Malachi Johnson is a proud Gooreng Gooreng man from the Port Curtis Coral Coast (PCCC) region. His journey began at the grassroots as a Land and Sea Ranger, where he spent over seven years protecting Country. That experience grounded his lifelong commitment to Sea Country and Traditional Owner-led management.
He served as the Darumbal TUMRA Coordinator, working with Elders and Traditional Owners to develop and implement the largest Traditional Use of Marine Resources Agreement (TUMRA) on the Great Barrier Reef — 36,606 square kilometres of culturally governed Sea Country. He then worked within the Federal Government as Director of the Great Barrier Reef Traditional Owner Project at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).
Following that, Malachi became a member advocate and South Pacific representative with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO), where he has served for the past 4.5 years, supporting Indigenous voices in global food systems, food security, food sovereignty, marine stewardship, and cultural knowledge exchange.
He is also the Co-Founder and Director of ReefCast, a Traditional Owner-led media company telling stories of the Great Barrier Reef and its People through a Cultural lens, and Executive Director of the Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander International Engagement Organisation (ATSIIEO), focused on advancing Indigenous participation in export, enterprise, and opportunity. Malachi currently serves as Co-Chair of the Global Indigenous Youth Caucus at the United Nations.
With over a decade of experience in conservation, governance, policy, education, and Indigenous development, he remains committed to one clear mission: empowering our Mob to lead on Sea Country — because true self-determination starts with us.