While there are still gaps in the full inclusion of Indigenous communities in the stewardship of their traditional waters, big strides are being made, say Indigenous governance organizations and scientists. A recent decision by the World Heritage Committee has taken notice.\u00a0 <\/p>\n
\u201cThe last 30 years have seen massive changes in how the Great Barrier Reef is managed, particularly for Traditional Owners,\u201d says Allan Dale, professor of tropical regional development at James Cook University.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been this great increase in the governing capability and the ability of those Traditional Owner groups to achieve their aspirations,\u201d he tells Mongabay. \u201cThere\u2019s been a real huge growth in the sort of capability of land and sea reservations and there\u2019s an increasing number of rangers and leaders and planners and workers in that space.\u201d <\/p>\n
![\"Dr.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/b.-Dr.-Mercy-Singleton-3.jpeg\")
Dr. Mercy Singleton, director of Research and Engagement Services, Dawul Wuru Aboriginal Corporation, is standing on Palm Cove beach North of Cairns city. It is the traditional home Djikul, of coastal Yirrgandji tribe. The Island in the back is Wangal Djangal or Double Island. Image courtesy of Dr. Mercy Singleton.<\/p>\n
Recent funding expanded to support over 200 Indigenous rangers<\/a> and partnerships with Traditional Owner groups along the coast, from field activities and water-quality monitoring, have risen<\/a> in the last few years.<\/p>\n In late July 2026, the World Heritage Committee again<\/a> decided not to add the Great Barrier Reef to its \u201cin danger\u201d list. Yet, while the committee\u2019s previous decision in 2021 made no mention of Traditional Owners, now the committee is encouraging<\/a> the Australian and Queensland Government to \u201csupport the Traditional Owner Taskforce\u201d, a 2024 initiative led by Traditional Owners to assert their right to manage and have authority over Sea Country, and to \u201clead the delivery of the Reef 2050 Traditional Owner Implementation Plan\u201d, a guide to build on past Indigenous-led work to make tangible, positive changes to the Reef.\u00a0 <\/p>\n Noting the continued threats of coral bleaching, poor water quality, invasive species and climate change on the reef, the committee commended<\/a> Australia on two items: increased efforts toward sustainable fishing and Traditional Owner management. <\/p>\n This wasn\u2019t always the case.<\/p>\n TUMRAs cover 43% of the coastline<\/p>\n Phil Rist is a Nywaigi elder from the Ingham region in Far North Queensland and was a founder of the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation<\/a>. Girringun held the very first TUMRA in 2005. <\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve come a hell of a long way,\u201d Rist says. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t have gotten this far without the support of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and other agencies. For the government agencies to be comfortable in taking their fingers off the control button and sharing power is a huge thing in itself.\u201d<\/p>\n The authority doesn\u2019t have the best track record in terms of deep and serious engagement with Traditional Owners, so they had to be pushed quite heavily by mobs, professor Dale says. This push led to the creation of Traditional Use Marine Resources Agreements, or TUMRAs<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThere was a lot of work involved in getting the TUMRA in the first place,\u201d says Lyndal Singleton, the Yirrganydji TUMRA holder and a director at Dawul Wuru. \u201cWe were just a newly established organization who had to prove to government that we were in a position to manage something like this.\u201d<\/p>\n TUMRAs began in 2005 as a way of helping Indigenous peoples manage traditional fishing practices, but have grown in the last two decades to support 10 agreements across 18 Traditional Owner groups. They have provided a foundation to inspire and build capacity for Aboriginal people and joint stewardship initiatives, with 43% of the coastline<\/a> of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park now co-managed by Traditional Owners and the Reef Authority, according to the authority. <\/p>\n For the Girringun and Yirrganydji, the main focus of their TUMRAs is dugong (Dugong dugon) and sea turtle conservation. \u201cThe decline of dugong and turtles in our Sea Country is not through the fault of ours,\u201d Rist tells Mongabay. \u201cIt\u2019s issues like poor water quality and mining, and all this sort of stuff \u2026 that is significantly contributing to the demise \u2026 of some of our most culturally iconic species.