Land Reform Unit: National Park Transfers

National Park Transfers project team conducts negotiations for the handover of existing national parks to traditional owners, and the development of joint management arrangements between traditional owners and the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.

A joint management arrangement for a Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal Land (CYPAL) National Park is established through the development of an Indigenous Management Agreement (IMA).

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Achievements

To June 2010 the National Park Transfer team has ensured 596,508 hectares of land are now under Joint National Parks Management. This includes the following properties:

PROPERTY NATIONAL PARK
STARKE (FINALISED 2000) 101,000
SILVER PLAINS (2000) MCILLWRAITH / MT CROLL (AUGUST 2008) 158,000
MARINA PLAINS (AUGUST 2005) 5,850
KALPOWAR (DECEMBER 2005) 200,000
ARCHER POINT (AUGUST 2006) 8,000
MELSONBY (NOVEMBER 2006) 9,000
RUNNING CREEK & LILYVALE (JULY 2008) 35,000
MITCHELL ALICE RIVER (ERRK OYKANGAND) (OCTOBER 2009) 37,100
CLIFF ISLAND (APRIL 2010) 48.1
KALINGA / MULKAY (MAY 2010) 42,510
MARINA PLAINS (RINDOPARR) (JUNE 2010) 101,000
TOTAL AREA 596,508

Including islands, there are still over 30 properties to transfer.

Immediate priorities include but are not limited to:

  • Mungkan Kandju NP
  • Sandbanks NP
  • Claremont Isles NP
  • Lakefield NP
  • Iron Range NP
  • Sir Charles Hardy Group NP
  • Saunders Island NP
  • Cape Melville, Howick Group and Flinders Group NPs

Photos

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ABOVE: James Barnes and Lizzie Lakefield (a Lakefield Traditional Owner) represented Balkanu at the Canberra Native Title Law Conference in May, providing valuable insight into Balkanu’s Land Reform program and how Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal Land (CYPAL) national parks are created.

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ABOVE: Lakefield Traditional Owners gather for the first time to discuss the transfer of Lakefield National Park to National Park (Cape York Pennsiula Aboriginal Land) in March 2009.

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ABOVE: Traditional owners explain to Lakefield National Park Rangers the ‘moon story place’ and the sites need for proper management to cater to tourist and visitors.