Rangers also have an important role to play in
public education. They visit schools, talk to tourists and the wider
community about their work and culture. Cross cultural education
and experiences for the wider community and visitors help to promote
interracial understanding - an important step towards reconciliation.
Aboriginal community rangers are often employed
on a part-time basis to work in their communities on land management
and cultural heritage protection through funding from the Commonwealth
agency, the Aboriginal
and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) and the Community
Development Employment Projects (CDEP). CDEP is similar to the mainstream
"work for the dole" (unemployment benefits) program in
that these schemes also benefit local communities. A difference
is, in some cases, that many Aboriginal people may not have other
opportunities to find work or be involved in caring for their country.
Many young community rangers find it frustrating to be employed
only on CDEP after having done four years of training.
Employment of more Aboriginal rangers has the
potential to greatly increase the integration of traditional management
knowledge and techniques to improve overall management of the World
Heritage Area, it is a question of resources. With their Elders,
Aboriginal rangers are negotiating with government land management
agencies for more permanent, full-time positions managing their
country in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