<\/p>\n \u201cThe only thing we can control in this place is our outtake of turtle and dugong. We can\u2019t control mining. We can\u2019t control those other cumulative impacts, but we can control ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n TUMRAs are a way for Traditional Owners to have \u201csome control over their Sea Country\u201d so they can curb illegal hunting on the Reef, Lyndal says. Yirrganydji rangers patrol the coastline to ensure Reef users comply with fishing laws. <\/p>\n In the Girringun TUMRA, Traditional Owners can issue an authority for a hunt, but there\u2019s a governance system in place led by culturally strong decision-making. \u201cIt\u2019s always based on \u2014 and this might surprise people, it\u2019s not based on culture as a first principle \u2014 it\u2019s based on sustainability,\u201d Rist says. \u201cYou can\u2019t have a culture if you haven\u2019t got those animals in the water anymore. So above all, it\u2019s about sustainable take of turtle and dugong in our Sea Country.\u201d<\/p>\n For Niboddhri Ward, director of TUMRA at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, it\u2019s a \u201cdream come true job\u201d to help Traditional Owners connect to and manage Sea Country.\u00a0 <\/p>\n \u201cAt its heart, the TUMRA program is about empowering Traditional Owners to lead the management of their Sea Country,\u201d Ward tells Mongabay. \u201cThe Reef Authority provides the framework, support and partnership, but it\u2019s Traditional Owners who bring thousands of years of knowledge, cultural authority and stewardship to protecting one of the world\u2019s most iconic marine environments.\u201d<\/p>\n Culture and conservation working together<\/p>\n For tens of thousands of years<\/a>, Traditional Owners have been interconnected with the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding Sea Country. They balance the needs<\/a> of the people with the needs of the reef, using it for hunting and fishing, and practicing culture and knowledge-sharing. These connections were disrupted during colonization, locking out Traditional Owners from caring for their Country.<\/p>\n In 1975, the Great Barrier Reef was declared a marine park<\/a> to protect it from oil and gas extraction and came under the care of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority. Although it is a Marine Protected Area, inscribed on the World Heritage list<\/a> and one of the seven natural wonders of the world, the reef remains under threat from climate change, coral bleaching and invasive species.<\/p>\n \u201cWe understand climate change will always be there but we also need to understand the human activities that impact it as well,\u201d Mercy Singleton says. These human activities include agricultural impacts, urbanization and recreational use. <\/p>\n Joint management and partnerships exist across the Reef in many capacities. The Reef 2050 Plan<\/a> is the overarching strategy set by the Australian and Queensland governments to \u201cimprove the Reef\u2019s health and resilience.\u201d There\u2019s also a taskforce<\/a> seeking to create a Sea Country Alliance and many different research projects trying to improve joint management and outcomes on the Reef. <\/p>\n One such research project is SEABORNE<\/a>, with environmental economist Diane Jarvis and conservation researcher Tori Graham leading the First Nations component of the project with TUMRA groups.\u00a0 <\/p>\n \u201cA focus of SEABORNE was to understand what data is currently available \u2014 around uses and users of the Reef and stewardship and monitoring of the Reef \u2014 to help better decisions to be made for the Reef,\u201d Jarvis tells Mongabay. <\/p>\n The data collected through this project and others about traditional uses of Sea Country can be used by the authority to create fairer joint management across the Reef, including the use of TUMRAs. <\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to portray the full diversity of those different management needs based on who\u2019s wanting to use the Reef,\u201d Graham says. \u201cIt was trying to work towards more inclusive management for everyone, and with the data and the [data] gaps that we collected to provide evidence back to the Reef Authority around what\u2019s important to focus on.\u201d<\/p>\n Each Traditional Owner group has a different focus for how they use and manage the Reef. This is one of the benefits of a TUMRA, say sources: The uniqueness of each agreement rather than a one-size-fits-all approach allows different mobs to carry out their traditional management in a culturally safe way. <\/p>\n \u201cOne of the greatest strengths of the program is that conservation outcomes and cultural outcomes are achieved together, they\u2019re not separate objectives,\u201d says TUMRA director Ward. TUMRAs help groups strengthen their cultural responsibilities by creating employment opportunities for coordinators and rangers, protecting cultural and heritage sites and promoting the conservation of ecological values.<\/p>\n Dawul Wuru<\/a>\u2019s Lyndal Singleton says since the beginning of the Yirrganydji TUMRA, there have been fewer reports of illegal hunting, ensuring the protection of dugong and turtle populations which are of immense cultural significance. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s empowering, and it\u2019s keeping knowledge strong, keeping the stories and the songlines strong to Sea Country,\u201d says Dawul Wuru<\/a>\u2019s Mercy Singleton. Songlines<\/a> are ancient walking paths that link important cultural sites on which people would sing and memorize the directions of the route.