Indigenous partnerships in the Great Barrier Reef

Traditional Owners and the management agencies work together to manage sea country through cooperative management arrangements

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are the Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef region. For over 60 000 years, their traditional connections have been part of the unique living maritime culture, and today their traditional customs and spiritual lore continue to be practised in their use of sea country and natural resources. Sea country refers to areas of sea that Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander groups are traditionally affiliated with.

There are more than 70 Traditional Owner clan groups along the Queensland coast from the eastern Torres Strait Islands to just north of Bundaberg. Each of these groups hold a range of past, present and future cultural and heritage values for their land and sea country, and for surrounding sea countries.

Indigenous Partnerships Liaison Unit

The Indigenous Partnerships Liaison Unit at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) was established in 1995 to provide timely and accurate advice to the GBRMPA and to stakeholders on Indigenous issues and cooperative management arrangements in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

The Indigenous Partnerships Liaison Unit currently focuses on four key programmes:

In addition to working with all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traditional Owner groups along the Great Barrier Reef, the Unit also consults with other government authorities through regular presentations and information sessions to the tourism industry, the fishing industry, and conservation groups in order to build a greater understanding of Traditional Owner issues within Marine Park management.

Sea country partnerships - working together for our future

The GBRMPA and Traditional Owner groups along the Great Barrier Reef are working together to establish cooperative arrangements for sea country management. Traditional Use of Marine Resource Agreements (TUMRAs) are being developed by Traditional Owner groups to describe formal management arrangements for a range of issues, including hunting, and other issues of concern and interest. Indigenous tourism permits are another initiative for achieving cooperative management arrangements between government, Traditional Owner groups and industry.

Indigenous partnerships in the Great Barrier Reef

Indigenous Partnerships Liaison Unit

Sea country partnerships - working together for our future

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