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WTMA |
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Board Update
The Wet Tropics Management Authority Board held its 86th Board meeting in Malanda on 8 and 9 August 2011.
A major theme of discussion for the meeting on Tuesday was the services WTMA provides to Rainforest Aboriginal people. After consideration of the issues relating to the negotiation of native title settlements, the Board concluded that WTMA should continue to participate with the objective of ensuring other parties in the negotiations are informed about the World Heritage Area; and ensuring protection of World Heritage Values while respecting as far as possible the rights and aspirations of Rainforest Aboriginal people.
The Board also received a report on progress towards the completion of community development plans under the Eastern Kuku Yalanji ILUA. These plans will play an important role in realising the vision of the parties to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji Native Title settlement.
The interim committee of the Rainforest Aboriginal People’s Alliance (RAPA) provided a report to the Board. The Board anticipates that once it is fully functional, RAPA will play an important role in engagement between WTMA and Rainforest Aboriginal people.
Following the meeting, the Board travelled to East Evelyn to launch the $600,000 Caring for Our Country revegetation project, and took great delight in planting some trees and getting muddy hands.
>> For a full summary of the 86th Board meeting click here. |
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Wet Tropics Ministerial Council
Queensland’s new Environment Minister the Hon. Vicky Darling MP chaired the meeting of the Wet Tropics Ministerial Council in Brisbane on 12 August 2011.
WTMA Board Chair Peter Valentine and WTMA Executive Director Andrew Maclean attended the meeting with the Hon. Tony Burke MP Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and the Hon. Jan Jarrat MP Queensland Government Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business.
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To view the Wet Tropics Ministerial Council Communiqué click
here.
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L-R WTMA Board Chair Peter Valentine, The Hon. Vicky Darling MP Queensland Minister for the Environment, The Hon. Jan Jarrat MP Queensland Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business, The Hon. Tony Burke MP Australian Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and WTMA Executive Director Andrew Maclean.
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WTMA
Welcomes New Committee
Members
At its August meeting
the WTMA Board endorsed
new committee members
for the Community
Consultative Committee (CCC)
and Scientific Advisory
Committee (SAC) for 2011
to 2014. We extend a
warm welcome to our new
and returning committee
members and look forward
to a successful and
productive term.
CCC members
CCC members represent a
broad range of community
views and expertise in
the Wet Tropics region.
Their backgrounds and
interests include
conservation, education,
tourism, recreation,
local government,
Aboriginal culture,
science and primary
industries.
Chair of the CCC, Ms
Moni Carlisle said she
sees the new,
revitalised Community
Consultative Committee
as being the important
link between land
management agencies and
the community. “Members
are committed to action
about connecting people
to place here in the Wet
Tropics and engaging at
different levels from
community to land
management agencies such
as WTMA. We hope to
highlight the
significant cultural and
evolutionary landscapes
of the Area using
education as a tool to
inform the community of
its responsibilities as
land managers to such a
vital part of the
world,” Ms Carlisle
said.
>>
For a list of the new
CCC members for the 2011
to 2014 term click
here.
SAC members
The Wet Tropics region
is fortunate to have
such a distinguished
pool of research leaders
in many and varied
disciplines to call
upon. The new SAC boasts
researchers in the areas
of natural, ecological,
socio-cultural and
economic sciences who
are actively involved in
Wet Tropics research
programs.
Professor Steve Williams
is the Chair of the SAC
and is keen to
facilitate the
Authority’s learning
landscapes initiative
designed to promote a
research agenda for the
Wet Tropics World
Heritage Area, and the
regional roadmap for
climate change and its
implementation. “We look
forward to working with
the Authority to develop
and implement these
programs to achieve
WTMA’s aspirations in
knowledge management
while determining the
kinds of support and
resources WTMA can
provide to assist in
facilitating its
research agenda,”
Professor Williams said.
>>
For a list of the
new SAC members for the
2011 to 2014 term click
here.
