by woppaburra
The Queensland Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger Program exists due to the advocacy of First Nations communities over many decades. The Department of Environment, Science and Innovation has committed to partnerships that honour their collective efforts.
The Queensland Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger Program is a partnership between the Queensland Government and First Nations communities to care for land and sea country. The program assists First Nations organisations to employ Land and Sea Rangers and offers grant funding, training, networking and partnership support. Below are some of the activities carried out in the Woppaburra Land and Sea Ranger program.
Leadership Training
The program is a culturally focused leadership development course by QPWS designed to empower
emerging First Nations rangers to step into senior, influential roles guided by Indigenous
principles. The participation of the Ranger in charge has had a positive impact for the
organisation because their role ensures the program’s core head, heart, and internal fortitude framework is immediately integrated into the operational practice of the entire ranger group, directly enhancing the organization’s collective capability to navigate complex conservation and community challenges with unified purpose. QPWS also intends to provide similar leadership development opportunities for our women rangers.
Padi Diving Training
In preparation for increased involvement in marine and water-based projects, three of our Rangers have recently upgraded their diving certifications. Nakia and Darcy successfully completed their Rescue Diver certification, equipping them with advanced skills to manage and respond to diving emergencies and ensure site safety. Both are continually logging additional dives to gain valuable experience and prepare to take on a significantly larger role in major regional projects. Furthermore, Ameron has achieved his Open Water Diver certification, establishing a solid foundation on which to build his skills. Importantly, all Rangers continue to build their dive experience through ongoing practice, which expands the team’s overall capacity for conducting essential underwater monitoring and conservation tasks.
Padi Diving- Cairns
Eyes and Ears Training with the Reef Authority
The Eyes and Ears Compliance Training was completed by the team in February 2025. The training is designed for Traditional Owners, with the intent of providing a better understanding of compliance on sea country, as it applies in the GBR.
This training covers content in the areas of compliance in the GBR, marine park zoning, management systems and incident reporting. Woppaburra TUMRA is looking to have their own compliance officers in the future.
Reef Authority Eyes and Ears Training Participants on Woppa
Senior First Aid
Due to the nature of our work and the sometimes-remote worksites WTAC ensures that our team all have basic first aid qualifications so that we can take care of our team and volunteers should the need arise.
Robert Muir and Darcy McGrath practice CPR
Dugong Connections- July Workshop 2025
This workshop was held at Cooee Bay and aimed to bring a number of Traditional Owner groups together with researchers from JCU to share collective knowledge of Dugong and to discuss how Indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge can combine to improve conservation and research. Topics included monitoring tools for aerial surveys and Dugong research using DNA skin samples and cultural considerations around dugongs.
Dugong Connections Workshop Participants
Chainsaw Accreditation
The majority of the WTAC team members have now achieved their Level 1 Chainsaw tickets. This qualification provides them with the essential skills needed to safely fell small trees, trim branches, and conduct simple cross-cutting of fallen timber. In addition, the Ranger in Charge has completed the advanced Level 2 Chainsaw certification. This higher qualification enables this leadership
position to safely fell intermediate-sized trees with accurate directional control, thereby managing more complex felling and clearing operations.
Collectively, these qualifications provide the team with the necessary skills to safely and efficiently
manage weeds and clear vegetation, directly leading to the enhanced protection of biocultural values on Country.
All Terrain Vehicle Training
Operation of an ATV is a high-risk activity, which is why we aim to have all WTAC Rangers appropriately trained. Training covers essential subjects like prestart checks, basic maintenance, personal protective gear, safe operation and hazard awareness. At present eight of our team are qualified to operate either of our two ATVs.
