Gidarjil Bundaberg Land and Sea Rangers

The Gidarjil Land Rangers focus their work around the Granite Creek area near Bundaberg in Queensland. This area is the ancestral home of the Gurang clan. Part of the area is listed in the Directory of Important Wetlands for Australia. 

The area also has a history of timber harvesting and cattle grazing. The traditional owners are shifting away from agricultural and forestry activities. Instead, activities now include restoration and protection of natural habitats and cultural heritage. 

The Gidarjil Land Rangers have developed a weeds and pests eradication strategy. Other activities include:  

• testing and improving the wetland's water quality  
• surveying and recording the area’s biodiversity  
• reestablishing and expanding a protection corridor between two national parks  
• recovering an endangered eucalypt ecosystem  
• reestablishing a traditional knowledge database. 

The Gidarjil Sea Rangers undertake work in the Sea Country region of the Port Curtis Coral Coast (PCCC) Traditional Owners. They care for Sea Country in both coastal and marine environments from the Burrum River, north to the area around Agnes Water. They remain connected to their Sea Country in many ways, through many species.  

They work to conserve, manage and monitor many threatened species including marine turtles, dugong and cetaceans. In collaboration with the Queensland Department of Environment and Science they monitor populations of nesting turtles to identify where management intervention is required. Turtle rodeo activities are also conducted to understand turtles’ foraging behaviour. The Gidarjil Sea Rangers are also trained in coordinating marine wildlife rescues and responding to incidents.  

 The Gidarjil Sea Rangers also undertake numerous activities to care for threatened ecological communities connected to their sea country including mangroves, saltmarsh, seagrass and coral reefs. The rangers:  

• undertake regular mangrove and seagrass watch surveys  
• manage weeds in priority coastal and riparian areas  
• monitor the health of in-shore coral reefs.  

The Gidarjil Bundaberg Land and Sea Rangers combine traditional knowledge, practices and lore with Western science to sustain their Country into the future.