The successful wild river ranger program will be expanded employing an additional 10 rangers to help preserve Queensland’s pristine environmental catchments.
Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Minister Stephen Robertson said the rangers are being employed as the government plans to consider another 12 river basins for wild rivers protection over the next two years.
“An additional $5 million will be invested over four years to employ, train and support 10 new wild river rangers,” Mr Robertson said.
“Placement of the new ranger positions will extend the program across the Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York and to Hinchinbrook Island.’’
Mr Robertson said the existing wild river rangers program helped protect the world-class natural and cultural values of the Gulf of Carpentaria and Cape York, while also creating employment in remote indigenous communities.
“To date, 20 Indigenous rangers have been employed to work with landholders, communities and traditional owners to protect and promote the state’s declared wild river systems,” he said.
“These rangers are based in Burketown, Doomadgee, Normanton, Kowanyama, Pormpuraaw, Mapoon and Chuulangun.
“The wild river ranger program also helps to preserve centuries of cultural knowledge by ensuring these skills are handed down to the next generation.”
In 2009-10 looking at, Mr Robertson said up to eight more potential wild river areas in addition to the Wenlock basin, will be proposed for declaration in 2009-2010, with the aim of all Cape York Peninsula basins to be proposed by the end of 2010.
“The wild rivers program delivers on the Bligh Government’s Toward Q2 strategy to create a greener Queensland by protecting our lifestyle and environment.”
“This is another demonstration of the government’s ongoing commitment to preserve Queensland’s wild rivers for the benefit of current and future generations,” he said.
Mr Robertson said wild rivers are river systems that have all, or almost all, of their natural values intact.
“Wild rivers is about sustaining healthy ecosystems but importantly it also designed to support economic activities such as grazing, fishing and eco-tourism,” he said.
“New development activities such as agriculture, horticulture, mining, quarrying, eco-tourism, fencing and aquaculture can still occur in the preservation area as long as they don’t adversely impact on the natural values of a wild river.
“Native title rights, indigenous cultural heritage rights and land tenure, for example, are not affected by these declarations, and existing traditional and day-to-day activities such as feeding livestock, refuelling machinery, fishing and camping can still continue along the rivers. ”
These measures will bring to 21 the total number of declared wild rivers in Queensland.
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