Australia’s Daintree Rainforest. AHDesignConcepts / iStock / Getty Images Plus Australia’s Daintree Rainforest — a World Heritage Site and one of the oldest rainforests in the world — is being returned to Indigenous ownership. The iconic forest is one of four national parks that the state government of Queensland, Australia agreed to return to the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people in a formal ceremony on Wednesday following four years of negotiations, as The AP reported . “Their culture is one of the oldest living cultures and this land handback recognises their right to own and manage their Country,” Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon said on Twitter . Today, we continue our path to reconciliation. Four national parks in Cape York, including the Daintree, return to… https://t.co/2ijeNRgslE — Meaghan Scanlon MP (@Meaghan Scanlon MP) 1632867451.0 In addition to Daintree, the deal also includes the Cedar Bay (Ngalba Bulal), Black Mountain (Kalkajaka) and Hope Islands national parks for a combined area of more than 160,000 hectares, BBC News reported . The lands will first be managed jointly by the Queensland government and the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people before being passed entirely to aboriginal control, The AP explained. “It’s a big thing for Eastern […]
One of the World’s Oldest Rainforests Returns to Indigenous Control
