This report was commissioned by  The Australian Government Land and Coasts Team and prepared by independent consultant Bessen Consulting Services in December 2008.

It utilisises multiple lines of evidence to asses the contribution of the Australian Government investment in the Dugong and Marine Turtle Project towards community capacity, biodiversity and other outcomes.

Executive Summary

The Dugong and Marine Turtle Project is a stand-out success.

As a major project attracting significant Australian Government funding, the outcomes achieved in the project have outstripped the original expectations. In terms of the key evaluation questions, a network of skilled Indigenous and non-Indigenous land and sea managers has been established across northern Australia. Where the project is operating, community based management planning is leading to more effective management of threats to species and habitats. Multiple lines of evidence from science and on-country interviews confirm changes in attitude, capacity and practice, including greater protection of habitat and self imposed spatial closures and limits on harvest.

Arising in an adversarial context between the drive to conserve dugong and marine turtle (with a particular focus on limiting perceived impacts of Indigenous harvest) and Indigenous interest in managing the diversity of threats and maintaining rights to the traditional use of these iconic species, the project has had to address challenges of remoteness and limited capacity over a vast area stretching from Torres Strait to the Kimberley. Against this background, the project demonstrates the success of a two tool box approach to integrate Indigenous knowledge and Western science and the power of increasing the capacity of Indigenous land and sea managers to carry out management activities.

Breakthroughs have been achieved through the creation of innovative and interactive communication to build awareness and foster an effective network; and the development and implementation of state-of-the-art technology such as I-Tracker to collect and manage information about dugongs and marine turtles.

From this project, the Australian Government has learnt that Traditional Owners can manage a very large project and achieve the outcomes specified as well as achieving a large number of additional social, cultural, environmental and economic outcomes. Traditional Owners have learnt the value of broad networks where Indigenous people are linked by their interests and use their diverse cultural knowledge as a common foundation for the sustainable management of culturally and economically important species.

The project is poised to step up a level in sophistication. The initial capacity building has provided a foundation that can be used to take advantage of opportunities such as Working on Country for wages and operating costs for Ranger groups; the Indigenous Protected Areas program to strengthen cultural authority and enforcement; and the I–Tracker Network to deliver robust data on populations and changes to sea country managers and Australian Government funders.

These opportunities will not be without challenges, including the need for an agreed and accepted framework for data collection; State and Territory support for greater enforcement powers for land and sea managers; and the necessity to work collaboratively and synergistically with the many agencies and institutions working with dugongs and marine turtles.

The progress made on dugong and marine turtle management through the project has been a catalyst for raising Indigenous aspirations for broader sea country management. It is a clear confirmation that conservation in northern Australia cannot be achieved without Indigenous involvement at the core.