Australia’s Queensland government has announced that it signed an agreement to return ownership of the Daintree rainforest to its indigenous owners, the New York Timesreports.
Daintree, which is a beloved tourist destination and is one of the world’s oldest forests, was returned to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people. The national park sits at 160,108 hectares, or 395,467 acres.
"I want to thank the TONC members, Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation, and particularly our legal advisers who fought for the best that we could get through some trying times as well as having to deal with keeping everyone safe from the Covid pandemic," Eastern Kuku Yalanji Traditional Owners Negotiating Committee member Chrissy Grant said.
The UNESCO World Heritage site isn’t the only national park to be returned to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people, as Ngalba-bulal, Kalkajaka, and the Hope Islands National Parks will also be co-managed by them and the Queensland government. Eventually, the plan is to have all of the parks “be solely and wholly managed by the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people,” according to a statement.
"The Eastern Kuku Yalanji people’s culture is one of the world’s oldest living cultures and this agreement recognises their right to own and manage their Country, to protect their culture and to share it with visitors as they become leaders in the tourism industry," Queensland environment minister Meaghan Scanlon said in a statement. "These national parks will protect important Aboriginal cultural sites, diverse ecosystems including rainforests, woodlands, wetlands and mangroves, and form part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area which is recognised as the second most irreplaceable world heritage site on Earth."
Scanlon admitted there is an “uncomfortable and ugly shared past” in regards to Australia’s relationship with its Aboriginal population, but added the news is “a key step on the path towards reconciliation.” The negotiations took a total of four years. Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partnerships minister Craig Crawford said that the traditional owners will receive “funds provided annually and in perpetuity for the joint management of the national parks.”
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