“If we don't protect the land, the land will destroy us, so we got to be part of that balance, we have to fit into that area”

Chuulangun Rangers – Living & working on country

Rangers surveying rock art on Kaanju Ngaachi 2014

The Chuulangun Rangers were established in 2006 by the Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation at the request of the Kuuku I’yu Traditional Custodians living on country. It was their aspiration for Kuuku I’yu Northern Kaanju people to be employed as rangers to manage Ngaachi and to repatriate the original management from their ancestors. This aspiration, along with reestablishing a permanent presence on Ngaachi would heal People and the Land.

After the Kaanju Ngaachi IPA was dedicated in 2008 this aspiration became a reality when Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation received funding for three rangers under the Working on Country (now Indigenous Rangers) Program (IRP). Over the years our rangers have been supported variously with funding from Bush Heritage Australia, the Wild River Rangers  (now the Land and Sea Indigenous Rangers) Program, IRP and the IPA Program. Currently, the Chuulangun Rangers are supported with funding under the IPA, IRP and one-off project funding.

With past and current funding support from the Queensland and Australian governments we have established a small ranger office and large shed for cultural and land management operations. Our ranger vehicle fleet includes two four-wheel-drive vehicles and two all-terrain-vehicles. Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation has the skills, experience and capacity and has the processes and procedures in place to manage a ranger program.

Ranger David Claudie Jnr collecting lily pad shoots for traditional knowledge plants project 2021 (c) Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation

Over the years the Chuulangun Rangers have delivered a range of activities on the IPA which have resulted not only in protection of rich biocultural diversity and management of threats, but also benefits of empowerment, cultural connection, and wellbeing, as well as broader socio-economic benefits for the Kuuku I’yu Traditional Custodians and the wider local community. The dedicated Chuulangun Rangers have achieved much on the IPA including the survey of vast areas of rock art and populations of endangered species previously unknown to western science including taking the first ever photos of the endangered iyitpi (Cape York Rock-wallaby).

Our Rangers have worked with Kuuku I’yu Elders to map country, engaged in Indigenous knowledge transfer activities with the local community and surveyed and collected plant specimens for Chuulangun’s collaborative ARC-funded projects investigating Indigenous plant medicines. Most recently, the new generation of Chuulangun Rangers living on country and who grew up at Chuulangun have discovered a migratory species on the IPA, the recently declared threatened (vulnerable) Japanese Snipe, and developed resources for and delivered a Junior Ranger Program activity in collaboration with the the Lamalama Rangers.

The first Chuulangun Rangers, Robert Nelson ‘Dundee’ and David Claudie 2012 (c) Chuulangun Aboriginal Corporation

Our rangers are kept busy with a comprehensive work program which includes:

• monitoring, mapping and control of weeds and feral animals
• surveying of flora and fauna in collaboration with western scientists
• fire management
• cultural heritage surveys
• management and monitoring of rock art sites
• survey and collection of plant specimens for collaborative research projects
• patrolling the homelands
• management of campgrounds
• educating visitors about our cultural and land management protocols
• maintenance of property, plant and equipment
• training in conservation and ecosystems management.

In 2021-22 the Chuulangun Rangers conducted fauna surveys targeting Iyitpi (Cape York Rock-wallaby) and Ching’ka (Northern Quoll) working in collaboration with ecologist Dr Simon Kennedy and funded under the Queensland Community Sustainability Action Grant program. Currently our surveys of the endangered Kila (Palm Cockatoo) is supported with funding under the Queensland Threatened Species Recovery Grants program for the project called “Turning down the Heat: Strategic burning for the Kila (Palm Cockatoo) population on Kuuku I’yu Homelands, Cape York”.

To find out more about the work of the Chuulangun Rangers contact the Chuulangun Ranger Office via email at chuulangunrangers@gmail.com.