Addressing Indigenous Cultural Values in Water Allocation Planning

Product Information

Water allocation processes across tropical Australia are struggling with the question of how to acknowledge and protect Aboriginal values and interests in water-dependent ecosystems. Indigenous interests in environmental flows research and water resource policy have tended to be neglected, consequently Aboriginal people have rarely participated equitably in water management decision-making. This project was conceived as a pilot with the intention of engaging Aboriginal traditional owners and resource managers in applied research and problem – solving. It examined international sociological approaches to environmental flow assessment and water management and developed a framework for addressing Australian Indigenous interests. The project provided funds for community engagement and products to raise awareness of hydrological science and water management institutions amongst the Aboriginal community of the Daly River. Academic publications conveyed results from the project and a workshop held in Darwin on cultural values and water, generated dialogue between water resource managers, researchers, and Aboriginal people from numerous Australian regions.