Southern Great Barrier Reef Plan of Management sees four local Traditional Owner Groups come together with the Reef Authority

Three Traditional Owner groups will join Woppaburra People to work together with the Reef Authority on the plan that will see the biocultural values of Country recognised. Collaboration with the Darumbal, Gidarjil and Yuwi Traditional Owners, will be central in the development of this plan.

See the Joint Statement below

The Great Barrier Reef is vital to Traditional Owners, it is our lifeblood. Furthermore, the southern Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is important to all users, stakeholders and communities. Its values are many: cultural, environmental, economic, and social. These values, however, are under threat from increasing human use, western practices, broader climate change, lack of appropriate regulation, impacts from adjacent catchments and conflicts between users, uses and values. As users of this immense resource, we must reinforce the basic moral values of country, which are to Share, Care and Respect.
First, we must understand how we define Country. Country is land, sea, air, stars, rocks, plants and animals – all things living and non-living. She is our spirituality. Country is Us. There has been so much damage to our Country, and she is struggling to recover from threats on a scale never faced before.
Country is stressed and unhealthy, Country is crying.
The Great Barrier Reef is Country. The Reef is our Heart and the water is the life-blood that connects us all. More…