Indigenous engagement in NRM in WA
Department of the Environment and Heritage
2006
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Foreword
"Caring for Country" is the Indigenous understanding of what governments' term "natural resource management". However, Caring for Country means much more than is contained in the governments' natural resource management policies and strategies.
It is hoped that this document will:
- help the broader Western Australian community to understand what caring for country means, resulting in better natural resource management; and
- help Indigenous West Australians better understand and engage in the governments' natural resource management policies and strategies.
Asking, recognising and integrating the traditional knowledge that Indigenous people are willing to share is vital to natural resource management in Australia if we are going to achieve real and tangible improvements to the land and sea.
Significant steps have been made in natural resource management policies and programs across Australia over the last three years. Community driven regional strategic planning for natural resource management has now occurred across the whole of Australia. This strategic planning is establishing the first steps to achieving large scale, onground natural resource outcomes.
All Australian governments endorsed the Indigenous Reconciliation Action Plan through the Council of Australian Governments. There is a strong commitment to achieving greater reconciliation through natural resource management. Understanding, learning and respecting Indigenous knowledge systems is a key to reconciliation processes. These ideas have been incorporated positively into the Regional Natural Resource Management (NRM) Strategies in Western Australia.
All NRM regions have initiated processes for genuine Indigenous engagement and have recognised that they must continue to improve these processes further. Greater Indigenous participation in all areas of Natural Resource Management will need to be maintained and improved if National, State and Local objectives are to be achieved through the NRM Regional Delivery Model.
It should be recognised that the level of involvement in NRM and the participation of Indigenous people has increased through the employment of Indigenous Land Management Facilitators (ILMF) and regionally based Indigenous NRM facilitators. All regions in WA have Indigenous representatives on the decision making body and many regions have also established Indigenous advisory groups. This greater involvement has evolved and grown from very low levels of participation when the Natural Heritage Trust was established in 1997.
Integration of Indigenous issues will not occur if it is left to a few representatives - all people working in NRM must be involved. It is most relevant to the NRM networks that provide support in the community, particularly in the programs of Landcare, Bushcare, Rivercare and Coastcare as they become more involved with Indigenous people at the community level. It's time to build upon our existing networks and strengthen the community's capacity for greater Indigenous involvement in NRM.
Kelly Pearce
Co-Chair
Australian and WA Government NRM Joint Steering
Committee
David Hartley
Co-Chair
Australian and WA Government NRM Joint
Steering Committee
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