Pumicestone Catchment Convergence

Traditional Owners (facilitator Liz Gould)

Note: no attendees identifying as Traditional Owners were present at any table

Underlying principles: “nothing about me without me” and “free, prior and informed consent”

What Do We Need to Know?

  • Who to talk to? Where to get information? How to learn?
  • How do we get appropriate inclusion?
  • How can we increase engagement to benefit from TO knowledge in a non-exploitative way?
  • Recognition that:
    • building trust and relationship takes years
    • differences between coastal and western areas of SEQ, likely a reflection of public/private land proportions (potentially greater loss of connection to country in western areas) and population density
  • TO practices and significant locations (journeys, landscapes, etc)
  • TO’s a potential source of knowledge on landscape change, e.g., middens, scar trees – useful for land management, but ownership and protection of knowledge critical
  • Sharing stories – who has ‘authority’ to tell these? E.g., TO, non-TO, non-Indigenous?
  • How to facilitate TO engagement? Creating a cultural economy?
  • Understanding/addressing sensitivities associated with loss of cultural knowledge that has occurred as a result of past forced removal from country

What Do We Need to Do?

  • Increase education of broader community awareness and acknowledgement of TOs, e.g., via Tourist Information Centres, local frameworks
  • Request respectful involvement in all NRM activities, e.g., MoUs, financial support (build this into grants, projects, etc)
  • Build understanding / management of cultural values into private nature conservation programs, e.g., Land for Wildlife
  • Include cultural burn practicews in fire management
  • Signage to alert of cultural values and promote awareness, but needs to be done carefully, e.g., not sensitive sites; potential for perverse outcomes; how best to protect culturally significant sites?
  • Indigenous Land Corporation – does this still exist? An opportunity to purchase land and restore connection to country?
  • Share positive stories on what works and appropriate framework for TO involvement
  • Rate-based and visitor funding, e.g., crowdfunding to support improved TO outcomes in NRM
  • Ensure cultural heritage assessments – by who? Not always done / properly (tick the box exercise); Cultural Heritage Act not working
  • Need easily digestible and accessible information on Indigenous frameworks – as part of Citizenship process, but needs to be broader, e.g., schools, adult education
  • Develop protocol based on consultation with TOs on how/when they would like to be engaged – and addressing time, funding and other resourcing needs

 

Area 1

  • Dedicate vacant Crown Land to National Park
  • Provide greater protection to wader/shorebird use
  • Revegetate and rehabilitate coastline
  • Close airport – create large inner city park, retain and rehabilitate environment
  • Make plans to manage the ocean breakthrough
  • Regulate water craft (erosion, impact, safety)
  • Increase knowledge or and protect cultural heritage, e.g., stone tools
  • Use local knowledge – TO and long-term residents
  • Need to know: benthic mapping, seagrass

 

Area 2

  • Continue shell midden mapping
  • Annual removal of marine debris
  • Shorebird protection – reduce disturbance
  • Expand, monitor oyster reefs
  • Pacific Harbour dredging – tailings will be deposited in Ningi Creek Catchment with a risk of water contamination
  • Managrove protection required in vicinity of residential
  • Ecosystem services potential research
  • Climate refugee relocation strategy
  • Lyngbya management on the beaches, monitoring
  • Continue mangrove monitoring, maintain database
  • Land acquisition to protect and expand remaining bushlands

 

Areas 3 & 4

  • Improve fire management for natura values
  • Remove pines and restore natural vegetation
  • Boat wash is damaging the National Park beach from Gallager Point to Poverty Point – mainly caused by launch traffic
  • Loss of cultural knowledge due to relocation of Bribie Island Traditional Owners – opportunities to rebuild?
  • Remove private vehicles from Bribie Island beaches
  • Rewild Bribie Island with Coastal Emu
  • Protect the WW2 forts from degradation
  • Enforce protection of beaches – control 4WDs
  • Remove vehicles from the beach, use road behind with parking and access points to manage usages
  • Future use of HQ Plantations following closure should be for nature conservation
  • Flora protection
  • Exclusion zone
  • Beach protection

 

Area 5

  • Wildlife crossings (under and over) needed for Bruce Hwy
  • Rubbish dumping in HQ forests in Sunshine Coast Council area (may be linked to / influence by tip fees)
  • Improve public transport, e.g., fast rail (but within existing infrastructure corridor)
  • No further loss of flora and fauna
  • Rewilding, e.g., Coastal Emu, Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby, Whiptail Wallaby, Honey Blue-Eye
  • Expand land acquisition for environmental reserves
  • Do not expand urban footprint in catchment
  • Cultural Heritage Manager Plant for Wild Horses
  • Fence Highway

 

Area 6a

  • Research into stormwater treatment facilities’ long term maintenance
  • Impact of urban development on stormwater / water quality and flow – aquifer renewal?
  • Knowledge gap (and resource) – maintenance of effectiveness of urban water infrastructure post-developer
  • Acquisition for nature conservation
  • Do not expand urban footprint
  • Significant cultural heritage needs protection in Glasshouse area, e.g., bora rings

 

Area 7b

  • Coastal ecosystems have nowhere to go with climate change – modelling and mitigation (if possible) is needed
  • Sea level rise impact on people and natural/culturatl values – where moving to?
  • Add items from Areas 1 and 2