Dugong management across the Great Barrier Reef is seen as an ecological problem, addressed through western scientific approaches like population monitoring, habitat protection, and regulatory frameworks informed by ecological data. However, for many Indigenous Peoples across northern Australia, dugong are Kin, embedded within cultural governance systems and ceremony. This creates a fundamental misalignment: while decision making sits within regulatory frameworks guided by ecological metrics, the relationships underpinning Sea Country stewardship are inherently social, cultural, and spiritual.
Drawing on reflections from the Dugong Connections project, undertaken by a team grounded primarily in academic ecological expertise, this presentation explores how these mismatches surfaced through time spent on Country with Traditional Owners. Trust, patience and long-term relationships are central to this work, through which ongoing concerns regarding governance and the continuity of Knowledges become increasingly evident. These experiences have prompted critical questions about the role of ecologists in addressing what is ultimately a socially-embedded management challenge.
Rather than offering one definitive solution, we call for a fundamental shift towards Traditional Owner-led, transdisciplinary approaches to dugong management, recognising dugong as part of an interconnected Sea Country system, and revisit the role of ecologists within this holistic context. Supporting cultural authority, kinship, and local governance is central to effective management, positioning Indigenous leadership as essential to the future of marine management.