Last week, more than a hundred friends and supporters came to the Daintree Rainforest to walk alongside Eastern Kuku Yalanji people and learn about the world’s oldest continually existing tropical rainforest from the oldest continually existing human culture. Together, we saw firsthand how the properties we are purchasing for conservation are protected and managed.
Kuku Yalanji Elder, Aunty Betty, at the Welcome to Country ceremony
Our work to save the Daintree Rainforest is undertaken through a partnership with Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation. We know we are stronger together.
The three-day event was impacted by a flooded Daintree River on day one but kicked off only a few hours late with a fascinating guided walk hosted by ecologist and botanist Kristopher Kupsch.
Kristopher led 45 people through the Jindalba boardwalk in the Daintree National Park, pointing out significant flora and their genetic traits which hark back to the world’s first flowering plants. Please see the photos of Kristopher's tour here.
Kristopher named and described every rainforest plant.
The next day saw the group come together in the morning for a guided walk, led by Kuku Yalanji Elders and Cultural Guides. This was a trial of Jabalbina’s first eco-cultural tourism offering that included a very special Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony. Please see the wonderful photos here.
A ceremony in the afternoon for the handover of ten rainforest lots back to Kuku Yalanji Traditional Owners for management by the Jabalbina Rangers. These properties will be included in the Daintree National Park (Cape York Aboriginal Lands). Please see the wonderful photos here.
Gathering for the Smoking Ceremony
MCed by Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation’s Conrad Yeatman Jr, the event also included a Smoking Ceremony, welcoming guests and keeping them safe on Eastern Kuku Yalanji Bubu (land), reflections from Traditional Owners, and Jabalbina Chair Michelle Friday-Mooka, speeches by representatives of the Stronger Together partners – Jabalbina and Gondwana Rainforest Trust and a symbolic handover of ten rainforest properties. Please read the full story here.
Gondwana Rainforest Trust Founder Kelvin Davies said it was an incredibly special event, made even more significant by the attendance of so many people contributing to the conservation of the Daintree Lowland Rainforest.
“Seeing so many Kuku Yalanji Traditional Owners joining our donors and business sponsors was heart-lifting,” Kelvin said.
“More than 100 supporters of our work came together in the Daintree to witness this handover,” he said, “and every one of them has contributed to our Stronger Together partnership in some way.”
Jabalbina Rangers and tree-planting volunteers
The day after the handover saw those same guests get their hands dirty, planting 1,000 trees. The Jabalbina Rangers lead the way, drilling many of the holes using an auger, and volunteers follow along to plant the trees. See the many uplifting photos here.
On behalf of Gondwana Rainforest Trust and Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation, I would like to thank everyone who participated in the tour. I greatly enjoyed meeting everyone as did our team members Richard, Antony, Dee, and Samantha. Lots of great rainforest memories were created, and for those who saw cassowaries, it was extra special indeed.
Lot 93 Cape Tribulation Road at Diwan
STRONGER TOGETHER
The project to purchase and protect land in the Daintree Lowland Rainforest is a partnership involving the Gondwana Rainforest Trust and Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation.
