Thuwathu/Bujimulla Indigenous Protected Area MANAGEMENT PLAN Prepared by the Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation on behalf of the Traditional Owners of the Wellesley Islands LARDIL KAIADILT YANGKAAL GANGALIDDA This document was funded through the Commonwealth Government’s Indigenous Protected Area program. For further information please contact: Kelly Gardner Land & Sea Regional Coordinator Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation Telephone: (07) 4745 5132 Email: [email protected] Thuwathu/Bujimulla Indigenous Protected Area Management Plan Prepared by Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation on behalf of the Traditional Owners of the Wellesley Islands Acknowledgements: This document was funded through the Commonwealth Government’s Indigenous Protected Area program. The Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation would like to acknowledge and thank the following organisations for their ongoing support for our land and sea management activities in the southern Gulf of Carpentaria: • Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Community (SEWPaC) • Queensland Government Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) • Northern Gulf Resource Management Group (NGRMG) • Southern Gulf Catchments (SGC) • MMG Century Environment Committee” Photo over page: Whitecliffs, Mornington Island. Photo courtesy of Kelly Gardner. WARNING: This document may contain the names and photographs of deceased Indigenous People. ii Acronyms: AFMA Australian Fisheries Management Authority BSC Burke Shire Council CLCAC Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation DAFF (Cth) Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry DAFF (Qld) Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry EPBC Act Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act FQ Fisheries Queensland GoCCFA Gulf of Carpentaria Commercial Fishermen’s Association GRAC Gulf Regional Aboriginal Corporation IPA Indigenous Protected Area ILUA Indigenous Land Use Agreement NPF Northern Prawn Fishery Industry Pty Limited NPRSR Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing MSC Mornington Shire Council PBC Prescribed Body Corporate QSIA Queensland Seafood Industry Association SEWPaC Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities iii Plan Structure: The management plan consists of six parts and appendices: Part 1: provides an overview of the development of this Plan, outlines other potential stakeholders, sets out our vision, and briefly describes specific legislation relevant to natural resource management in the Wellesley Islands region. Part 2: describes the aspirations and management objectives of the Traditional Owners of the Wellesley Islands area Part 3: provides an overview of the cultural and environmental significance of our region, including the traditional laws and customs of the four Traditional Owner groups involved with the development of this Plan. Part 4: sets out the management issues relating to the care of our cultural heritage sites and the natural environment and details how we intend to deal with these matters in an action plan. Part 5: sets out our Action Plan. Part 6: illustrates how we propose to implement monitoring and review the various aspects of this Plan. Appendix 1: Environmental Features of the Wellesley Islands Appendix 2: A Summary of the Major Environmental Threats to Species & Habitats of the Wellesley Islands Region Appendix 3: Overview of Commercial Fishing in the Proposed IPA iv Contents: PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 PLAN PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW .............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1 THE IPA PROGRAM ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................1 WHY AN IPA FOR THE WELLESLEY ISLANDS? ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................2 THE PLAN AREA ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................2 IUCN PROTECTED AREA DEFINITION ...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5 Selected IUCN Category ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THIS PLAN ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5 Building on Past Work ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................5 Consultation Process ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................6 PROPOSED IPA PARTNERS ...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................6 Commonwealth Government Agencies .................................................................................................................................................................................................................6 Queensland Government Agencies ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................8 Commercial stakeholders .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................9 PART 2: ASPIRATION STATEMENTS .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................13 OUR VISION ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 OBJECTIVES OF THE IPA ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 13 LEGISLATION AND REGULATION ..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................14 GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE ..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15 PART 3: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WELLESLEY ISLANDS REGION ..............................................................................................................................................................................................19 CULTURAL AND SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 19 ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNIFICANCE .........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................20