Work Program

We work in partnership with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) to implement our TUMRA. Our aim is to protect and manage cultural and natural values across our Sea and Reef Country. Activities include:

 

• Marine and totemic species: documenting and compliance relating to illegal fishing, planning and policy development of Sea and Reef Country access and protection of coastal flora and fauna
• Reef Conservation: assessing and monitoring cultural values at reef sites including Agincourt Reef, Pickersgill Reef and Evening Reef
• Turtle & Dugong management: assessing and community engagement relating to the establishment of a management program featuring tagging, TEK recording and a community permit system
• Water Health: assessing and monitoring water quality at the Bloomfield River, Balabay and other important water sites

Our Rangers are operating across Sea, Reef and Coastal Country, including the UNESCO World Heritage areas of the Wet Tropics and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Activities include:

 

• Heritage site & cultural values protection: assessing, managing and monitoring cultural values at Agincourt Reef and other reef and sea Country sites as well as coastal sites including scar trees and burial sites at Balabay
• Traditional Knowledge transmission: recording by young people of Elders talking about story places relating to sea and reef Country, hunting, traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and language
• Climate Change adaptation: assessing and monitoring relating to Bulgigi (pippi) numbers, and weeds and other flora at Balabay, and treatment of introduced species at coastal sites
• Marine & coastal species: monitoring totemic species and cultural values documentation relating to access and use of Balabay coastal areas
• Cultural burning: assessing and developing a cultural burn plan for Balabay and adjacent areas of the Bloomfield River
• Junior Rangers: educational activities for primary school students focussed on working with Elders to document stories

We work in partnership with James Cook University (JCU) on governance and operational processes to support Crown of Thorns Starfish (COTS) field activities, research and management. Activities include:

 

• Cultural protocols: engaging with DJAC families to develop comprehensive cultural protocols and processes for Country research and visitation
• COTS management: planning for COTS future management capacity and capability for DJAC Ranger program
• Training and professional development: assessing and implementing training and development requirements for DJAC members and Rangers

We work in partnership with Cook Shire, Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation and the Queensland government to protect and manage the cultural and natural values at Balabay (Weary Bay). Activities include:  

• Natural values management: assessing and managing weeds, feral animals and other threats and impacts to the coastal, marine and estuarine areas of Balabay
• Access management and dune protection: assessing and managing access to the beach and Bloomfield River using signage, compliance and visitor management
• Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) documentation: assessing and documenting, medicinal and food plants and animals, traditional hunting and gathering areas, aquaculture and fishing grounds and environmental management strategies
• Cultural values documentation: assessing and documenting ancestral stories and story places and cultural trails that connect sites at Balabay
• Historical values documentation: assessing and documenting post-contact heritage sites including graveyards, mission sites and community gathering sites of social and political importance