Several challenges prevent rapid and full adaption and reformation of existing management and governance systems to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge. Berkes (2009 this issue) discusses knowledge as a process rather than a fixed way of being, within which different ways of knowing operate as dynamic and interactive entities. The process may be thought of as an ongoing dialectic synthesis of ideas, experiences and contexts (Nonaka & Toyama 2003; Berkes 2008). In this paper, I give an example of how the synthesis of local knowledge may at times be excluded from governance systems because of barriers set in place by existing policies. I use the example of the Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreement (TUMRA) 2009 renegotiation process between the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation (GAC) in Northern Queensland, Australia, to explore potential barriers that inhibit potential governance partnerships. This kind of case study is relevant to researchers, managers, and policy makers who increasingly have been attempting to incorporate TEK into decision making arenas through resource management strategies such as co-management (Berkes et al. 2000).

The TUMRA enables Traditional Owners to manage green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and dugong (Dugong dugon) traditional hunting within Girringun sea country (term used to refer to traditional sea territory). The Australian Government's accreditation of the agreement supports customary law. The implementation and management activities of the TUMRA are led by a steering committee which includes state and federal government agency representatives, as well as the GAC to advocate for the knowledge and viewpoints of Traditional Owners. The initial 3-year TUMRA was extended by a year and included green sea turtle hunting quotas determined by each of the six Girringun saltwater Traditional Owner groups within their respective saltwater estates. The agreement is currently in a renegotiation phase in which Traditional Owner groups are able to lodge with the GBRMPA their requirements for the harvesting of new species, new permit numbers, and redraw associated harvesting areas under the new 5-year agreement.