Wet Tropics Regional Agreement

The Wet Tropics Regional Agreement (2005) was a landmark agreement signed by Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples, the Wet Tropics Management Authority, and Australian and Queensland government agencies. It recognises Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area (the Area) and establishes a framework for its cooperative management.

The Regional Agreement responds to key recommendations from the 1998 report Which Way Our Cultural Survival, the Review of Aboriginal Involvement in the Management of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. It acknowledges the vital role Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples play in managing the natural and cultural values of the Area.

At its core, the Regional Agreement recognises the rights and interests of Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples and supports their ability to define and negotiate their priorities, needs, and aspirations for the Area’s management. Collaboration and equity between World Heritage management agencies and Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples are essential to achieving these shared goals.

Wet Tropics Regional Agreement

The main achievements of the Regional Agreement include:

• Increased participation in decision-making through structural arrangements, including the appointment of a second Rainforest Aboriginal person to the Wet Tropics Management Authority Board. In 2006, the Queensland Government amended legislation to require that at least two of the Board's seven Directors be Aboriginal people from the Wet Tropics.
• Recognition of the Wet Tropics' cultural values through support for listing the World Heritage Area on the National Heritage List for its cultural values, and potentially on the World Heritage List to complement its existing World Heritage listing for natural values.
• Greater participation in policy, planning, permitting and management through principles, guidelines and detailed protocols that outline appropriate ways to engage and involve Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples in World Heritage management.

Read the Wet Tropics Regional Agreement (PDF, 2MB)

Watch Our Collective Journey to learn the story of Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples’ enduring connection to Country and their role in managing natural resources and World Heritage in the Wet Tropics.