Traditional hunting not to blame for dugong decline
The dugong population south of Cooktown has fallen by about 50 per cent — and in some areas by up to 80 per cent — since surveys started in 1986–87 but the Authority has reaffirmed its view that the major reasons have little or nothing to do with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander hunters. Indigenous people raised their concerns with the GBRMPA after the Queensland government tabled a dugong recovery plan which asserted, in part, that traditional hunting posed a serious threat to the already depleted population where their numbers had already been reduced by habitat loss. While they do not deny that hunting a depleted species has some impact, they emphasise that the level of hunting undertaken in the past did not cause the decline.
The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples told the GBRMPA that other factors including netting, the loss of sea grass, pollution, coastal development and boating were the main causes. As a result the level of indigenous hunting, which has not increased and has probably decreased over time, is now unsustainable in some areas, particularly in the southern GBR area. Greg Smith, manager of the Indigenous Cultural Liaison unit at the GBRMPA, said many indigenous communities south of Cooktown had voluntarily ceased hunting until dugong numbers have recovered to a sustainable level and had asked that action be taken to mitigate the wide range of threats to dugongs and their habitat. "Most indigenous people have acted responsibly in relation to dealing with the decline in dugong numbers," Mr Smith said. "The GBRMPA does not attribute the decline to indigenous hunting but would welcome the opportunity to work with indigenous people to ensure that hunting does not present a threat under the currently depleted circumstances." Dugongs have been hunted by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples for thousands of years and they hold cultural, spiritual, social and economic significance in indigenous culture. They are an important part of celebrations such as weddings and funerals and many communities feature them in stories and accounts of their histories. Indigenous people have a very good knowledge of dugongs, their habitats and environments and many communities have said the mammals are not now found in areas where they once lived in great numbers. Mr Smith pointed out that there had been no evidence of declining numbers in the southern GBR before an increase in modern human activities brought pressure to bear on dugong populations. "There is no significant decline in dugong numbers north of about Cooktown and we believe that is because the region is relatively free of problems like habitat loss, pollution, boat strikes and protective shark netting," he said. "The GBRMPA has established one formal Memorandum of Understanding with the Darumbal people in Shoalwater Bay that they will not continue traditional hunting, but several other groups have also agreed to stop voluntarily until numbers are re-established. "Many indigenous groups had already started talking among themselves about putting a halt to hunting before we approached them, because they had noticed a drop in numbers." The GBRMPA is working with the Hopevale and Mossman Gorge communities in co-operative management arrangements designed to enhance dugong protection. The Mossman Gorge group is now also active in the co-management of turtle hunting and is involved in turtle, dugong and seagrass surveys. The Girringun Elders and Reference Group is working on day-to-day management projects aimed at the general preservation of the Hinchinbrook area, funded by a range of sources including ATSIC and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. Mr Smith emphasised that, far from being a major cause of declining numbers, indigenous communities were become increasingly involved in the management of dugongs in the Marine Park.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
Authority |
HE Great Barrier
Reef Marine Park Authority has distanced itself from claims that
indigenous hunting is a significant factor in the decline in dugong
numbers over the past 13 years in southern waters of the GBR.
