Wet Tropics Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples’ Consultation about Cultural and Natural Resource Management (CNRM) Report

This document was developed in the mid-2010s to articulate the position, perspectives, and priorities of Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples in relation to the Wet Tropics Rainforest World Heritage Area. Building on earlier heritage recognition work, it reflects a shift from establishing Aboriginal cultural values toward strengthening Aboriginal involvement in governance, management, and decision-making across the World Heritage Area.The document foregrounds Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples as Traditional Custodians with enduring cultural, legal, and moral responsibilities to Country. It emphasises that Aboriginal relationships with the Wet Tropics are not confined to the past or to heritage recognition processes, but continue as living systems of knowledge, practice, and authority. Cultural knowledge, language, story, and customary law are presented as central to how Country is understood, cared for, and managed.A key focus of the document is the interaction between Aboriginal governance systems and contemporary land and environmental management frameworks. It outlines aspirations for stronger recognition of Aboriginal authority, clearer roles for Traditional Custodians, and more meaningful participation in planning, policy, and operational decision-making affecting the Wet Tropics. In doing so, the document highlights ongoing structural challenges, including fragmented governance arrangements, limited resourcing, and the difficulty of translating Aboriginal law and knowledge into statutory systems.The document also situates Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples’ priorities within broader national and international contexts, including World Heritage obligations and evolving expectations around Indigenous participation, consent, and cultural governance. It reflects a growing emphasis on partnerships, co-management, and respectful engagement, while remaining grounded in Aboriginal perspectives about responsibility to Country and future generations.As a historical record, the document captures an important moment in the evolution of Aboriginal–state relations in the Wet Tropics. It provides insight into how Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples articulated their rights, responsibilities, and aspirations in the years following national heritage recognition. The document remains relevant to cultural governance, protected area management, policy development, and research on Indigenous authority, World Heritage landscapes, and the practical realities of embedding Indigenous knowledge within contemporary management systems.