Standard Presentation Australian Marine Sciences Association Annual Meeting 2023

Traditional Owners Contribution to Monitoring and Reporting on the Condition of the Reef (#302)

Christine T Grant 1
  1. GBRF, Brisbane, Qld, Australia

The GBRF Integration, Monitoring and Reporting Technical Working Group (IMR TWG) worked in an Indigenous-led co-design partnership with CSIRO and the GBRF to further develop the Strong People-Strong Country (SP-SC) Framework. There are 3 Traditional Owner Communities selected to pilot the SP-SC Framework to test the framework against local indicators relating to their current community-based current plans and activities. This includes collecting information, monitoring the conditions, and safeguarding local information and how they might report back through Data Sharing Agreements. They are supported by technical expertise in collecting, managing and analysing data, which allow them to make informed assessments where they can track progress against indicators and aspirations.

The support they receive is vital to assisting the Traditional Owner communities to become empowered and self-determined with control over their own information collected on Country. The goal now is to ensure that other Agencies working in the Reef space will also support projects such as these to maintain sustainable practices of gathering information based on a common set of indicators based on a framework that is specific to Traditional Owners on the Reef.