On the Atherton Tablelands

We’re in the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland. This documentary feature immerses you in the wettest part of the driest continent on earth, a tiny patch of emerald green. A World Heritage area. We’re walking through the landscape with people collaborating on interconnected projects – looking after tree kangaroos whose fragmented forest habitat needs re connecting, finding seeds for propagation, replanting great tracts of rain forest, and protecting the whole from a tiny but deadly invader – the yellow crazy ant.How are people doing this work and what drives them? How do they remain hopeful and passionate in the context of global climate disruption?
For more stories: https://landcareaustralia.org.au/rescue/.

We hear from:
the director of the Tree Roo Rescue and Conservation Centre, Dr Karen Coombes
Traditional owner and countryman of the tree kangaroo, Ernie Raymont
Microbiologist and as the wet tropics representative for the Queensland Water and Land Carers, Rhonda Sorensen
Farmer, Elizabeth Carcary
Djabugai ranger training program,Jimmy Richards and Toby Graham
The first Yellow Crazy Ant Community Taskforce Coordinator in Kuranda, Mikaela Jacoby
Former professor of Earth and Environmental science at James Cook University, Peter Valentine,
President of the Trees for the Evelyn and Atherton Tablelands Nursery, Angela McCaffrey
Project coordinator for Kuranda Envirocare, Sylvia Conway
Seed collector, Helen McConnell.
Produced and presented by Gretchen Miller. Sound engineering by Judy Rapley.

This podcast is supported by UNSW, Landcare Australia and through an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship.

Grateful thanks to the people of the Tablelands, to QWALC, Landcare Australia, James Link, Rohan Anteo and Rhonda Sorensen, and to land and animal carers everywhere. Grateful thanks also due to Judy Motion, Paul Brown, Tema Milstein, and Matt Kearnes from the University of NSW. Special thanks are to Judy Rapley for her meticulous sound engineering work, that always goes above and beyond.
Credit due to the Xeno Canto website for its beautiful, creative commons-licenced bird recordings. Recordings from: Patrik Åberg; Fernand Deroussen; Phil Gregory; Krzysztof Deoniziak; Marc Anderson .