Banksia Award for Dugong and Marine Turtle
Project
[
listen] The NAILSMA Dugong and Marine Turtle Project won the
Banksia Award - Indigenous Category at the National Banksia
Environmental Foundation Awards!
The award was presented to NAILSMA Executive Officer Joe Morrison
at the Awards ceremony on Friday night in Melbourne by Environment
Minister Peter Garrett.
Accompanying Joe at the ceremony was the NAILSMA
delegation—Senior Bardi-Jawi Ranger Kevin George, Dhimurru
Ranger Patrick White, li-Anthawirriyarra Sea Ranger Damien Pracey,
Torres Strait Council Deputy Lord Mayor Kenny Bedford and Rod
Kennett Project Coordinator. All looked too deadly in black tie
dinner suits.
TS-CRC Executive Officer David Garnett, Charles Darwin University
Vice Chancellor Professor Helen Garnett, and Australian government
representatives Les Russell and Ilse Kiessling joined our table at
the awards to represent our many collaborators and supporters.
This is great recognition for all the partners, rangers and
community members involved in the project—all of whom own the
award.
We also were Runners-up in the People’s Choice award so this
too is a great endorsement of the project and shows the enormous
number of supporters we have across Australia.
In accepting the award Joe acknowledged the enormous amount of work
done by Traditional Owners that made the NAILSMA project possible,
and the importance of the award in acknowledging the wise
stewardship of nationally and internationally significant
ecosystems by Indigenous land and sea managers across northern
Australia.
Minister Garrett issued a press release. In it he said “These
Indigenous people are the ‘front-line’ managers of the
north Australian coast.”
This award is more than just acknowledgement of our project; it is
acknowledgement for all Indigenous Rangers in the North.
Congratulations to all the
partners: Kimberley Land Council, Northern Land Council,
Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, Balkanu Cape York
Development Corporation and Torres Strait Regional Authority.
Congratulations to all the rangers
and participating communities: Bardi-Jawi Rangers, Dhimurru
Rangers, li-Anthawirriyarra Rangers, Wellesley Island Rangers,
Injinoo Community, Lockhart Community, Pormpuraaw Rangers, Hopevale
Community, Mer (Murray) Islanders and Erub (Darnley) Islanders from
Kemer Meriam Nation, Badu Islanders, Mabuiag Islanders and St.
Pauls community from Maluiligal Nation, Malu Kiai (Boigu) Islanders
from Guda Maluiligal Nation, Iama (Yam) Islanders from Kulkalgal
Nation, Kaurareg from Kaiwalagal Nation.
Well done team!
The press release issued by Joe on Saturday can be
viewed on the NAILSMA website. The
press release issued by Minister Peter Garrett can be
downloaded from his website.
Wellesley Island Rangers Collaborate with DPI&F to Produce
Seagrass Report
[
listen] The Wellesley Islands Rangers, through the Carpentaria
Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (CLCAC) and the NAILSMA Dugong
and Marine Turtle Project, commissioned the Queensland Department
of Primary Industries and Fisheries (DPI&F) Marine Ecology
Group to undertake a fine scale survey of the seagrass resources in
the Wellesley Islands region in 2007.
The survey was commissioned in response to the CLCAC Regional
Activity Plan developed for the DMTP, which highlighted the need
for more research on seagrass meadows in the area.
The need for the survey was highlighted by Traditional Owners'
concerns that hunters had been reporting an increasing number of
unhealthy dugong and turtles in the area over recent years. The
Traditional Owners felt that one possible cause of sick animals was
a loss of seagrass causing a shortage of food to the animals.
The survey would provide a baseline to use as a benchmark from
which future seagrass monitoring could be conducted and could also
be compared with results from a seagrass survey conducted by
DPI&F in 1984. Rangers could then use this information to
develop zoning plans for the management of their Sea Country.
But this was more than just a
commissioned survey...
The Rangers wanted to be involved in the process; to learn seagrass
mapping techniques and to have an area identified by DPI&F that
was suitable for Seagrass Watch to establish community based
seagrass monitoring.
The result was a very successful collaborative effort between the
Wellesley Island Rangers and the DPI&F--with the Rangers now
equipped to continue monitoring the seagrass meadows after the
initial survey.
The survey report...
The 32 page report "Seagrass communities of the Wellesley Island
Group" has recently been made available in PDF format and can be
downloaded from the
NAILSMA website.
Photo: Thumbs up to collaboration!
Wellesley Islands Ranger Dirk Loogatha and DPI&F's Michael
Rasheed. Courtesy CLCAC.
Audio
Interview: Bardi-Jawi Rangers Make New Find
[
listen] The Bardi-Jawi Rangers had an extraordinary find
recently--Olive Ridley hatchlings in WA!
What makes this extraordinary is that WA is not a part the
recognised range of Olive Ridleys as the species has never before
been recorded in the west.
Further adding to the story, the hatchlings were reported to the
Rangers by one of the Awesome Foursome Olympic rowers on a beach
that had been closed by Traditional Owners to four wheel drive
traffic to protect turtle nests.
Senior Ranger Kevin George was at the scene and describes the event
in an interview with NAILSMA.
