Students around Townsville are learning about the important relationship between Traditional Owners and sea turtles through a series of school presentations called ‘Safeguarding the Gungu (Sea Turtle)’.
NQ Dry Tropics Project Officer, Sam Savage, said the education program teaches kids about the cultural connections Traditional Owners have with the sea.
“Traditional Owners have a long standing relationship with the sea and with sea turtles.”
Traditional hunting of sea turtle and dugong has been a point of recent contention between some Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
In the lead up to National Reconciliation Week, which begins on Wednesday, NQ Dry Tropics is launching an educational film that explores the significance of the relationship between Traditional Owners and sea turtles.
NQ Dry Tropics has launched an educational DVD that promotes the role of Traditional Owners in marine turtle conservation.
The DVD 'Safeguarding the Gungu (sea turtle)' explores the important relationship between Traditional Owners and sea turtles and looks at how cultural heritage and western science are used together to manage turtle populations.
Many of the beaches in our region are nesting sites for sea turtles.
The Strand, Magnetic Island, AIMS beach, Wunjunga and Queens Beach in Bowen are just a few of the beaches visited by turtles between October and March each year.
NQ Dry Tropics has been working with the Sea Turtle Foundation, Gudjuda Traditional Owners, Queens Beach Action Group and Digital Dimensions to help protect sea turtles.
Many of the beaches in our region are nesting sites for sea turtles.
