TIEC is a partnership between Traditional Owners, the Queensland Government, CSIRO, James Cook University's Cairns Institute, and the Australian Tropical Herbarium joint venture.
STAFF
Gerry Turpin
Manager
Nyoka Pollard
Research Assistant
Gerry is an Mbabaram man from north Qld and been employed by the Queensland State Government for about 30 years. Gerry has previously been involved in the Queensland Herbarium’s Vegetation Surveys and Regional Ecosystem Mapping Project in Queensland. He currently manages the Tropical Indigenous Ethnobotany Centre at the Australian Tropical Herbarium, in partnership with James Cook University, Dept. of Environment and Science and CSIRO, and has worked with many Traditional Owner groups on Cape York and other parts of Queensland. As an Indigenous ethnobotanist Gerry has a strong cultural commitment to facilitating effective partnerships that support Indigenous communities to protect, manage and maintain their cultural knowledge on the use of plants. Gerry is a member of the Ecological Society of Australia Board of Directors with the role of Indigenous Engagement, and a member of the NESP Threatened Species Recovery Hub Indigenous Reference Group. In 2013, Gerry took out the first ever science award at the 2013 National Indigenous Deadly Awards for best scientist or science Project of the Year category.
Nyoka is a Yidinji woman from Far North Queensland. For the past two years she has been working alongside Gerry Turpin, assisting Traditional owner groups on Cape York, Cairns and surrounding areas in the collection of traditional botanical knowledge. As a proud Indigenous woman, Nyoka has a strong cultural commitment in helping support indigenous communities to preserve, protect and maintain their traditional plant knowledge.
GOVERNANCE
TIEC's strategic direction and activities are guided by two governance bodies, the Indigenous Working Group, and the Coordinating Committee. Click on the text below for more information on these bodies and their membership.