Indigenous involvement in ecosystem management through the NESP Tropical Water Quality Hub (2015-2021)
Compiled by RRRCa
a Reef and Rainforest Research Centre, Cairns, Australia
Close collaboration and sharing of knowledge between Traditional Owners and NESP Tropical Water Quality (TWQ) science has resulted in better co-management of country and improved water quality along the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and its catchments. Some examples, included:
- Indigenous partnerships building capacity for Cape York Traditional Owners; through the expansion of gully remediation activities, while providing ongoing social and ecological benefits.
- New skills and greater capacity on mangrove health monitoring for Indigenous Ranger groups across the Gulf of Carpentaria and Bundaberg region.
- Training and employment of Indigenous youth to control crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS), through the Queensland Government’s Skilling Queenslanders for Work program.
- Reef restoration and leadership skills passed onto Sea Country Traditional Owners, through their participation on the 2019, 2020 and 2021 Reef Leadership and Restoration Workshops at Goolboddi (Orpheus Island), in the Central GBR.
- Collaborations between Rangers from the Torres Strait Regional Authority and researchers to identify the influence of the Fly River discharge on the Torres Strait, through water quality, sediment and seagrass sampling campaigns at several locations in the central and northern Torres Strait, from 2016-2020.
The participation of Traditional Owners in NESP TWQ research projects has demonstrated the value of providing clear pathways for genuine indigenous engagement and establishment of collaborative partnerships in GBR research.