA now supports’.
FINIA members observe release of the Jamella biocontrol on a Fraser Island Pandanus
The BMRG’s Conservation Partnership Manager and current FINIA Chair, Sue Sargent, was a participant in the original workshop. ‘FINIA has been an incredible vehicle for the World Heritage Area and thanks to the support of the island’s land managers Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and Fraser Coast Regional Council, continues to thrive, picking up awards along the way’. ‘In 2011, the model was even showcased at an international conference as “the key to successful holistic weed management on Fraser Island” by Dr Alison Shapcott from the University of the Sunshine Coast—where it attracted considerable attention’.
Looking forward, although the environmental problems continue to grow, so does the strength of the partnership, with 15 partners now part of the group. FINIA’s success to date is a great example of how a supported and engaged groups of stakeholders can work together to genuinely address long-term land management issues. And as for what the next decade may hold? Well aside from more work with weeds and pests, education and awareness, FINIA is currently planning a BioBlitz to be held in 2017.
FINIA would like to formally acknowledge the Australian Government’s National Landcare Programme, the University of the Sunshine Coast (catering sponsors) and Kingfisher Bay Resort Group for their support of our tenth anniversary event.
Chris Stone, BMRG
Sand, Sea and Sun a Success!
On 12 August, more than 100 delegates attended the 6th Biennial Fraser Island Conference at the University of the Sunshine Coast at Sippy Downs. It was the best attended Fraser Island (K’Gari) Conference yet, and with the weather for the Conference being most pleasant, as was the venue and the catering, it was also judged to have been the best Fraser Island Conference so far.
For the Conference FIDO commissioned three banners that helped set the stage quite literally.
The Conference provided a wealth of information about the world’s greatest sand island and what is being discovered to help it to be better appreciated and better understood. As the speakers made clear, the island is much more than sand; it is affected by and affects the marine environment surrounding it. A summary of the Conference, including details of all speakers, can be found on the FINIA blog.
The 7th Biennial Fraser Island Conference is also already in the works, with the theme ‘Time, Tide and Tourism’. The plan is to hold the Conference to coincide with the Brisbane Exhibition holiday on Wednesday 16 August 2017; however, more information will be made available closer to the date.
John Sinclair, AO
