Eastern Kuku Yalanji people reclaim the Daintree rainforest. Photo Credit: The Australian. Video: ABC News Australia

EnvironmentSociety Australia24. October 2021

Big Win for Native Peoples: “This Land Is Ours Again!”

Four national parks in Queensland, Australia, including the world’s oldest living rainforest, have been returned to the native Eastern Kuku Yalanji peoples following many years of battling for their rights.

This formal transfer of rights, coined the Indigenous Management Agreement, involves 160,213 hectares of land spanning the Northeastern coast of Australia. 

Spirits were high and celebrations were joyous when the traditional owners received their deeds for the parks Ngalba-bulal, Kalkajaka, the Hope Islands, and UNESCO World Heritage site Daintree National Park. One Yalanji traditional owner Mary-Anne Port said that, “All our ancestors called us back to home. I broke down — to get it all back in a battle that we’ve lost so many, young and old, that fought for [our] country and now it’s all back.”

Since 2007, the natives already had some title rights over the land. The new handover involves joint management between the natives and the Queensland government, allowing for the natives to have much more say over their cultural heritage site. State Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon emphasized that many agreements have been signed to ensure that the partnership is genuine and that the transfer helps Queensland “right the wrongs of the past.” The natives plan to use the land to create cultural learning and employment opportunities.

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