Starcke
- Ranger team
- Juunjuwarra Rangers
- Host organisation
- Juunjuwarra Aboriginal Corporation
The Juunjuwarra rangers work in the Starcke River catchment, north of Hopevale. The Juunjuwarra estate encompasses the entire Starcke River catchment from the high rainforest-clad mountains to the remote outer coral reefs of the Great Barrier Reef and includes Mumbarra Aboriginal freehold area and part of Juunju Darrba Nhirripan National Park.
Rangers’ work involves land and sea management, and cultural restoration and reformation, as part of Juunjuwarra’s broader aim of re-establishing their homeland.
Their priorities include:
- rehabilitation and protection of Muundu (healing waters) involving baseline surveys, feral animal exclusion fencing, visitor management and ongoing compliance monitoringe
- feral cattle and pig management through baseline surveys, exclusion fencing, and monitoring on 12 Mile floodplain, to reduce impacts on wetland ecosystems and cultural sites
- ongoing management and rehabilitation of the Starcke River Landing and rare coastal vine thicket and littoral rainforest, involving weed and feral animal control, and visitor management
- water quality monitoring of Muundu, 12 Mile and Starcke River
- protection and management of turtle and dugong through population monitoring and seagrass mapping and monitoring
- cultural knowledge project involving cultural observation recording, cultural knowledge sharing, language revitalisation, and Elder engagement across all aspects of ranger work.