25 BURDEKIN DRY TROPICS NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PLAN 2016-2026
REGIONAL GOALS
PEOPLE CONNECTIONS
SNAPSHOT
Strongly connected and well-aligned communities are our region’ s greatest NRM assets. The key is bringing together the NRM community to:
• participate in NRM decision making and on-ground activities;
• build capacity and skills to pursue innovative business opportunities and sustainable management practices; and
• share experiences and research findings, and identify knowledge gaps for further research.
Sustainable NRM depends on an informed, skilled and connected community. In the region, a large proportion of our community are involved in protecting, researching and managing our natural resources, including rural land managers, Traditional Owners, NRM community groups, industry, researchers and all levels of government( described below). So many people are working hard in the NRM environment, and strategic coordination is critical to boost the efficiency and effectiveness of their efforts.
Traditional Owners
Our region has a rich Indigenous history, with 16 identified Traditional Owner groups( see Figure 3, p 26) and many clan and family groups. The Townsville area also has a large Torres Strait
Islander community, and the lower Burdekin is home to significant numbers of people of South Sea Island origin. Indigenous people currently represent around six per cent of our regional population( Queensland Government Statistician’ s Office, 2015a).
Traditional Owners have by far the longest and deepest connection with country and continue to have a shared living culture with their environment. It is vital that cultural knowledge, which embraces the concepts of intergenerational sustainability and resilience, is not lost and is captured and protected by Traditional Owners for future generations. Incorporating Indigenous people’ s traditional ecological knowledge into strategic NRM decision making, and on-ground works, maintains their strong connection to country and also better protects and manages our region’ s natural resources.
In our region, a Traditional Owner Management Group( TOMG) provides regional indigenous leadership and advice in NRM. Traditional Owners have observed that our region’ s Indigenous‘ A Caring for Country Plan’( 2005) remains relevant, although only partly delivered, and the implementation strategies require ongoing support and recognition. The Caring for Country Plan recognises that natural resources are also