Traditional Owner Reef Protection
Improving the engagement of Traditional Owners in the protection of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation extends its deepest respect and recognition to all Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef and its Catchment as First Nations Peoples, recognising past, present, and future generations to come.

#The largest ever single investment in Traditional Owner Reef Protection.
Budget: $51.8 million.
For more than 25 years, Traditional Owners from across the Reef have been coming together to explore and call for a collective approach to achieving their rights and aspirations for ownership, access to, and involvement in the formal governance and management of Sea Country.
The Traditional Owner Reef Protection component is building the foundational pillars needed to deliver these aspirations, creating stronger Indigenous-led processes and the step-change needed for sustaining inclusive governance and management of the Reef, while recognising cultural values and diversity.
Through the Partnership’s Investment Strategy, the Foundation secured the largest single investment in Traditional Owner Reef Protection to date. On top of the $12 million initially earmarked for Indigenous Reef Protection in the Grant Agreement, the Foundation allocated additional funding from across the Partnership components to deliver $51.8 million in total towards co-designed, Traditional Owner-led Reef protection. This is intended to build on and scale up the work already being done by Traditional Owners along the Reef and its Catchment, including more than 200 Rangers and 70 Land and Sea Country groups.
#End of Partnership Outcomes
The Reef Trust Partnership’s Traditional Owner Reef Protection component will result in:
A Traditional Owner co-design action framework implemented
Improved benefits to Traditional Owners engaged in Land and Sea Country management
Improved Traditional Owner participation in Reef governance
The first stage of a Great Barrier Reef Traditional Owner Future Fund in place and operating effectively
Traditional Owner on-Country activities contributing to Reef bio-cultural health
Improved cultural awareness within Partnership projects and partners
#Progress Dashboard
Transparency and accountability are key guiding principles for the Foundation in delivering the Reef Trust Partnership.
A series of interactive dashboards has been developed as part of our Monitoring and Evaluation Plan. The dashboards are updated every six months to demonstrate progress towards meeting End-of-Partnership Outcomes. The following dashboard provides a snapshot of key progress areas that deliver the Traditional Owner Reef Protection Component’s end-of-Partnership outcomes.
Find out more about the RTP progress dashboards in these Frequently Asked Questions.
#Partnership Activities
Our five-year plan for the Traditional Owner Reef Protection component includes the following Partnership Activities:
Drive Indigenous innovation, leadership and collaboration in Reef protection
Activate Traditional Owner-led Reef protection activities
Launch a Traditional Owner Future Fund
#Traditional Owner-led Reef protection activities:

Crown-of-thorns starfish control
This work supports activities that improve Traditional Owner participation in crown-of-thorns starfish control and facilitates training and service delivery partnerships.

Reef monitoring and reporting
This work aims to implement the Strong Peoples – Strong Country framework including negotiation of data sharing agreements, audit of monitoring skills, tools and assets, and development and implementation of education and employment pathways.

Reef restoration and adaptation
This work aims to improve Traditional Owner access to and active participation in Reef restoration and adaptation projects.

Healthy water
This work aims to improve Traditional Owner access to and active participation in water quality projects through grants, a water literacy toolkit, and the assistance from a coordinator.

Stage One Grants
The first open grant round was co-designed with the Traditional Owner Advisory Group and launched in early 2019. This $1.8 million program addresses three key focus areas:
1) Country-based planning
2) implementation of existing Country-based plans
3) junior ranger activities

Stage Two Grants
This $2 million investment supports Traditional Owner capacity building, training, innovation, planning and on-ground activities across the Water Quality, Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Control, Reef Restoration and Adaptation Science and Integrated Monitoring and Reporting components.

