Indigenous groups
Indigenous people have a significant interest in the management of Queensland's natural resources. Ensuring Indigenous Queenslanders play a vital role in NRM has led to the establishment of various Indigenous groups.
There are approximately 113 000 Indigenous people living in Queensland, which is about 3.1 per cent of Queensland's population (approximately 3.1 million) and 27.5 per cent of the total Australian Indigenous population (410 003). Around 27 per cent of Queensland’s Indigenous people live in remote or very remote areas, compared with only 5 per cent of non-Indigenous people in Queensland.
The Torres Strait region includes two mainland communities, and also 18 island communities, with populations ranging from 55 to 1600. The region’s total population is about 8300 people, with more than 6000 being Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal people. Approximately 37 400 Torres Strait Islander people live outside the Torres Strait region.
The Australain Government has developed the following resource to help regional NRM bodies work with Indigenous knowledge. The Guidelines for regional bodies working with Indigenous knowledge in natural resource management gives regional NRM bodies the tools they need to work effectively with Indigenous knowledge. The full report can be downloaded from the Department of Environment and Heritage website.
Existing regional initiatives and native title representative bodies, such as the Torres Strait Regional Authority, are the vehicles for developing and implementing regional strategies. For more information on Queensland's native title representative bodies, visit the Department of Natural Resources and Water website.
Last updated 22 December 2008