Local Marine Advisory Committees

History

The concept of community input into marine resource management in the Great Barrier Reef Region began in the early 1990’s.

In 1991, a group was formed in Yeppoon called the Capricorn Coast Fisheries Advisory Committee, with representation from commercial and recreational fishing interests, Dept of Primary Industries and the National Parks & Wildlife Service. Its aim was to address local issues, including catch sharing between the two fishing groups. It is still operating today.

During 1992, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) sponsored a range of workshops with both commercial tourist operators and recreational user groups (over 30 workshops in total), throughout the Marine Park to discuss the introduction of the 'User Pays' policy (for commercial operators) and to review current strategies for managing human impacts on the Great Barrier Reef.

Feedback from these workshops was that the current zoning plan system was too broadly based to adequately deal with local issues affecting local communities. Strong support was expressed for the concept of regional advisory groups. These advisory groups would be representative of groups interested in the management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (GBRMP). From this recommendation, GBRMPA established ten regional advisory groups called, Regional Marine Resource Advisory Committees (RMRACs) in 1993/94, situated from Bundaberg to Cooktown, and including the Capricorn Coast Fisheries Advisory Committee. These committees were based on the Capricorn Coast Fisheries Advisory Committee model.

An independent review of the RMRACs was conducted in 1998 to assess the effectiveness of the committees regarding their input into management decisions. The review recognised the importance of community involvement in resource management and explored ways to strengthen the relationship between resource agencies and the community. Some of the recommendations of the review included:

• the need for a broader community representation on the RMRACs;
• more effective communication between the RMRACs and management agencies;
• improved reporting mechanisms by RMRACs and improved feedback from management agencies on advice received from RMRACs; and

• the development of annual work programs to provide a greater focus on the main issues affecting management and conservation of the Great Barrier Reef and World Heritage Area.

These recommendations were taken into consideration and in mid 1999 nominations were called for to start the advisory committees afresh, under the new name of Local Marine Advisory Committees (LMACs).