QTFN and Koinmerburra Aboriginal Corporation knowledge sharing workshop
Michael Tervo, one of our QTFN Ecologists, joined Koinmerburra Aboriginal Corporation (KAC) this month for a skill-building and knowledge sharing workshop on ecological monitoring and evaluation techniques.
During the workshop they refined ecological monitoring techniques, such as protocols and uses for photo monitoring points and drone mapping. The workshop also included a refresher on plant identification and how to use iNaturalist to log biodiversity. The St Lawrence Wetlands was used to practice these skills in readiness for future trips to Avoid Island when the management season reopens.
QTFN and KAC are working in genuine collaboration on two-way land management of Avoid Island, which will guide actions to protect vulnerable species and to identify priority actions on the island for the next decade and beyond.
Avoid Island is located approximately 100 km southeast of Mackay, in the salt waters of Koinmerburra Country. Avoid Island is one of the only privately-owned and permanent nature refuges in the southern Great Barrier Reef. Home to endangered ecosystems and threatened species, the island hosts an amazing array of biodiversity considering its 83-hectare size.
We are glad to be managing Avoid Island in collaboration with Koinmerburra Aboriginal Corporation and to have the support of the Reef Island Initiative partners.
Avoid Island is part of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s Reef Islands Initiative, which is establishing a network of climate change refuges by protecting critical habitats on Great Barrier Reef islands. The 10-year program is an initiative of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, supported by funding from Lendlease, the Australian Government’s Reef Trust, the Queensland Government and the Fitzgerald Family Foundation.
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Banner photo: Michael Tervo and Jena conducting photo monitoring.
Photo Credit: Jevan Bickey / Koinmerburra Aboriginal Corporation
Date Posted: 29 March 2024