Sea country research and education

coral bleaching research Sea country is a term used by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders to describe areas of sea groups they are traditionally affiliated with. For over 60 000 years, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have held complex and deep-seated physical, emotional, cultural, social and spiritual connections with the Great Barrier Reef. Sea country knowledge (also known as Traditional Ecological Knowledge or TEK) is developed through continued use of sea country and marine resources, and through practice of activities such as fishing, story telling, song and dance, which are passed from one generation to the next.

Traditional Owner groups and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) are working together to establish ways of facilitating two-way knowledge exchange processes in an effort to enhance the management of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Partnerships for species research

Traditional Owner groups, government and the broader community can work together to improve populations of culturally significant animals such as green sea turtle and dugong through involvement in:

Turtle research programs including turtle tagging
Seagrass monitoring programs in local areas
Recording relevant information for research including size, apparent health, location of animals and so forth
Baiting programs to minimise feral animal predation
Reporting sick and injured animals
Education programs / community events about traditional and cultural activities and the range of issues affecting turtles and dugongs in sea country (see the Great Australian Corroboree 2007 which includes both the 2nd National Indigenous Land & Sea Management Conference and the Girringun cultural festival; also see the Laura festival).

Partnerships for cultural heritage research

Cultural Heritage surveys The GBRMPA's Indigenous Partnerships Liaison Unit is working with Traditional Owner groups to enhance the way in which cultural and heritage values are taken into account in Marine Park management.

Cultural mapping will assist Traditional Owner groups and the GBRMPA to:

Achieve cooperative management of sea country
Improve the consideration of cultural and heritage values in future decision-making processes
Assist with species management issues
Enhance the range of information available for sea country education projects about Traditional Owner values
Streamline the process for dual European and Indigenous naming for reefs, bays and islands.

Protocols to protect the sensitive nature of sea country knowledge are being developed as part of the project and these protocols will ensure that all information is ethically gathered, stored, digitised and used within decision-making systems.

Education kits for Traditional Owner groups

Sea country partnerships education resources about turtle and dugong management and how to develop a Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreement (TUMRA) are currently available from our Public Information Unit on Free Call 1800 802 251.