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Communities and
Partnerships |
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Wet Tropics features in Qantas Inflight Magazine
The majestic and awe inspiring Wet Tropics World Heritage Area featured in the July edition of Qantas Inflight Magazine as part of National Heritage Week. The advertorial showcased the World Heritage Area as ‘one of Australia’s jewels’ with a scenic background photo of the Daintree rainforest bordering the beach. The advertorial was made possible through funding from the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and the National Heritage List Sites Promotion for WTMA, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the tourism industry to raise awareness about World Heritage in north Queensland during National Heritage Week.
>>
Click here to view the full feature.
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Wet Tropics of Queensland in the Qantas Inflight Magazine
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WTMA
joins NAIDOC Week
Celebrations 3 to 10
July
The popularity of
NAIDOC Week in Cairns
grows every year and
WTMA was excited to join
in the celebrations
again in 2011. WTMA
supported a number of
Rainforest Aboriginal
people to attend the
official NAIDOC
breakfast with the
Executive Director and
other staff and a number
of Indigenous films were
shown in-house at staff
gatherings. A typical
winter’s day in the
tropics ensured perfect
weather for the People’s
Forum at Fogarty Park
and staff reported that
the WTMA stand and World
Heritage products
generated a lot of
interest. |
WTMA
staff Joelene Gertz and
Katrina Beattie at
NAIDOC week’s People’s
Forum |
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Rainforest
Aboriginal
People’s
Alliance
Traditional
Owners from
the Wet
Tropics area
have shown
their
support for
a regional
alliance to
represent
Indigenous
interests in
the Wet
Tropics. The
Rainforest
Aboriginal
People's
Alliance
(RAPA) will
provide
assured and
timely
advice on
cultural and
natural
resource
management
matters and
support the
capacity of
Traditional
Owners in
their
regions.
The
Girringun
Aboriginal
Corporation
is initially
hosting the
RAPA which
is receiving
guidance
from a long-
term
Leadership
Group. With
assistance
from Terrain
and WTMA, Girringun
has engaged
a part-time
coordinator
to work with
RAPA members
in
developing
its core
functions,
structural
arrangements,
and business
plan,
including
seeking
long-term
operational
funds. |
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Rainforest
Aboriginal
News
Have you got
your copy of
the latest
Rainforest
Aboriginal
News? If
you’d like
to download
a copy click
here, or
if you’d
like one
sent to you
contact
Joelene
Gertz on
4052 0536 or
email
joelene.gertz@derm.qld.gov.au.
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Book Review
Let’s
Warrima –
dance -
ballare!
Shake A Leg
by the multi-talented Gunggandji
man, Boori
Monty Prior
with Jan
Ormerod is
an award-
winning
picture book
that takes a
cross-cultural
message and
‘shakes it
up’ for
children.
Travelling
from a Far
North
Queensland
pizza shop,
some hungry
kids get
painted up
in pizza
sauce by an
Aboriginal
chef, learn
how to do
the
crocodile
dance and
get taken on
a journey of
contemporary
cultural
understanding.
We love it!
Told in an
engaging
cartoon
format, this
story leads
you by the
hand and
gets your
foot tapping
as you learn
a dance move
or two.
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Multi award winning including, the Winner of the 2011 Prime Minister's Literary Awards for Children's Fiction and the 2011 Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year, Picture Book. Available from quality booksellers or click here.
Boori Monty Prior is a multi-talented Gungandji and Birri-Gubba man from Townsville.
Waddamulli - enjoy!
ISBN 978 174 175 8900. |
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Planning and Conservation |
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Revegetation
Project Launched
on the
Tablelands
Animals at risk
of extinction
from rising
temperatures
will have a cool
reprieve thanks
to a major
vegetation
project launched
by WTMA and its
partners on the
Tablelands
earlier this
month.
The project,
funded by the
Australian
Government’s
Caring for our
Country
initiative of
$600,000 over
the next two
years, will help
restore
connectivity
between islands
of rainforest on
private land and
World Heritage
rainforest in
the
high-altitude
areas of the
Southern
Atherton
Tablelands. |
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Speaking at the
launch, WTMA
Board
Chairperson
Peter Valentine
acknowledged the
many partners
and volunteers
that are
involved in the
project, and
applauded the
Australian
Government’s
commitment to
building more
climate
resilient
landscapes.
