Queensland Indigenous Land Conservation Project (QILCP)

The Queensland Indigenous Land Conservation Project (QILCP) was an impactful multi-year partnership (2019 – 2025) between Greening Australia, BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BHP-BMA), Barada Barna People, Yuwi People and the Woorabinda Community.

The aim of QILCP was to co-design and co-deliver on-Country projects to improve water quality for the Great Barrier Reef, while at the same time creating ongoing economic opportunities in central Queensland.

Impact at a glance

3

Healthy Country Plans developed

8

Sites completed cultural mapping

53

First Nations people completed training

63

First Nations people employed

29

Projects delivered

375

Hectares of land rehabilitated

11

Tonnes of sediment stopped from reaching the Great Barrier Reef each year

$3.08 million

Additional investment leveraged into the three communities

7

Assessments of environmental markets opportunities completed

Hear from the three communities

Watch Barada Barna video

Watch Woorabinda video

Watch Yuwi video

A holistic approach

Recognising that right-way relationships with First Nations groups are critical for delivering effective restoration projects that benefit both people and nature, the project partners co-designed and implemented an approach that integrated Traditional and contemporary restoration practices to achieve positive social, cultural, economic and environmental impact.

These were the QILCP’s objectives, which were endorsed by the First Nations groups, BHP-BMA and Greening Australia.

Objective 1: Support the aspirations of Traditional Owners/Indigenous communities in the Fitzroy Basin and Mackay Whitsunday Region to care for Country
Objective 2:  Provide new employment pathways and economic development opportunities for First Nations people on Country in the Fitzroy Basin and Mackay Whitsunday Region
Objective 3: Improve the quality of water flowing from the Fitzroy River and Mackay catchment to the Great Barrier Reef by rebuilding eroding gullies, restoring streambanks and wetlands and improving land management practices
Objective 4: Support the protection and management of key threatened and culturally significant species, including regional knowledge sharing for best practice
Objective 5: Establish appropriate investment vehicles to attract new forms of funding into the Great Barrier Reef catchments and its Traditional Custodians with a focus on environmental credit markets (e.g. carbon and reef credits).

Project highlights

Woorabinda Project Reference Group

Through the QILCP, we sought to engage and build partnerships with Barada Barna, Yuwi and Woorabinda adhering to the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent. Establishing a culturally endorsed Project Reference Group for each community was key for planning, co-design and decision-making. The Woorabinda Project Reference Group was the first established, in 2020.

“It is the first time that [the] three Traditional Custodian Groups have collaborated on a project together for the benefit of the community. Greening Australia helped achieve something other agencies could not…” – Woorabinda Project Reference Group member

Woorabinda Rangers

With support from Conservation Management Ltd, Barada Barna and Woorabinda developed Healthy Country Plans for the first time, while Yuwi reviewed their existing plan and developed a new one. Having the plan in place was key to the Woorabinda Project Reference Group successfully applying for government funding for five full-time rangers, as it translated into clear ranger work plans, monitoring and evaluation plans.

“The Woorabinda Ranger Project is the most important program introduced to the Community in the 23 years I have been living here.” – Woorabinda Project Reference Group member

Barada Barna 'Fire Team'

On-ground activities and training were prioritised to build each community’s capacity to achieve the goals in their Healthy Country Plans. A highlight were the cultural burning workshops with Firesticks Alliance. These led to the development of a Barada Barna ‘Fire Team’, who helped restore a culturally significant wetland with cultural burns. They were then awarded their first fee-for-service contract for a burn in a neighbouring town.

“This program has … created opportunities for us to establish new businesses to help care for Country the traditional way.” – Barada Barna Project Reference Group member

Yuwi Blue Carbon Project

The partners explored a range of financial mechanisms to ensure First Nation groups could keep building capacity and implementing Healthy Country Plans, well beyond the QILCP. One outcome is the Yuwi Country Blue Carbon Wetland Restoration Project being developed in partnership with Yuwi Aboriginal Corporation and Yuwi custodians of Country. Potential blue carbon sites are being assessed to create a project pipeline, building capacity both in restoring coastal habitats and in winning grants.

“Re-introducing Blue Carbon to the Wetlands at Cape Palmerston, you’ll find our Yuwi Rangers where the Sand meets the Ocean.” – Yuwi Ranger

Results from the co-evaluation

The evaluation of this project measured the extent to which the project objectives were achieved and the impact they had on environment, community and economy. The evaluation and the methods used were collaboratively developed or decided between the First Nations groups and Greening Australia, and with researchers at James Cook University for one of the methods used.

A project impact survey – also involving yarning sessions – was co-designed by Greening Australia, the Woorabinda Project Reference Group (PRG) and the Barada Barna PRG to evaluate the impact of QILCP on those communities. Woorabinda PRG and Barada Barna PRG representatives participated in the survey and follow up focus groups. The combined results showed that 100% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that because of QILCP, their communities have:

greater opportunities for longer-term employment
greater capacity to participate in and greater inclusion in decision-making about Country
gained new knowledge and skills related to caring for Country
been able to apply Traditional Knowledges to caring for Country and share Knowledge within the community
increased opportunities for young people to learn about and care for Country
increased opportunities to practice Culture on Country
experienced an improvement in their spiritual health.

Yuwi people chose to evaluate the impact of QILCP using the Wellbeing Impact Evaluation method. First, members of the Yuwi Project Reference Group (PRG) determined a list of factors that contribute to the wellbeing of Yuwi people. Then, to evaluate perceptions of change in satisfaction for each factor, two members of the Yuwi community who didn’t participate in QILCP conducted interviews with project participants and members of the broader Yuwi community. James Cook University researchers then analysed the results and presented these back to Yuwi PRG for their feedback before finalisation.

The evaluation found that QILCP has played a significant role in improving the wellbeing of Yuwi people. All factors linked to QILCP were improved during the project. The factors that had the biggest positive impact on improving the wellbeing of Yuwi people over the period of the project were:

‘Acknowledging, caring for our Elders and respecting their role and lived experience’;
‘Yuwi caring for Country and restoring it for children and future’; and,
‘Inspiring Yuwi youth to be confident and celebrating being Yuwi’.

Reflections from QILCP partners

Woorabinda

“When I drive around Country now and see the changes, you know the Old People are happy and community are happy. The Old People are putting good people in our pathway (like our rangers) to make the changes and have pride.”

Woorabinda Project Reference Group member

Barada Barna

“As Aboriginal people our connection to Country has always been there. With this program I am able to share my cultural knowledge with members of our community.”

Barada Barna Project Reference Group member

Yuwi

“Greening Australia create safe forums to facilitate truth-telling and healing for each of our projects. They encourage the voices for all of our people and do it a proper way, no hidden agenda, language that matters to us, projects that will empower and strengthen our people and lands. They work with our people to assist our community, keeping our spirit strong.”

Yuwi Project Reference Group member

Greening Australia

“The implementation and evaluation of this project has generated some significant learnings and these are informing Greening Australia’s partnership work with First Nations communities across the country.”

Richard Sporne, First Nations Engagement Manager, Greening Australia

BHP Mitsubishi Alliance

“The Queensland Indigenous Land Conservation Project has been an innovative five-year collaboration between Traditional Owners and First Nations Communities and Greening Australia and BMA. The project has co-designed pathways to First Nations-led employment and enterprise by healing Country and improving water quality into the Great Barrier Reef.”

Josh Cox, Manager Indigenous Engagement, BHP Mitsubishi Alliance

Proud project partners

View Partner Details

This project has been jointly funded by BHP Mitsubishi Alliance and Greening Australia’s Reef Aid program. For more information about the project, please send us your query online.