Wujal Wujal
- Ranger team
- Eastern Kuku Yalanji (EKY) Rangers
- Host organisation
- Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation
The Eastern Kuku Yalanji (EKY) rangers manage land and sea Country of the EKY Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) around Wujal Wujal, Mossman and Shipton’s Flat in south-eastern Cape York Peninsula. The IPA includes two world heritage areas— the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics
EKY rangers’ work includes:
- recording, protecting and maintaining cultural heritage sites, particularly burial sites, through weed management and removal of overgrown vegetation
- implementing the Jabalbina Fire Management Plan, in collaboration with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) and Queensland Rural Fires, on the IPA and national parks across the Daintree area of the Wet Tropics WHA
- engaging with Elders and Traditional Owners on Country to obtain input into ranger activities and record traditional knowledge
- monitoring and managing pest animals such feral pigs and cats
- managing erosion on tracks, to ensure access to country
- managing priority weeds in partnership with QPWS, Southern Cape York Catchments, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and Cook Shire Council
- managing sea Country, including supporting a Traditional Owner Steering Committee to oversee the Sea Country Management Plan, and undertaking sea country compliance patrols, rapid reef surveys, marine debris removal, water quality monitoring and Crown of Thorns starfish surveys
- engaging with young people through cultural knowledge sharing activities on country, junior ranger camps, and ‘Classroom on Country’ sessions, with focus on cultural activities and caring for country activities.