Joonga in partnership with UOW and AIATSIS are creating a Sea Country management plan (SCMP) for Walbunga Country. The SCMP project will collate the aspirations of the Walbunga People for their Sea Country. These aspirations can take any form including commercial opportunities, fisheries compliance activities policy, environmental stewardship and research agendas.
The project’s aim, inception, design and research practice are led by Walbunga People and a recently established non-for-profit organisation termed Joonga. Intellectual property created through this project is vested in a community trust to ensure the protection of Walbunga ICIP.
Once created, the SCMP aims to provide a clear roadmap for the culturally relevant management of Walbunga Sea Country. The plan can be used to address burgeoning, locally specific issues such as the growth of sea urchin barrens and the strained relationship between fisheries management officers and the Walbunga Aboriginal community. The Department of Primary Industries has indicated initial support, further strengthening the capacity for the SCMP to affect real and sustainable change. The SCMP aims to create positive outcomes for Sea Country and the Walbunga People through on-Country job creation and contribution to an improved relationship between Aboriginal people and fisheries management structures. As envisioned, the SCMP will be the first of its kind in Australia, giving voice to Country and providing a scalable model for the protection of Sea Country.