Support the Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owners in their work to co-design the new Buccaneer Archipelago Marine Park.

As a Country Needs People supporter who wants to see our natural and cultural heritage carefully managed into the future, I strongly welcome the creation of the Maiyalam, Mayala, and Bardi Jawi Marine Parks and support the Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owners as central to all aspects of their ongoing management. I was particularly heartened to see that, for the first time, the proposed management plans for the parks were co-designed by Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owners and the WA Government. I understand the cultural and traditional ecological knowledge of over 200 individual Traditional Owners went into developing these plans, and I commend the DBCA for undertaking a process whereby the Traditional Owners, who have a unique and unbroken connection to these areas stretching back over millennia, were heard.
I believe the Maiyalam, Mayala, and Bardi Jawi Marine Parks proposal offers a good deal of balance. Balance that protects important cultural places and important Kimberley marine biodiversity hot spots while providing some of the best fishing and recreational experiences in Australia. At the same time, the plan is prudent by recognising the need to allow for, but carefully manage, growing numbers of visitors to the area and importantly ensure they are both welcome and safe when on Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Country. 
I also commend the creation of the new Special Purpose Cultural Protection Zones. With Cape Leveque Road's sealing, the development of these new zones will be vital to ensuring Traditional Owners keep country healthy and protect important sites while sharing with visitors. I urge the West Australian Government to respect Traditional Owner wishes and the co-design process they have initiated by keeping the size and regulations associated with the Special Purpose Cultural Protection Zones. 
I also want to stress the importance of ensuring that Traditional Owners are at the core of management activities and decision making across the proposed Maiyalam, Mayala, and Bardi Jawi Marine Parks. When the Buccaneer Archipelago Marine Park is finally declared, it is essential that appropriate resources are directed towards the management of complex cultural values as determined by the Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owners. As well as ensuring they are central to delivery of management of biodiversity. For the park to be an enduring success, the quality, funding and implementation of active management post declaration is just as important as the management plan’s integrity. As the Traditional Owners have an enduring relationship with the region, their views must be a high priority.     A good balance has been struck with the development of the Maiyalam, Mayala, and Bardi Jawi Marine Park plans. The plans at this point go some way to addressing the need of the Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owners to maintain their saltwater lifestyle while ensuring that critical ecological areas are protected and allow for sustainable resource use, tourism, and recreation.

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Have your say

Tell the WA Government to respect the Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owner plans for Sea Country.

Tell them to support the cultural and traditional ecological knowledge of Traditional Owners.

Why the Buccaneer Archipelago Traditional Owners need your support

Australians want to see their sea country carefully looked after and managed into the future. That means cultural and natural heritage and the biodiversity of Sea Country must be looked after and managed carefully.

During the development and planning of the proposed Maiyalam, Mayala, and Bardi Jawi Marine Parks, the Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owners have put in an enormous amount of work to set out what is needed to ensure natural and cultural values are well managed and protected, and the public has access to healthy seas into the future. They have been proactive in good faith to work with WA Government to develop this plan. Over 200 Traditional Owners from these areas played a role in sharing cultural and traditional ecological knowledge to develop a balanced and strong plan for the Buccaneer Archipelago.

The Marine Parks proposal offers a good deal of balance. Balance that protects important cultural places and important Kimberley marine biodiversity hot spots while providing some of the best fishing and recreational experiences in Australia.

Now the Buccaneer Archipelago needs your help. Please write to the WA Government confirming you support the co-design process with the Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owners.

What we recommend

There are two main things that we want to make clear to the West Australian Government regarding the proposed Maiyalam, Mayala, and Bardi Jawi Marine Parks:

Traditional Owners, along with most reasonable Australians, want to see our natural and cultural heritage carefully managed into the future. To that end, we urge the West Australian Government to respect Traditional Owner wishes and the co-design process they have initiated by keeping the Special Purpose Cultural Protection Zones' size and regulations.
For the park to be an enduring success, the quality, funding and implementation of active management post declaration is vital. We want to see Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owners at the centre of delivery and management of the proposed marine parks.

Read the submission here

Please accept the below as my submission to the public consultation for the Buccaneer Archipelago's proposed marine parks.

As a Country Needs People supporter who wants to see our natural and cultural heritage carefully managed into the future, I strongly welcome the creation of the Maiyalam, Mayala, and Bardi Jawi Marine Parks and support the Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owners as central to all aspects of their ongoing management. I was particularly heartened to see that, for the first time, the proposed management plans for the parks were co-designed by Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owners and the WA Government. I understand the cultural and traditional ecological knowledge of over 200 individual Traditional Owners went into developing these plans, and I commend the DBCA for undertaking a process whereby the Traditional Owners, who have a unique and unbroken connection to these areas stretching back over millennia, were heard.

I believe the Maiyalam, Mayala, and Bardi Jawi Marine Parks proposal offers a good deal of balance. Balance that protects important cultural places and important Kimberley marine biodiversity hot spots while providing some of the best fishing and recreational experiences in Australia. At the same time, the plan is prudent by recognising the need to allow for, but carefully manage, growing numbers of visitors to the area and importantly ensure they are both welcome and safe when on Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Country.

I also commend the creation of the new Special Purpose Cultural Protection Zones. With Cape Leveque Road's sealing, the development of these new zones will be vital to ensuring Traditional Owners keep country healthy and protect important sites while sharing with visitors. I urge the West Australian Government to respect Traditional Owner wishes and the co-design process they have initiated by keeping the size and regulations associated with the Special Purpose Cultural Protection Zones.

I also want to stress the importance of ensuring that Traditional Owners are at the core of management activities and decision making across the proposed Maiyalam, Mayala, and Bardi Jawi Marine Parks. When the Buccaneer Archipelago Marine Park is finally declared, it is essential that appropriate resources are directed towards the management of complex cultural values as determined by the Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owners. As well as ensuring they are central to delivery of management of biodiversity. For the park to be an enduring success, the quality, funding and implementation of active management post declaration is just as important as the management plan’s integrity. As the Traditional Owners have an enduring relationship with the region, their views must be a high priority.

A good balance has been struck with the development of the Maiyalam, Mayala, and Bardi Jawi Marine Park plans. The plans at this point go some way to addressing the need of the Dambeemangarddee, Mayala and Bardi Jawi Traditional Owners to maintain their saltwater lifestyle while ensuring that critical ecological areas are protected and allow for sustainable resource use, tourism, and recreation.

Yours sincerely,
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