<\/p>\n \u2018The future is collaboration\u2019<\/p>\n Whilst there is opportunity for joint management, Indigenous project leaders say there isn\u2019t always the chance to lead projects or management across the Reef, including within TUMRAs. <\/p>\n \u201cThe TUMRA concept comes from very much Traditional Owners pushing for those agendas,\u201d professor Dale says. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot more to be done to make what you might sort of say \u2018equal power relationships\u2019 between Traditional Owners and the Authority.\u201d <\/p>\n A 2025 study<\/a> coauthored by Dale found one of the main weaknesses of the Reef 2050 Plan is an increased need for genuine power sharing and partnerships with Traditional Owners.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a very strong relationship between saltwater mob and our Sea Country,\u201d Rist says. \u201cWe need to ensure our presence is there first and foremost and lead a lot of the stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n The SEABORNE project has reported similar aspirations<\/a>: Groups want a leading role in future activities and decision-making for their Country. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of research happening out there on the Reef and very rarely it comes back to local people,\u201d Mercy says. \u201cThat information is taken by universities and research groups and it benefits them. But we want to see how does it benefit local people and how that can impact and inform our future developments to keep the reef safe and strong and healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n Jarvis and Graham\u2019s research also suggests providing more opportunities to lead management on the Reef and having more autonomy over management. <\/p>\n \u201cWhilst the groups play an important role in monitoring compliance across the Reef they have no enforcement powers,\u201d Jarvis says. \u201cFor example, if they observe fishing taking place in a no-fish zone on the Reef all they can do is report what they have seen \u2014 they have no powers to prevent the fishers continuing to fish in the wrong place or wrong way.\u201d<\/p>\n At the moment, the World Heritage Committee says the future outlook of the Great Barrier Reef is \u201cvery poor\u201d, noting mass bleaching events that occurred in 2023-2024, the impacts of climate change and a failure to meet water-quality targets for pollutants that enter the reef through river basins. <\/p>\n Mercy says the future of the reef relies on collaboration, \u201cKeeping the Reef strong and healthy is a very big dream, but we can make dreams happen if we work together.\u201d <\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Banner image: Green sea turtle swimming in the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Image by \u00a9Commonwealth of Australia (Reef Authority), photographer J. Sumerling. CC BY 4.0.<\/p>\n Whale shark hotspot discovered along the Great Barrier Reef<\/a><\/p>\n Citations:<\/p>\n Rowland, M. J., Lambrides, A. B. J., McNiven, I. J., & Ulm, S. (2024). Great Barrier Reef Indigenous archaeology and occupation of associated reef and continental islands. Australasian Journal of Environmental Management, 32(1), 22\u201345. doi:10.1080\/14486563.2024.2336969<\/a><\/p>\n Vella, K., Dale, A. P., Calibeo, D., Limb, M., Gooch, M., Eberhard, R., \u2026 Baresi, U. (2025). The Health of the Governance System for Australia\u2019s Great Barrier Reef 2050 Plan: A First Benchmark. Sustainability, 17(18), 8131. doi:10.3390\/su17188131<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2026_065_AA_TUMRA_v1-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Aerial](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/c.-141155-2-scaled.jpeg\")
Aerial view of Hardy Reef in the Whitsunday region, central section of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Image by \u00a9 Commonwealth of Australia (Reef Authority), photographer Jumbo Aerial Photography. CC BY 4.0.
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Bluespotted ribbontail ray in the Great Barrier Reef. Image by \u00a9Commonwealth of Australia (Reef Authority), photographer C. Jones.<\/p>\n![\"Tarquin](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/h.-AP23213116049614-scaled.jpeg\")
Tarquin Singleton, cultural officer for the Reef Cooperative, swims past a massive coral on Moore Reef in Gunggandji Sea Country off coast of Queensland in eastern Australia on Nov. 13, 2022. Image by AP Photo\/Sam McNeil, File.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/f.-141436-2-scaled.jpeg\")
A brilliant purple and orange Spanish dancer nudibranch; amongst corals in Torres Strait waters, Great Barrier Reef. Image \u00a9 Commonwealth of Australia (Reef Authority), photographer E. Smart.
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Spine-cheek Clownfish swimming in waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Image by \u00a9 Commonwealth of Australia (Reef Authority), photographer C. Jones.<\/p>\n![\"Great](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/j.-Great_Barrier_Reef_Corals-scaled.jpeg\")
Great Barrier Reef corals. Image by G\u00f6khan Tolun \u2013 Own work via Wikimedia. CC BY-SA 4.0.<\/p>\n