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21 APRIL 2022
CALL FOR TRADITIONAL OWNERS TO JOIN THE FIGHT
TO PROTECT THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Traditional Owners of Great Barrier Reef sea country, aged between 20 and 30 years, are being encouraged to apply to join the Great Barrier Reef Traditional Owners Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (COTS) Control Program.
With an aim to improve inclusion and participation of Traditional Owners in the management of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, the Great Barrier Reef Traditional Owners Crown-ofThorns Starfish Control and Leadership Program will deliver training to Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef catchment, with a focus on conservation and ecosystem management,
marine operations, and leadership.
Funded by the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, the program is the first of its kind to be co-designed with Reef Traditional Owners, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and program partners.
Traditional Owners of the Great Barrier Reef wish to see tangible career pathways for specialised, culturally appropriate training and employment included in the design and delivery of the Crown-ofThorns Starfish Control program. Traditional Owners working with the Great Barrier Reef Foundation have informed the development of this new initiative through a co-design process.
To enable implementation of this action, our key partners – the Great Barrier Reef Foundation supported its Traditional Owner Advisory Group to work with us over a 12-month period to codesign the Indigenous Crown-of-Thorns Starfish Control and Leadership Program.
This program is being implemented through a partnership between Great Barrier Reef Foundation, the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre and INLOC, and is a collaborative way to ensure Indigenous cultural considerations are taken into account in protecting the Reef and marine life.
This co-designed program is rapid and impactful, and tackles the challenge with daily on-Reef action. Every day, vessels and divers from the COTS Control program are out on the reef to survey and remove Crown-Of-Thorns Starfish from areas that need it most.
To ensure we are carrying out this program in a respectful way, the Great Barrier Reef Foundation’s COTS Traditional Owner Technical Working Group and Advisory Group will continue to be involved throughout the life of the two year program.
The COTS Control Program uses bespoke management tools such as surveying and tracking apps to ensure every decision is impactful and effective, whilst Traditional Owners have added new design elements to ensure their participation in this program is well supported.
The training is structured to give trainees a balance between classroom time and hands-on learning and ensures that participants can maintain linkages in their home communities.
To achieve this, the program incorporates block learning periods at the INLOC Training Centre in Cairns as well as community-based projects on-country, over an 18-month period. Traditional Owners have designed parts of this program so that is a culturally safe and supported environment, with pastoral care added to the training and leadership program.
The Great Barrier Reef, its islands and adjacent land, hold within them cultural identity. More than 70 Traditional Owner groups span the length of the Great Barrier Reef, and continue to maintain Lore and customs through custodial responsibilities and obligations.
Interested candidates can apply for the traineeship by completing the online application form at www.cotsto.org
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