Kakadu buffalo farm management raises more questions than answers, Senator says
Updated
Parks Australia has been accused of burying its head in the sand regarding the management of a contentious 12,000-hectare buffalo farm in the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park.
Greens Senator Rachel Siewert told the ABC Parks Australia appeared to be skirting the issue of who was responsible for the farm, which has been criticised by some traditional owners in Kakadu.
"They seem to me to be hiding behind 'it's not our business' ... it leaves more questions than in the first place," Senator Siewert said.
In December, the ABC reported some traditional owners were concerned about the environmental impact of the farm on the World Heritage area, and that it was not fulfilling its intended purpose.
A report commissioned by Kakadu's board of management found no-one could be identified as responsible for the farm since 2000.
But National Parks director Sally Barnes said the farm was the responsibility of the Northern Land Council (NLC) and told the Senate Estimates hearing she was seeking answers.
"Certainly from the paperwork we have it's the NLC that holds the lease for the buffalo farm and for that area ... I wrote to them in January to clarify arrangements on the buffalo farm," Ms Barnes said.
The NLC said the question of who was responsible for the farm was "complicated" and was linked to disputes over land ownership.
No-one can answer who is responsible: Senator
After the estimates hearing, Ms Siewert raised even more questions over the status of the farm, saying it was her understanding there was not even a lease in place.
"No-one can answer question of who is responsible for management of that area and whether it's consistent with the park plan and its world heritage values," Senator Siewert said.
"It still has World Heritage listing and is part of the park."
After the eradication of diseased buffalo in the park in 1997, the farm was set up with a buffalo herd to provide meat to traditional owners. Since then, the farm has been managed by former ranger Dave Lindner.
"It's a long-standing arrangement and there are a number of interesting characters involved in the farm and its history including Dave Lindner, who was a former ranger at the park and has got family members employed by the park," NLC chief executive Joe Morrison said.
Mr Lindner told the ABC in December he was distributing meat from the farm to 400 Indigenous people, but some other traditional owners said they were missing out.
"It doesn't do that, I haven't seen or received any meat from the farm for 15 years, it is not doing what it was initially set up for," traditional owner Frieda Peterson said at the time.
Mr Lindner denied those claims.
The NLC said it was aware that some traditional owners had concerns about the farm.
"We're very mindful of the fact that having buffalo for the purpose of supplying meat in a place like Kakadu is important for traditional owners, but obviously there needs to be some reasoning as to the impact of... a farm that is potentially having negative effects not just within the traditional owners but also on the environment in the park," Mr Morrison said.
He said the NLC was trying to resolve disputes over traditional ownership in Kakadu to get to the bottom of who should have the ultimate say about the farm.
Topics: sustainable-and-alternative-farming, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, national-parks, government-and-politics, nt
First posted
