Across the Torres Strait (Zenadth Kes), extensive research has been undertaken on marine habitats. However, these data are often fragmented across institutions, difficult to access, and largely disconnected from Torres Strait Islander governance and decision-making for Sea Country.
This project, co-designed between Gur A Baradharaw Kod (GBK), the peak body representing Torres Strait Islander Traditional Owners, and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Indigenous and Environmental Histories and Futures (CIEHF), is grounded in principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty. It seeks to return, reframe, and govern existing marine habitat data in ways that align with Torres Strait Islander priorities, cultural protocols, and knowledge systems.
The project aims to identify, collating, and standardise datasets from public, academic, and government sources into a centralised, spatially enabled platform. Critically, all data are subject to GBK-led governance, including review processes that determine what data can be included, how it is interpreted, and how it is accessed or shared.
By repositioning control of data with Traditional Owners, the project supports more equitable, ethical, and community-led marine research. It also provides a mechanism for returning knowledge to Country.