Technical Report TROPICAL ECOSYSTEMS hub Framework and Institutional Analysis: Indigenous co-management and biodiversity protection in the Wet Tropics Kirsten Maclean, Rosemary Hill, Petina L. Pert, Ellie Bock, Paul Barrett, Robyn Bellafquih, Michael Friday, Vince Mundraby, Lisa Sarago, Joann Schmider, Leah Talbot Framework analysis: Towards indigenous co-management and biodiversity in the Wet Tropics Kirsten Maclean, Rosemary Hill, Petina L. Pert, Ellie Bock, Paul Barrett, Robyn Bellafquih, Michael Friday, Vince Mundraby, Lisa Sarago, Joann Schmider and Leah Talbot Supported by the Australian Government’s National Environmental Research Program © CSIRO National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry: 978-1-921359-74-3 This report should be cited as: Maclean, K., Hill, R., Pert, P.L., Bock, E., Barrett, P., Bellafquih, R., Friday, M., Mundraby, V., Sarago, L., Schmider, S., and L. Talbot (2012), Framework analysis: towards Indigenous co-management and biodiversity in the Wet Tropics. Report to the National Environmental Research Program. Published online by the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre Limited, Cairns (124pp.). Published by the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre on behalf of the Australian Government’s National Environmental Research Program (NERP) Tropical Ecosystems (TE) Hub. The Tropical Ecosystems Hub is part of the Australian Government’s Commonwealth National Environmental Research Program. The NERP TE Hub is administered in North Queensland by the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre Limited (RRRC). The NERP Tropical Ecosystem Hub addresses issues of concern for the management, conservation and sustainable use of the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and its catchments, tropical rainforests including the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area (WTWHA), and the terrestrial and marine assets underpinning resilient communities in the Torres Strait, through the generation and transfer of world-class research and shared knowledge. This publication is copyright. The Copyright Act 1968 permits fair dealing for study, research, information or educational purposes subject to inclusion of a sufficient acknowledgement of the source. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the Australian Government, the Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, or any of the project partners and supporters whose valuable contributions are acknowledged on page vi. While reasonable effort has been made to ensure that the contents of this publication are factually correct, the Commonwealth does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this publication. Cover photographs: J. Carmody (main); R. Hill, K. Maclean, Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation. Reproduced with the permission of the Traditional Owners. This report is available for download from the NERP Tropical Ecosystems Hub website: http://www.nerptropical.edu.au/research December 2012 Contents Contents ........................................................................................................................................................... i List of Tables ................................................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures .................................................................................................................................................. iv Acronyms & Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................ vi Author Contributions ...................................................................................................................................... vi Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................ vii Report Introduction and Co-research Design ................................................................................................... 1 Part I: Options for a Testable Framework with Thresholds ...................................................................... 4 Introduction to the framework analysis ........................................................................................................... 5 Why use a framework in co-research? ............................................................................................................. 5 How to develop a framework? ........................................................................................................................ 5 Our approach to development of the working framework .............................................................................. 8 What is in a framework? ................................................................................................................................. 9 Frameworks for Indigenous co-management and biodiversity protection: a brief review.................................. 9 Options for Frameworks for this Co-research ................................................................................................ 13 Option one: Linked indicators for ecosystem change ................................................................ 13 Option two: Empowering bio-cultural diversity ......................................................................... 14 Option three: Joint management of parks in the Northern Territory .......................................... 14 Option four: Miriuwung Gajerrong Cultural Planning Framework .............................................. 16 Option five: Typology of Indigenous engagement in environmental management ..................... 17 Option six: Modified Drivers-Pressures-State-Impact-Response .................................................. 18 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................... 18 Part II: Institutional Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 20 Introduction to the Institutional Analysis ....................................................................................................... 21 INTERNATIONAL GOVERNANCE SCALE ......................................................................................................... 31 World Heritage Convention, 1972 ........................................................................................... 31 Convention on Biological Diversity, 1992 ................................................................................. 32 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1992 ......................................................... 33 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007 ............................................................. 33 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ............................................... 35 International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination ..................... 36 NATIONAL GOVERNANCE SCALE .................................................................................................................. 37 Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (CWTH), 1999 ............................... 37 National Heritage List .............................................................................................................. 38 Native Title Act, 1993 (Cwlth) .................................................................................................. 39 Racial Discrimination Act 1975 ................................................................................................ 47 Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 ....................................................................... 47 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage Protection Act 1984 ............................................ 48 Australia’s Biological Conservation Strategy, 2010-2030 ........................................................... 48 QUEENSLAND STATE GOVERNANCE SCALE .................................................................................................. 49 Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act (QLD), 2003 ........................................................................... 49 Nature Conservation Act 1992 (QLD) ....................................................................................... 50 Sustainable Planning Act 2009 ................................................................................................ 53 Framework Analysis: Towards Indigenous Co-management and Biodiversity Protection in the Wet Tropics │ i Vegetation Management Act, 1999 ......................................................................................... 53 Wild Rivers Act 2005 ............................................................................................................... 54 Cape York Cultural Heritage Act 2007 ....................................................................................