In a landmark collaborative report, EDO is urging the Queensland Government to adopt a modern framework of laws led by First Nations Lore and the latest scientific research to protect endangered Flying-foxes in the Wet Tropics Country of far north Queensland.
Read the full report here.
On behalf of our client the Cairns and Far North Environment Centre, the report examines the current laws and regulations in place under both state and national law, identifies approaches in other jurisdictions and makes recommendations for reform to establish a modern framework for Queensland.
A modern framework for Flying-fox roost management places co-existence and recovery at its core.
We recommend the Queensland Government design and implement a modern framework for roost management – informed by First Nations Lore and the latest scientific research – to ensure Flying-foxes are sustainably managed and protected for the conservation of our natural environment.
The report shares powerful case studies from Traditional Owners, scientists, conservationists and wildlife experts who highlight the cultural and ecological significance of Spectacled Flying-fox and the current threats to the endangered species.
The Gimuy Walubara Yidinji People are Custodians of the Wet Tropics Country and they have long cared for and protected the species in accordance with their Cultural Protocols.
If we can change our law to reflect traditional knowledge and Lore, Flying-foxes will have a chance of recovery and Spectacled Flying-foxes may be saved from extinction.
Read the full report here.
A keystone species
The Spectacled Flying-fox is one of four species of Flying-fox that calls far north Queensland home.
Like bees of the rainforest, Flying-foxes act as migratory, nomadic pollinators, spreading seeds needed to regenerate our forests and drive biodiversity.
Many plants and animals rely on Flying-foxes for survival and wellbeing, making them a keystone species for the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
In the face of the climate and extinction crises, land clearing and other human-caused ecological pressures, we need Flying-foxes now more than ever.
“Our current management laws are hastening the decline of Flying-foxes in Queensland and most importantly the likely extinction of the keystone Spectacled Flying-fox.”
Dr Noel Preece, Conservation Ecologist
Lore and balance
First Nations’ Lore is a way of living and interacting with Country that balances human needs and environmental needs to ensure that the environment and ecosystem which nurtures, supports, and sustains human life, is also nurtured, supported, and sustained. Country is sacred and spiritual, with Culture, Law, Lore, spirituality, social obligations and kinship all stemming from relationships to and with the Land.1
“One of the most magical things about Gimuy used to be watching the Flying-foxes cover the evening with a curtain of black. Now, we barely see any. Soon, we will probably see none.
“This will mean another connection to Country gone. What else will then keep us connected to the land?
“Local and state government must follow Aboriginal Cultural Protocols which ensure the survival of any flora or fauna species. The knowledge to protect species and the land is within the Lore.
“That is what Lore is always about, you are not thinking about yourself and when following Protocol, you will be doing what is right by the land and the people.”
Jiritju Fourmile, a Gimuy Walubara man from the Yidinji Nation
Co-existence and recovery
Our report shows the Queensland Department of Environment and Science what an effective decision-making process under a modern framework for roost management can look like.
A modern framework for Flying-fox roost management places co-existence and recovery at its core. Flying-foxes have an important role in our ecosystem must be respected for their environmental values, not just managed for human conflict.
“With a modern framework of laws informed by First Nations Lore and the latest scientific research, our state’s Flying-foxes will still have a chance to avoid a pathway to extinction.
“In the face of the climate and extinction crises, our Flying-foxes cannot endure outdated roost management laws any longer.”
EDO North Queensland Managing Lawyer Kirstiana Ward
Read the full report here.
References
[1] Walanga Muru, ‘Aboriginal Cultural Protocols’ (Macquarie University, 2017) 10.
