Blue Heart Sunshine Coast has begun a new chapter in collaboration with the Kabi Kabi Peoples Aboriginal Corporation (KKPAC), now an official partner in the project.
KKPAC joins Sunshine Coast Council, Unitywater and the Queensland Government’s Department of Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation in this innovative partnership-based project committed to sustainable and adaptive floodplain management in the Maroochy River catchment.
The 5,000-hectare project area includes more than 1,700 hectares of public land, surrounded mostly by rural and rural lifestyle properties.
The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed by Blue Heart partners.
KKPAC Chair Norman Bond said KKPAC have long been involved with Blue Heart activities, providing advice and helping safeguard cultural heritage.
“While our role in this project has been focused on cultural heritage, we recognise the broader importance of initiatives like the Blue Heart in addressing environmental challenges and creating a sustainable future,” Mr Bond said.
“We hope that this MoU signing signifies a continued commitment to collaboration, respect, and the protection of both the environment and First Nations cultural heritage.”
Sunshine Coast Council Liveability and Natural Assets Group Executive Bill Haddrill said welcoming Traditional Custodians as equal partners would bring deep knowledge and new insights to the project.
“The Kabi Kabi peoples have maintained a deep connection to this land for millennia and they carry profound knowledge of its ways, connections and history,” Mr Haddrill said.
“This partnership is a commitment to caring for Country together, learning from each other and finding new ways forward as this land transitions over decades.
“We have been working with Kabi Kabi peoples in the Blue Heart for some time, and formalising this relationship ensures their advice and expertise, cultural expressions, heritage and values will be embedded in Blue Heart activities.”
Key activities in the Blue Heart include the Blue Carbon Pilot Project and Unitywater’s Yandina Creek Wetlands, both restoring wetland areas while delivering benefits for the broader community.
Unitywater Chief Executive Officer Anna Jackson said it made sense to welcome the Kabi Kabi Peoples Aboriginal Corporation to the Blue Heart and expand the utility’s collaborative partnerships with Traditional Custodians.
“We work closely and have strong connections with First Nations groups across our service areas and there are further opportunities for Kabi Kabi People to work on Country and deliver sustainable environmental and cultural heritage outcomes at our Yandina Creek Wetland,” she said.
“The Kabi Kabi peoples have already been involved with mangrove restorative works, site master planning associated with the application of the Ministerial Infrastructure Designation, and cultural heritage assessments.
“As work in the Blue Heart continues, the Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger Program, being established by the Kabi Kabi Peoples Aboriginal Corporation, will provide land and sea ranger opportunities at our wetland site to incorporate indigenous knowledge and increase cultural connection and cultural tourism in our region.”
The Blue Heart project objectives are to: protect the most critical areas of the floodplain; establish wetland and floodplain ecosystems; enhance water quality; investigate new uses for the surrounding rural and agricultural lands; support the Kabi Kabi people’s priorities in the Blue Heart and provide community, recreation and cultural heritage opportunities for the public.
