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

Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef region

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples 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 its natural resources. Sea country refers to areas of sea that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are traditionally affiliated with.

There are more than 70 Traditional Owner clan groups along the Queensland coast from the 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. You can learn more about the Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef on the ReefEd website. 

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is building partnerships

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's Indigenous Partnerships Group works with Traditional Owner groups, government and private sector agencies to manage sea country within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

In December 2008, the Australian Government committed $10 million over five years towards the Reef Rescue Indigenous Land and Sea Country Partnerships Program (PDF 118KB). This program, administered by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, will engage Traditional Owners and Indigenous communities along the Great Barrier Reef catchment in sea country management. It provides an opportunity to enhance the existing work program that the GBRMPA has in place, working towards collaborative sea country management that conserves biodiversity and protects the cultural and heritage values of the Great Barrier Reef.

Five activity areas have been developed under the Reef Rescue Indigenous Land and Sea Country Partnerships Program:

1. Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreements (TUMRAs)
   
2. Strengthening of communication and knowledge sharing
   
3. Enhanced compliance
4. Engaging with communities
   
5. Grants and sponsorship
   

Related information

• Cultural and heritage values and cooperative arrangements for sea country management
• Sea country research and education
• Indigenous participation in tourism and its management
• Australian Government natural resource management programs 
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and the Great Barrier Reef Region fact sheet
• Sea country issues featured in GBRMPA's SeaRead Newsletter