TERN staff travelled to coastal wetland sites in north Queensland this year to reconnect with local partners, collect data, and plan new collaborations with Indigenous land managers. The image shows a crocodile in the mangrove – a typical hazard of tropical mangrove monitoring.
The first stop was Mungalla Station, to collect data from the Surface Elevation Tables (SETs) installed in October 2024 in a CSIRO funded project in collaboration with the Nywaigi Traditional Owners. Sites were revisited to collect the first measurements after the baseline reading. Despite the recent heavy rainfall in the region, rendering some sites inaccessible, the team collected data from creek sites accessible at low tide. Mungalla Station, situated in the dry tropics, experienced significant flooding earlier in the year and the landscape was still recovering from the event with pastures and wetlands still inundated and access difficult.
Measuring a Surface Elevation Table (SET) in the Rhizophora sp.
Building partnerships on Wanjuru Country
Further north, the team was honoured to be invited to Wanjuru-Yidinji Country on the Russell River, approximately an hour south of Cairns. Hosted by Jaragun EcoServices, the two-day field trip was a celebration of the Ganyarr Aboriginal Association’s Sea Country Plan, developed on behalf of the Wanjuru-Yidinji Traditional Owners. Wanjuru-Yidinji Country spans from Palmers Point in the north to Coopers Point in the south and a landscape scale, whole-of-system approach is the guiding principle for the Traditional Land managers.
The first day was a chance to listen and learn from the Traditional Owners on country. Elders, the TUMRA Steering Committee, Jaragun EcoServices, and partners from government and the scientific community came together for a powerful day of on country learning, which showcased cultural heritage, sea country knowledge, and indigenous-stewardship.
Smoking ceremony on Normanby Island, Franklin Island group (image: M Goddard)
Exploring Biodiversity and Monitoring Opportunities
The following day, attention turned to ecological science under by Jaragun EcoServices’ Russell River Catchment Sustainability Plan (RSP). The group, guided by Dr Ashley Field of the Queensland Herbarium, undertook a guided walk-through mangrove and rainforest habitats to explore rare and threatened epiphyte communities. These delicate plants are critical indicators of environmental change.
Jaragun EcoServices sea rangers on the Russel River, the mangroves to the mountains in the background (image: M Goddard)
Scoping sites for potential future SET installations was also undertaken, with a mindset to work in collaboration with Jaragun EcoServices and other scientists who research in the area.
The TERN team were thrilled to see the whole-of-catchment approach for planning adaptation of ecosystems to climate change under the RSP, ensuring that coastal wetland monitoring aligns with broader cultural, hydrological, and ecological values.
Thanks to TERN’s Madeline Goddard for this story and images.