*
Listen to the interview
TSRA
Update: Community Based Management Plans
[
listen] TSRA's Land and Sea Management Unit recently released a
very informative article outlining the development progress of
Community Based Turtle and Dugong Management Plans for eight Torres
Strait Island Communities.
The article outlines the steps that have been taken over the past
two-and-a-bit years to develop the plans--which have been driven by
the aspirations of Traditional Owners from the eight island
communities.
The hard work of the Unit and community members involved in the
development process is evident form the article, and the success in
developing the eight plans to the final stage of approval is very
exciting, well deserved and a credit to all involved.
You can
download
a copy of the full article from the NAILSMA website. It's well
worth a read.
Photo: "Planning in Progress".
Courtesy TSRA
Audio
Interview: New Project Officers for TSRA
[
listen] The Torres Strait Regional Authority has appointed two
new Project Officers to help with the delivery of the new community
based management plans.
We welcome Eddie Sailor, Project Officer for Erub (Darnley Island)
and Maluwap Nona, Project Officer for Badu Island.
Eddie spoke with NAILSMA about his new job and some of the exciting
projects he will be working on.
*
Listen to the interview
Legal Review
Document Available for Download
[
listen] Last year, the NAILSMA DMTP commissioned a report into
the legal and policy opportunities and impediments faced by
Indigenous land and sea managers across the north with respect to
managing turtle and dugong.
The purpose of the report was to provide information and advice to
Indigenous land and sea managers to assist in increasing Indigenous
management of marine turtle and dugong.
The report "Indigenous Management of Marine Turtle and Dugong:
legal and policy opportunities and impediments" has been finalised
and is now at the printers. We hope to have copies of the report to
bring to Garma for distribution to those who would like a copy.
In the meantime, a PDF version is now available for
download from the NAILSMA
website.
Contact
Josh at NAILSMA
if you would like your own copy of the printed report posted to
you.
Mexican Cultural Exchange
Report
[
listen] A report has been produced by the Australian delegation
that participated in a cultural exchange with Comcaac or
‘Seri Indian’ people in Mexico earlier this year.
Djawa Yunupingu, Frank Loban, Kenny Bedford and Stephen Ambar
collaborated with NAILSMA to produce the report for funding partner
The Christensen Fund and coordination partner Ocean Revolution.
The eight page report was so well received that Ocean Revolution's
Timothy Dykman had it translated into Spanish for submission to the
Mexican government.
The report features stunning photographs that were taken by the
guys on their trip and includes lots of quotes from them that are
insightful and moving.
The coordinator of NAILSMA's
Kantri Laif magazine took the
time to review the report.
"Deadly."
Samara Erlandson,
Coordinator of Kantri Laif.
The report "Oceans Apart; United in Action" can be
downloaded from the NAILSMA
website. (In English and Spanish!)
You can read more about the Mexican cultural exchange from stories
in past editions of the DMTP newsletter:
Mexican
Cultural Exchange and
Mexican Cultural Exchange: Seri Indians Inspired.
Colourful Spanish: In the report,
Djawa talks about the stirring moment the Seiri Indian people heard
the yidaki (didgeridoo) played for the first time. He said that "It
made hair stand up on end." For the Mexican audience, the Spanish
translation read something like "I had hedgehog hair"!
Balkanu Partner on YouTube
[
listen] Balkanu partner
Traditional
Knowledge Revival Pathways (TKRP) have their own page on
YouTube!
TKRP joined the international community utilising the free on-line
video hosting service in February 2008 and since that time, have
enjoyed great success in sharing information about their project
with the world.
TKRP is currently hosting 9 videos--with a total of 3947 videos
watched since February.
Most people would already be familiar with YouTube but may not
realise that it is possible to have your own 'branded' page with
text and images--helping to create a context for the videos that
you are hosting.
TKRP have excelled in creating a presence on the web that is
sensitive and respectful to the content of the videos they
host.
TKRP explains their motivation for hosting the videos on their
YouTube page.
"The Traditional Knowledge Revival Pathways was
developed from the aspirations of Indigenous Elders, to preserve
and recognise Traditional Indigenous Knowledge.
There is no doubt that in today's society, Elders need new tools of
todays technology as one of many ways in communicating to our
children and the broader community.
Strengthening the grass roots of our Indigenous knowledge, for the
benefit of Environment and Community wellbeing for our future
generations.
All films are in respect of supporting communities involved with
the restoration of Traditional Knowledge."
Check out their page:
http://www.youtube.com/user/MulongTKRP
Call for
Local Heroes!
[
listen] After learning the NAILSMA Dugong and Marine Turtle
Project was nominated for a Banksia Award, the ABC contacted
NAILSMA to propose a feature on the Dugong and Marine Turtle
Project for the '
Local
Heroes' section of the ABC Indigenous portal.
This could be a great opportunity for ranger groups to give
recognition to people involved in their program that have inspired
and excelled. It would also be an opportunity to profile your
ranger program in a national forum.
Applying is easy and NAILSMA will support you to complete the
application.
For more information or to apply, contact
Josh at NAILSMA.
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