Ngemba Water Values and Interests Ngemba Old Mission Billabong and Brewarrina Aboriginal Fish Traps (Baiame’s Nguunhu)

[摘要] The National Water Initiative, an intergovernmental agreement signed by all Australian States and Territories between 2004 and 2006, is described as ‘Australia’s enduring blue print for water reform’ (NWC, 2011a).Australian governments agreed on actions for more coherent water governance (management, planning, pricing and trading of water) across the continent.This includes the formal recognition of Indigenous relationships with water for spiritual, cultural and traditional purposes (NWC, 2011b).Governments have committed to include Indigenous representation in water planning; to incorporate Indigenous social, spiritual and customary objectives and strategies; and to take account of possible existence of native title rights to water in water resource planning and management.Despite this commitment, progress in addressing Indigenous water interests and rights has been slow across the continent (Jackson et al 2012). This is in no small part due to the lack of research into the interests and rights of Indigenous groups across Australia; and a lack of knowledge of how best to facilitate integration of Indigenous water interests into water resource planning and management.The research presented in this report adds to a growing body of Indigenous water research that aims to fill this knowledge gap.The one year project assessed the water values, knowledge and management interests of a group of Ngemba people from Brewarrina in western NSW.This chapter locates this research within the context of Australian Indigenous water research.The objectives of this research project are articulated and the research context is introduced.The chapter ends with the report structure.

[发布日期] 2012-08-30 [发布机构] CSIRO

[学科分类] 地球科学(综合)