State-wide Outcome
By 2050, Aboriginal communities have been supported to access, heal, protect and manage land, sea and sky Country in a way that respects their knowledge and rights as Traditional Owners, according to their priorities.
Regional context
Cradle Coast Authority acknowledges the Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples’ strong connections to the coast, land, and waterways as well as plants and animals, which are associated with traditional uses and significance in ceremonies, creation stories, art and identity. Stewardship of these sites and the cultural landscapes of the whole Cradle Coast region are not only integral to Aboriginal identity, health and wellbeing, but also to Aboriginal rights and reconciliation.
Sites of cultural significance are found across the region with concentrations on the coast and along river valleys that provided pathways from alpine to coastal resources for the region’s First Nations Peoples. Sites of significance include living places, burial areas, quarries, petroglyphs and rock art.
These sites are at risk from a number of threats including a changing climate (physical degradation of sites from sea level rise, changes to ecosystem function and native species assemblages), loss of knowledge and fewer opportunities to connect to or access Country, and changes to land use and/or condition (from urbanisation and development, changing fire regimes, pest species and biosecurity threats).
Aboriginal-managed land in the Region at Panatana, Preminghana, Kings Run, and in the Western Tasmania Aboriginal Cultural Landscape (takayna Country) are important places for re-establishing Aboriginal governance and reconnecting Tasmania’s Aboriginal communities with Country.
Cradle Coast Authority recognises that land, sea and sky Country management requires culturally
appropriate engagement processes to align our strategic work opportunities with Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples’ self-determined priorities. Working in open,
respectful and ongoing relationships with Tasmanian Aboriginal communities, appropriate Actions have been developed that support access, healing, protection and management of land, sea and sky Country.
Cradle Coast Authority recognises the importance and role of Traditional Ecological Knowledge in natural resource management and aims to facilitate opportunities for the continuation or reestablishment of traditional practices by Aboriginal people in looking after Country. CCA aims to support the integration of traditional land management practices, where possible and appropriate, to contribute to the Outcomes of the Strategy. This will occur across all Themes and in recognition of the importance of this, Aboriginal culture and knowledge is recognised in the Strategy Principles (Section 3.3).