An Indigenous co-designed adaptation plan for the K’gari World Heritage Area

April 8, 2024

Enabling best practice adaptation, Events & Webinars

The Butchulla people, custodians of K’gari, a World Heritage listed sand island of south-eastern Queensland, partnered with the Climate Systems Hub and the Queensland Government Department of Environment, Science and Innovation to pilot the development of a climate change adaptation plan.

The resulting K’gari Climate Adaptation Plan (CAP) is based on a set of cultural and natural values meaningful to the Butchulla people and local community.

At the hub’s April 2024 webinar we discussed this case study and how this approach could guide similar responses by Traditional Owners to respond to the risks of climate change.

Sarah Boulter is Associate Professor of Climate Adaptation at the University of Tasmania and leads the NESP Climate Adaptation Initiative. She has spent the last decade building and supporting climate adaptation research and practice in Australia. Sarah’s research focuses on the impacts of climate change and building capacity to adapt. She has worked with the health, biodiversity, defence and infrastructure sectors to support, develop and implement climate change adaptation strategies.

Jade Gould is a Butchulla and Woppaburra woman and environmental scientist. Her Masters of Science made contributions to the understanding of climate change impacts on First Nations peoples, with a particular focus on the Butchulla community. She is currently completing a PhD examining First Nations people’s relationship with the Australian landscape at University of Sunshine Coast as a research fellow with CSIRO.

Chantel Van Wamelen is the Butchulla Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC’s Ranger Coordinator, a position she has held since 2018. A proud Butchulla woman, she is passionate about her people and the role that First Nations’ groups should have in restoring and managing Country. Chantel is also a member on the award-winning (Earthshot Prize) Queensland Indigenous Women’s Ranger Network’s Advisory Group.

Toni Thwaites is the Senior Project Officer in the World Heritage Team in the Department of Environment, Science, and Innovation with years of experience working in partnership with stakeholders, especially Traditional Owners. Toni has extensive understanding of how-to bring people together to achieve positive outcomes, this is in part to her wide-ranging background in Emotional Intelligence, Neurolinguistic Programming, coaching, and facilitation.