Land and Sea Country

Traditional Owners continue to interweave their diverse cultures, knowledge systems, management and spiritualities with the Great Barrier Reef (the Reef) as they have since time immemorial.

Arial image of a beach in the Whitsundays
Sawmill Beach, Whitsundays
 © Commonwealth of Australia (GBRMPA)

 

Approximately, 70 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clan groups remain culturally, economically, and spiritually connected to their Land and Sea Country now referred to as the Great Barrier Reef.

The broader Reef management community including researchers are partnering with Traditional Owners to support the sustainability and longevity of the Reef now and into the future.

Land and Sea Country is not just a geographical area, it includes all living things, beliefs, values, creation stories, spirits and cultural obligations associated with it. To Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Land and Sea Country is not only a place of belonging, but also refers to an interdependent relationship between Traditional Owners and their ancestral lands and seas.  

 

Learn more about Land and Sea Country

Arial image of Hardy Lagoon.
Maps

Traditional Owners and partnering organisations are working towards a co-designed, modern marine park management approach that is informed by western scientific and traditional knowledge systems. This is demonstrated in mapping and zoning management.
Underwater seascape with coral and fish.
Planning

A variety of external links to planning, programs, projects, and community. Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef continue to assert their inherent rights and interests from their continuing connection to Land and Sea Country
Green mangrove with roots entering the water
Strategy

A variety of strategies and guidelines help organisations and Traditional Owners work together to care for the Great Barrier Reef.
Screenshot of the Indigenous participation in monitoring megafauna within the Reef 2050 Integrated Monitoring and Reporting Program
Research and monitoring

Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef are engaged in a variety of research collaborations, including the development and establishment of Indigenous heritage monitoring using the Strong peoples-Strong country framework.
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The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority acknowledges the expertise, wisdom, and enduring connections that have informed the guardianship of the Reef for millennia. We pay our respects to the Traditional Owners as the first managers of this land and sea, and value their traditional knowledge which continues to inform the current management and stewardship of the Reef for future generations.