Australia’s Tintree rainforest handed over to owners

Posted on: 30/09/2021 – 09:05

A historic decision: The world’s oldest Australian rainforest was returned to its native owners on Wednesday, September 29, as part of an inter-community reconciliation process.

The 135-million-year-old Forest Tintree National Park, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, returned to the tribe on Wednesday. Aboriginal Kuku Yalanji from the East at a ceremony in Bloomfield, a remote town in Queensland.

These vast and moist forests are full of rare and ancient flora and fauna, of which the helmet-wearing cassowary bird, whose claws are the most dangerous.

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Chrissy Grant, a member of the panel that negotiated the acquisition, called the moment when society was “allowed to take responsibility for its own destiny” “historic.”

Located on the Cape York Peninsula at the northeastern tip of Australia, a total of 160,000 hectares of this Daintree National Park has been returned to the region’s tribes as part of a process of social reconciliation.

Since the arrival of European settlers in Australia in 1788, these tribes have been severely marginalized.

An important step towards reconciliation after the “uncomfortable and terrible” past

Initially, national parks will be managed jointly with the Queensland state government and placed exclusively under the responsibility of the tribal community.

Chrissy Grant said a foundation would be created to provide training and jobs for members of this community in fields including tourism, research and land management.

Queensland Environment Minister Megan Scanlan said reclaiming these lands after a “difficult and terrible” past was an important step in the reconciliation process.

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“The culture of the Kuku Yalanji people in the East is one of the oldest cultures in the world, and this agreement recognizes the right to own and manage their country, to protect their culture and to share it with tourists,” he said. Said.

To date, the government has returned 3.8 million hectares of land in Cape York to aborigines.

With AFP