You may need a permit to conduct scientific research or educational activities involving cultural or natural resources including flora, fauna, soil and water within:
If you require a permit, applications are completed online using Online Services.
To learn more please read about Online Services.
Find out more on what activities, in what areas, require a permit:
A permit to take, use, keep or interfere with cultural or natural resources is required to conduct research for scientific or educational purposes in protected areas under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.
Protected areas include:
A permit to collect (biological and geological material) under the Forestry Act 1959 is required to conduct scientific research or educational activities in State forest, forest reserve, or timber reserve.
To apply you can submit a completed application through Online Services.
If your activity will involve protected animals, you will need a scientific or educational purposes permit if your activity is scientific research or educational.
Scientific and educational purposes permits are administered under the Nature Conservation Act 1992.
Prior to lodging an application for a Scientific and Educational Research permit within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, applicants are first required to consult with the correct Rainforest Aboriginal people.
To assist in this consultation process, you must complete an Application for research endorsement (ARE) form . You should allow 40 business days to complete this consultation process prior to lodging an application with the Department.
See the Steps in the application for research endorsement brochure for more information.
A researcher needs to demonstrate the methods in which they have attempted to engage with the relevant Rainforest Aboriginal people and be able to provide details of the communications and record dates and times of when the communication occurred. For example, attempting to contact the relevant Rainforest Aboriginal peoples once and leaving a message without further follow up would not be considered a reasonable effort.
Endorsement by Rainforest Aboriginal peoples does not guarantee a permit. Research applications are considered against all relevant legislative assessment criteria, with the ARE forming part of the considerations. Under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, an application is assessed on its merits against a number of criteria such as the areas management principles, ecological sustainability, contributions to nature conservation, equitable access, amenity and public health and safety.
This requirement reflects the commitments of the Rainforest Aboriginal peoples and the Australian and Queensland Governments to the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area Regional Agreement (2005) (PDF, 1.87MB) and the meaningful involvement of Rainforest Aboriginal peoples in managing the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area.
The Human Rights Act 2019 also protects the distinct cultural rights of Rainforest Aboriginal peoples who must not be denied the right, among other things, to enjoy, maintain, control, protect and develop their identity and cultural heritage, including their traditional knowledge, distinctive spiritual practices, observances, beliefs and teachings.
For further information about the research protocols, you can contact the Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA) at wettropics@wtma.qld.gov.au or call (07) 4241 0500. You can also provide feedback to the WTMA regarding the research endorsement trial. The WTMA will ensure feedback about the trial is directed to the relevant parties.
Researchers are directed to use the DTATSIPCA public map to identify the appropriate Rainforest Aboriginal people to contact. This mapping tool uses publicly available data to identify the relevant Rainforest Aboriginal people for a given area. This user guide will assist in using the mapping tool.
The 12 month form applies only to those scientific research permits listed below that occur on Queensland Government's managed areas within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area:
It is the responsibility of the researcher and Rainforest Aboriginal peoples to negotiate the scope and priorities of the research project. Where possible shared research priorities should be agreed during the initial research planning phase.
A research application must still be considered against all relevant legislative assessment criteria, with the ARE form content forming part of the considerations. If consent is not given, DES may request further information from the researcher and the relevant Rainforest Aboriginal peoples about the grounds upon which consent is not given.
The DES delegate could still decide to grant a permit even in the absence of consent from Rainforest Aboriginal peoples. For example, the research could form part of a long-term project which if discontinued would compromise critical data. The granting of the permit in this circumstance however, may result in additional conditions requiring the involvement of Rainforest Aboriginal peoples.
Yes, you can make this request and it will be considered in the assessment process.
Alternative locations may also be suggested. The applicant will be required to demonstrate why the activity must be conducted within a specific DES managed area/national park.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to work through the ARE form process before submitting a permit application. Decision-making timeframes are set out in relevant legislation once the application is lodged.
If an ARE form has not been provided with an application, the DES delegate may ‘stop the clock’ through a formal further information request process.
DES supports the involvement of Rainforest Aboriginal peoples in research projects conducted within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area however cannot require any fee for service arrangements in a permit.
It is the responsibility of the researcher and Rainforest Aboriginal peoples to negotiate resourcing involvement in the project. Researchers should be considering fee for service arrangements in the initial research planning and budgeting phase.
The DES delegate may still decide to grant a permit in the absence of a fee for service arrangement.
All research and education permits regulated by DES exclude commercial use, and applicants must complete a declaration on the permit application form confirming this.
If research is commercial a Biodiscovery permit is required as regulated under the Biodiscovery Act 2004. These types of permits are administered through a separate administrative process outside these arrangements.
The application for research endorsement is intended to establish relationships and strategies to support greater involvement of Rainforest Aboriginal peoples in research activities.
This is separate to procedural rights under the Native Title Act 1993, which are set out in the Queensland Government Native Title Work Procedures. The list below provides examples of standard permit conditions that can apply to all research permits involving activities in the WTWHA.
The permit holder/researcher must:
For access to a state marine park for scientific research or educational purposes, you will require a marine park permit. You will also require a scientific or educational purposes permit if your activity involves protected animals such as cetaceans, marine turtles or sea snakes.
Activities within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Commonwealth) will require a joint marine parks permit from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority – GBRMPA Permits Online.
No fees apply to any of the abovementioned permit types.
If you are granted a permit, you must notify the Queensland Government of your planned research at least seven days prior to arrival. This is done by completing the Research field work notification form.
Any agreement reached with the Rainforest Aboriginal people–if within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area–through the Application for research endorsement form must be actioned.
Subject to each permit granted, you will be required to submit reports or return of operations through Online Services.
