Dugong and Marine Turtle Management

Nalkuma Burrawanga and Banula Marika releasing a turtle Aaron Kelly from Mornington Island holding a dugong Samuel Evans and Brian Simon: traditional hunting Photo credits from top are: Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation Mabunji Aboriginal Resource Association

Project leader: Rod Kennett

Traditional Owners from the Kimberley, Top End of the Northern Territory, southern Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York and the Torres Strait have joined forces to develop community-driven approaches to the sustainable management of marine turtles and dugongs in northern Australia. (A Network Map of the project can be downloaded from the bottom of this page).

Coordinated by the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) and the CRC for Tropical Savannas, the Dugong and Marine Turtle project takes a fresh approach by ensuring that Traditional Owners and Indigenous communities are driving research and management activities.

The project partners of the Dugong and Marine Turtle project are:

• Kimberley Land Council
• Northern Land Council
• Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation
• Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation and
• Torres Strait Regional Authority.

The partner organisations oversee the delivery of the project through Regional Activity Plans in selected ‘pilot’ communities. The Regional Activity Plans, developed through community consultation, identify Traditional Owners needs and aspirations, the issues and threats facing dugong and turtle management, and the management and research activities that communities wish to undertake. Despite the many different backgrounds and locations of the communities involved, many similar issues have been identified, including:

• A commitment to maintaining and valuing Indigenous Knowledge and customary practice as the basis for sustainable management plans;
• The need for more readily accessible scientific information on dugong and marine turtle populations and habitats;
• The need to develop capacities of Indigenous rangers and land managers to be more actively involved in management and research of dugong, turtles and their habitats;
• Wider partnerships with other Indigenous communities, researchers, government and industry to improve understanding of the threats to dugong and marine turtles, including entanglement in nets, marine debris, boat strikes, predation by feral animals, Indigenous harvest and habitat destruction; and
• The need for wider education about dugongs and marine turtle management issues within communities, as well as transfer of knowledge to people outside of the communities such as tourists, scientists, policy-makers and the general public.

NAILSMA works with the project partners, providing coordination and undertaking cross-regional activities such as:

• Facilitating communication amongst participating Indigenous communities;
• Standardised information recording and storage;
• Training and exchange visits between participating communities;
• Commissioning relevant reviews and analyses such as a socio-economic study of the value of dugongs and turtles to Indigenous livelihoods;
• Ensuring Indigenous representation in government initiatives, planning and committees; and
• Communication activities to improve public understanding of the rights, roles, responsibilities and achievements of indigenous people in managing dugong and marine turtles.

A Technical Reference Group of researchers, government, non-government and industry representatives has also been formed to support the project, providing professional advice and expertise on dugong and marine turtles and management issues.

With funding of $3.8 million over 2.5 years from the Australian Government’s Natural Heritage Trust and cash and in-kind contributions from project partners and participating communities of over $3 million, the project represents a substantial commitment by all involved.

NAILSMA, the project partners and communities believe that by working together they will contribute to a long term vision of healthy and sustainable populations of dugong and marine turtles that support Indigenous livelihoods across north Australia. — Rod Kennett, Project Coordinator.