The Queensland government describes its Indigenous rangers program as a 'success story', where locals are employed to look after the wildlife and environment in the state's far north.
But Queensland's Wilderness Society says the government may be using the rangers as a substitute for stronger action.
Andrea Nierhoff reports.
In far-north Queensland, in an area stretching from Longreach to Injinoo, 60 people are employed under the state government's Indigenous Land and Sea Rangers program.
Along with local communities, they help to manage and protect national parks, cultural and historical sites, and wildlife.
State Minister for the Environment, Andrew Powell, says the program has far-reaching benefits.
"We see it as one of the real success stories because we're getting environmental outcomes, we're getting improved weed and pest control, we're getting great community involvement in the environment, we're also getting great social outcomes for the communities themselves, we're educating future generations through the junior ranger program, and there's cultural outcomes as well, we're seeing a real knowledge transfer within the Indigenous communities themselves but also with the wider communities themselves around sensible and culturally-appropriate management practices."
In the most recent expansion to the Queensland program, it was announced that five new rangers will be based in Ayr (air), more than 200 kilometres from the nearest ranger station in Cardwell.
Minister Powell says Ayr was chosen because of the particular dedication to conservation, shown by volunteers in the local Indigenous community.
"It's certainly been very much based on volunteer work to date. This allows them now to take that work on and really take it forward. In this instance they had clearly demonstrated fantastic work and a commitment to that work in not only the turtles but in caring for their country in and around Townsville down to Whitsundays. So this is I guess a reward for fantastic efforts over the previous years."
Chairman of the Gudjuda Reference Group, Eddie Smallwood, welcomes the additional support, and for giving local people jobs.
"We're very glad that we were successful with the ranger program. These ranger programs usually don't come as far so it's really good that we've actually had the opportunity to get rangers here. It's actually given five Indigenous people jobs. With our rangers in place, that'll give us the resources now to have continuous connections with the country, so that we can get out and do a lot of work there, before it was all volunteers."
Campaign manager for the Queensland Wilderness Society, Dr Tim Seelig, says the Indigenous rangers play an important role in their local communities.
But he says the rangers can't do everything.
"I don't think you can say though the rangers are a substitute for having strong environmental protections. Rangers play a vital part in making sure nature is being well-managed but it's not their job to try and provide the high level support and protection that government should be providing."
Tim Seelig says the Queensland government's plans for the ranger program have been scaled down.
"The original target was 100 rangers. That was the original commitment that was made. It has been a painfully slow roll-out of this program. And I guess we need to keep pushing the current government to expand its thinking not reduce its thinking. This isn't just about the short-term budget bottom line. This is actually about creating real jobs, real economic opportunities in remote parts of Australia."
Minister Powell says the current goal is to employ a further 15 Indigenous rangers, within the next two years.
"This brings us up to 65 now. Our goal is to have 80 by 2015. It's likely those rangers will be across Cape York where the vast majority of the rangers already are, we do have two in Cardwell and a number out in Longreach, but those numbers will again largely occur on the Cape with the transition to national parks on a range of parcels of land up there."
Dr Seelig welcomes any expansion of the Indigenous ranger program.
But he says other actions being taken by the Queensland government are increasing the need for it to also introduce tougher environmental protection laws.
"There are a number of things that the Newman government may be doing in the next few years whether it's allowing more development in national parks, whether it's winding back Wild River protections, whether it's reducing a number of other environmental protections, these will all be very very negative for nature. We would urge the Newman government to have a long hard look at what it's been doing on the environment front and realise that these are environmental protections that are absolutely essential for nature and for the economy and for local people."
