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water energy save water energy saving law endangered species water conservation conservationist york times energy conservation

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Working with Indigenous Perspectives for Conservation

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Working with Indigenous Perspectives for Conservation

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For tens of thousands of years, Indigenous Australians managed the land. They hunted, gathered food, lit fires and fished in the ocean and rivers. Coming off the land after European settlement caused not only huge cultural and social dislocation and difficulty for Aboriginal Australians, it also proved a disaster for conservation. Problems caused by changes to fire regimes were compounded by the devastation caused by introduced species like cats, foxes and camels.

Indigenous people in conservation around Australia

A revolution is quietly occurring across outback Australia, far from the eye of most Australians who live in urban areas. Indigenous Australians are returning to their lands to manage them for conservation and improve the lives of their families.

These rangers are supported by a variety of organisations including The Nature Conservancy and, in particular, the Australian Government. In places like Fish River Station, Martu Country and Fitzroy River region, Indigenous Ranger programs are having a profoundly positive effect on people's lives and achieving long-term environmental, economic and cultural benefits for people and Country.

It's not only outback Australia where The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is supporting Indigenous people. In the lower Murray-Darling Basin, a consortium led by TNC helped acquire a property named Gayini for its Traditional Owners represented by the Nari Nari Tribal Council. We're helping conserving precious wildlife and protecting significant cultural heritage over this vast 87,816 hectare property. It neighbours Yanga National Park and the Great Cumbung, creating a much larger protected area that native species can call their home.

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Working with Indigenous Australians for Conservation | The Nature Conservancy Australia

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For tens of thousands of years, Indigenous Australians managed the land. They hunted, gathered food, lit fires and fished in the ocean and rivers. Coming off the land after European settlement caused not only huge cultural and social dislocation and difficulty for Aboriginal Australians, it also proved a disaster for conservation.

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Do you consider yourself - or do others consider you - like, a kid? A pretty smart and unique kid, maybe around elementary-school age, maybe middle school or even older? At a time in your life when maybe you're deciding what you're interested in, what things you love doing and what you care about?

Are you deciding that you're interested in animals and plants, like being outside or exploring wild places, and are generally intrigued by the wonder of living on this green-and-blue planet surrounded by billions of stars?

And finally, do you feel the urgency of saving all these animals and plants, and the planet they (and we) live on?

Then you can be - or already are - a kid conservationist. Cool.
So ... what exactly is conservation?
The word "conservation" of course comes from "to conserve" - to preserve, protect, save, defend, support, maintain, sustain: the opposite of "destroy" (or letting something be destroyed).

We often say we want to "preserve wildlands" or "conserve water." When it comes to the environment - well, we want to preserve/conserve the whole thing.

That means, as conservationists, we're taking action to save the ecosystems around us (like oceans, forests and deserts), the species that live in them (from birds to bears to bugs), and our planet's climate (which shapes the weather patterns, and the life-support systems, that keep us all going).

We don't always have instant success when we try to protect a wild place or endangered species. But often, we actually do - and that feel amazing. The Center for Biological Diversity actually wins its legal cases for endangered species about 93 percent of the time ... which, trust us, is a lot!

The point is that even if we don't succeed in one step toward saving a species or its habitat, the goal of conservation is to keep trying, to save as much as we possibly can for as long as we can. Meanwhile, we learn from our losses and celebrate our big and small victories - and we feel good about what we're doing throughout it all.

What are we saving our environment from? Why is it so important to save? How do we do it? And what makes doing it so ... exciting? Click here to learn all that - and more.

Pronghorn photo courtesy Flickr/mnchilemom

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Do you consider yourself - or do others consider you - like, a kid? A pretty smart and unique kid, maybe around elementary-school age, maybe middle school or even older? At a time in your life when maybe you're deciding what you're interested in, what things you love doing and what you care about?

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Downfall Creek - Brisbane City Council Website

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Downfall Creek - Brisbane City Council Website

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The current maximum number of visitors for Downfall Creek Bushland Centre is capped at 17 people.​​​​

All events and activities must be booked online to ensure adequate social distancing.

School activities are now being delivered in accordance with Queensland Education guidelines. Staff and volunteers operate under our school COVID Safe plans. A copy is provided to schools upon booking.

Some interactive displays remain closed. Meeting rooms are open for bookings with a maximum of 10 people.

Council encourages all visitors to practise safe social distancing when visiting our environment centres and natural areas.

Check our Coronavirus: Council updates and impacts page for latest updates, cancelled events, and venue closures.

The Downfall Creek Bushland Centre is located at the Raven Street Reserve, part of the Chermside Hills Reserves. At the centre you can view environmental and cultural displays, learn about the reserve's flora and fauna, and discover the importance of preserving the natural areas of our environment.

While at the centre, explore with the Agents of Discovery mobile game by downloading the free app ( Google Play, Apple Store).

Facilities

Information desk

Display area

Playground

Half-court basketball court

Sheltered picnic tables

Barbecue

Educational trail

Community composting hub

Native plants program nursery

Bike tracks

Walking tracks

Car park

Wheelchair accessible

Meeting rooms

Public toilets

Opening hours

Monday: 9am-4pm

Tuesday: 9am-4pm

Wednesday: 9am-4pm

Thursday: 9am-4pm

Friday: Closed

Saturday: Closed

Sunday: Closed

The Free Native Plants Program nursery is open 9am-4pm, Monday-Thursday.

The centre is also closed on public holidays.

Meeting rooms

Volunteering

More information

Upcoming events

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The current maximum number of visitors for Downfall Creek Bushland Centre is capped at 17 people.​​​​ All events and activities must be booked online to ensure adequate social distancing. School activities are now being delivered in accordance with Queensland Education guidelines. Staff and volunteers operate under our school COVID Safe plans.