#Co-Design Action Framework
Positive progress has been made to co-design and co-deliver a fit for purpose investment strategy for the Partnership's Traditional Owner Reef Protection activities, to actively address Traditional Owner priorities for Land and Sea Country.
In May 2019, the Foundation hosted a Reef-wide co-design workshop with Traditional Owners of the Reef and its Catchment.
This workshop produced the initial design elements for the Traditional Owners Futures Fund as well as the Traditional Owner-led Reef protection activities under the Partnership.
These initial design elements have been foundational in the ongoing design of activities and projects under the Partnership's Traditional Owner Reef Protection component.
From this workshop, our Traditional Owner Advisory Group and Technical Working Groups continue to develop a comprehensive Traditional Owner Reef protection program.
#Traditional Owner Governance
To ensure fair, equitable and active participation from Traditional Owners within the formal governance arrangements of the Partnership, the Foundation has established a strong Traditional Owner governance arrangement to underpin the co-design and co-delivery of the Reef Trust Partnership.
#Empowering understanding through design
The following designs visually describe the priorities of the Traditional Owner Reef Protection component:

Innovation, leadership and collaboration

Future Fund

Healthy Water

Reef restoration and adaptation

Reef monitoring and reporting

Crown-of-thorns starfish control

#Projects
Under the overarching Partnership Activities in our
Annual Work Plan sits a suite of Projects.
Projects include both our impact-driven, largely on-ground actions being delivered by Traditional Owners, as well as a small number of enabling and supporting activities that together, will achieve the End of Partnership Outcomes.
Below is a summary of the on-ground projects funded so far under the Traditional Owner Reef Protection component.
#Stage One Grants
The first stage of Traditional Owner grants was co-designed with our Traditional Owner Advisory Group and launched in early 2019. This $1.8 million program addresses three key focus areas: Country-based planning, implementation of existing Country-based plans and junior ranger activities.
Wuthathi Rangers Caring for Land and Sea
Gidarjil Cadet and Junior Ranger Program – PCCC Future Makers
Mandubarra Junior Ranger Project
Jabalbina Daintree Coast, Reef and Islands Management Plan
Belbendimin Wulgun Djau (Caring for Sea Country): building the resilience of coral and oyster reefs.
Girringun Junior Ranger Camp
YBM Annan River and coast line critical values and habitats: healthy waters for our people
Wuthathi Caring and Connecting with Land & Culture
Yirrganydji Junior Ranger Program – Empowering Today’s Generation for Tomorrow’s Future
Girringun Maritime Project
Yuku-Baja-Muliku Junior Ranger Project
Dabu Jajikal Land and Sea Country Planning Project
Juru Land and Sea Country Planning Project
Goondoi Junior Rangers Program
Implementing Yirrganydji Sea Country Plan - Empowering Today’s Generation for Tomorrow’s Future
Wulgurukaba Land & Sea Country Renewal and Planning
Cape York GBR Sea Country Management Plan
Healthy Country Planning for Normanby Station
#Stage Two Grants
This $1.4 million program is strengthening and supporting Traditional Owner led reef protection on-ground activities across three components: Crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) Control, Integrated Monitoring and Reporting and Reef Restoration and Adaptation Science
Jabalbina Yalanji Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Program –Tracking and sharing the health of our cultural and environmental values
Yuku Baja Muliku Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Program
Seagrass monitoring and protection in Wuthathi Sea Country
Yuwi cultural heritage mapping and monitoring system
Lifeblood of our People: Our Land and Sea Country, healthy waterways and the Reef
Darumbal Capacity Building Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Management
Building the Resilience of Coral Reefs in PCCC Sea Country, Southern GBR
#Healthy Water Grants
This $3.5 million program is the first major opportunity for Traditional Owner- led grants to improve the quality of water flowing to our Reef.
Building Traditional Owner Capacity to Maintain Water Quality on Traditional Lands
Jajikal Healthy Saltwater Initiative Part 1
Recipient: Dabu Jajikal Aboriginal Corporation
TO Group: Dabu Jajikal
Budget: $149,963
Culture and heritage values mapping. Survey of values relating to saltwater that will result in a management plan.