Community & Business
23 April, 2025
Tree planting a win-win
FIVE Indigenous young people are getting the opportunity to gain new qualifications and a year’s full-time work in landscape restoration at sites across the Atherton Tablelands where they will plant up to 6,000 native trees, improving water quality in the upper catchments of the Great Barrier Reef.
Part of the Queensland Government’s $33.5 million Reef Assist program, under the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program, the project is a partnership between the Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA) and the Choorechillum Prescribed Body Corporate (the Ngadjon-Jii Peoples’ representatives) who are Traditional Custodians of the land on which the planting sites occur.
WTMA executive director Scott Buchanan said the project provided a great opportunity for the young people to collaborate with local community groups and other Reef Assist partners in the Wet Tropics to assist in the propagation, planting and maintenance of the native seedlings.
“The initiative also aims to enhance administrative and project management capacity within the Choorechillum PBC and is a significant step toward supporting the Ngadjon-Jii Peoples’ aspirations to work on and restore their traditional lands,” he said.
“The work will improve landscape resilience, important for the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, while enhancing the water quality flowing to the Great Barrier Reef lagoon.
“The project will fund the employment of five Ngadjon-Jii rangers for 12 months, providing them with hands-on experience and training in conservation and land management, horticulture and rural industry skills in the growing restoration sector.”
Preparation work has now commenced for revegetation and maintenance work at specific sites in the Malanda Falls Conservation Park and along the Johnstone River that will help control erosion, stabilise stream banks and reduce invasive weeds.
Choorechillum PBC’s field supervisor Jared Barlow-Gray said working on Country was an important part of caring for their land and water.
“This project allows us to reconnect with our traditional lands, restore vital ecosystems, and help ensure cleaner waters flow into the Great Barrier Reef,” he said.
“We have a passionate team and hope that delivering successful outcomes will lead to more opportunities and partnerships with other local organisations.”