“Restoring
landscape
connectivity and
strengthening
the ecological
integrity of the
Wet Tropics on
the Tablelands
will help to
protect the
unique species
and
characteristics
of the World
Heritage Area,”
Assoc Prof
Valentine said.
The project is a
collaboration
between private
landholders, JCU
scientists,
conservation
volunteers,
government and
regional
councils. Six
thousand trees
have already
been planted
over two
hectares with up
to 20,000 trees
to be planted
over another
four hectares.
The areas were
identified as
key priorities
by climate
modelling
scientists at
James Cook
University
(JCU).
Species such as
Golden
bowerbirds,
Lumholtz tree
kangaroos and
Herbert River
ringtail possums
are limited to
cooler, high
altitude
rainforest and
are considered
at risk if the
temperature
rises by as
little as one
degree Celsius. |
WTMA Board
Member Dr
Alastair Birtles
and Keith Smith
planting trees
at the
revegetation
project |
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World
Heritage
Training
for
Pacific
Islanders
The
magnificent
Wet
Tropics
of
Queensland
World
Heritage
Area
was
a
fitting
backdrop
for
a
World
Heritage
workshop
with
delegates
from
Papua
New
Guinea,
Solomon
Islands,
Vanuatu
and
Kiribati
World
Heritage
Areas
from
22
to
24
June.
The
workshop
helped
the
representatives
to
complete
their
six
year
Periodic
Report
on
the
state
of
conservation
in
their
respective
World
Heritage
sites
that
is
presented
to
the
World
Heritage
Committee.
WTMA
executive
director
Andrew
Maclean
says
the
Authority
was
excited
by
the
opportunity
to
strengthen
its
role
as a
mentor
to
other
World
Heritage
sites
in
the
region.
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“WTMA has extensive experience in preparing periodic reports in our role as the managing body of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area. As periodic reporting only occurs every six years, this is the first time many of the countries involved in the training will submit a periodic report,” Mr Maclean said.
The training is part of the “Strengthening World Heritage Governance in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands” project supported by AusAID’s Pacific Public Sector Linkages Program. The project aims to support Pacific Island Countries in the ability to meet their obligations under the World Heritage Convention.
Trainees of the workshop are expected to report on Pheonix Island Protected Area, Kiribati (inscribed 2010); Kuk Early Agricultural Site, Papua New Guinea (inscribed 2008); Chief Roi Mata’s Domain, Vanuatu (inscribed 2008); and East Rennell, Solomon Islands (inscribed 1998). |
WTMA project manager Steve Goosem with Tekimwau Otiawa
from Kiribati
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Expanding
Rainforests
and
Rose
Gums
By
Doctoral
Researcher
David
Tng
Experienced
bushmen,
rangers
and
environmental
scientists
will
all
relate
to
the
intriguing
story
of
Wet
Tropics
World
Heritage
Area
rainforest
expanding
–
but
this
has
not
always
been
a
cause
for
celebration.
These
expanding
rainforests
have
led
to
concerns
that
the
tall
Rose
Gum
(Eucalyptus
grandis)
forests,
usually
found
on
rainforest
margins,
will
eventually
be
engulfed.
Some
researchers
and
land
managers
have
thought
that
expansion
of
tropical
rainforests
in
the
Wet
Tropics
is
due
to
changed
fire
regimes
since
European
colonisation,
associated
pastoral
activities,
or a
changing
climate.
David
Tng
is a
Doctoral
Researcher
from
the
University
of
Tasmania,
who
is
researching
the
rate
of
landscape
changes
and
condition
associated
with
recent
rainforest
expansion
in
the
Wet
Tropics.
WTMA
is
hosting
David
as
an
in-kind
contribution
to
this
important
project.
>>
For
more
information
about
David’s
research
click
here. |
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Australian Tropical Rainforest Plant Identification Courses
The Australian Tropical Herbarium and WTMA are once again running plant identification short courses. Courses are open to the public and include introductory and advanced rainforest plant identification modules in addition to a weed identification module.
Download the brochure
here or phone 4042 1837 or email enquiry@ath.org.au to register. |
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Tropical Topics |
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Light in the Rainforest |
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>>
Read more on
Tropical
Topics
here.
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