Provide professional services to the Girringun Healing Country Grant

The Girringun Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) and Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreement (TUMRA) include vast areas of land and sea that incorporate the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) and Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Areas. Girringun traditional owner’s aspirations and priorities include monitoring and managing threatened species and their habitat effectively. Through this project Girringun aims to become involved in and eventually lead dugong and seagrass monitoring, particularly within the dugong protection area (DPA) around Hinchinbrook and Goold Islands. GAC TUMRA Coordinator, steering committee, GAC Ranger Program and relevant traditional owners have endorsed this collaborative project application.
The project is designed to use a two-way knowledge approach, incorporating indigenous knowledge (IK) and western science and technology in the Girringun TUMRA region to: • Enhance Girringun’s understanding of culturally and environmentally significant dugong populations and seagrass habitat. • Build research and monitoring skills and employment opportunities for Girringun Indigenous Rangers • Use this information to communicate with Traditional Owners and the broader community and support them in strengthening their relationship with Country, and to underpin GAC’s management decisions for the Girringun TUMRA. • Plan future monitoring activities to ensure ongoing connection to Sea Country and understanding of Reef and coastal ecosystem health.