Strategy 3: Involve the community

Optimise community participation and connection with the World Heritage Area through innovative interpretation, with a focus on education, volunteering and social inclusion

As a World Heritage area, it is important that the Wet Tropics continues to play an important role in the life of the community. To help achieve this, the Authority works with a diverse range of Wet Tropics stakeholders and recognises the valuable role various state government land management agencies, land holders, Rainforest Aboriginal People, the private sector, voluntary conservation groups and the wider community have in managing the World Heritage Area.

The Authority promotes and supports community organisations and volunteers to participate in the management of the World Heritage Area. Information about our successful management partnerships can be found at wettropics.gov.au/management-partners. This valuable work will continue over the life of the plan. We also recognise that optimising community participation and connection with the World Heritage Area can be community-led and further strengthened through recognition.

Future engagement efforts will be expanded to target businesses, youth, the arts and health sectors, visitors to the region, science and social networks that have an influential and global reach. A particular focus will be to engage youth in ways that resonate with their interests and encourage their participation and future leadership in the management of the World Heritage Area.

Key actions

  • Action 3.1: Empower volunteers and support community contributions to World Heritage management
  • Action 3.2: Support our statutory committees and non-statutory committees to empower them to participate in decision making 
  • Action 3.3: Deliver at least five high-profile education or awareness campaigns to influence attitudes and behaviour change
  • Action 3.4: Revitalise the Wet Tropics Youth Engagement Program
  • Action 3.5: Strengthen social inclusion through a ‘Healthy Parks, Health People’ initiative in the Wet Tropics

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