6 April 2020

Queensland Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers Conference

📷 Queensland Dept of Environment and Science

Indigenous rangers are central to caring for land and sea Country, and well-designed research can be valuable for supporting good management. At the mid-March Queensland Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers Conference in Cairns, co-hosted by Djabugay Aboriginal Corporation, Bulmba Rangers and the Queensland Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger Program, over 150 participants delved into the conference theme More Than A Ranger.

Indigenous-led research on Country was a key topic for discussion. The Northern Hub has always prioritised engagement with Indigenous rangers (such as our feral pig project) and there have been many benefits of this. But there is scope to increase the positive impacts of research by re-thinking the roles of rangers.

Presenting at the conference, Hub Leader Michael Douglas emphasised the necessity of working side-by-side with Indigenous rangers and Traditional Owners to identify research questions, design and conduct research, communicate results, and importantly, put the research into practice.

The Northern Hub was a proud sponsor of the Queensland Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers Conference.