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Indigenous NRM

- Research with or by Indigenous people for Natural Resource Management

Land & Water Australia, through its Social & Institutional Research Program (SIRP) has invested in indigenous NRM research with a vision of sustainable resource management and in recognition of the close links to different values and health.

Further information on the SIRP can be accessed via the website http://www.sirp.gov.au

Investigation of a Conservation Economy Model for Indigenous Northern Australia 
 
This project looks at the relevance of the concept of Ecotrust Canada’s ‘conservation economy’ model of Indigenous and rural sustainable community development in Northern Australia. It examines the opportunities and limitations within the current Australian institutional settings that would affect the application of the principles and components of Ecotrust Canada’s model. 

Download the policy sheet for this project here
 
Indigenous kinship with country: intercultural values of natural resource management
 
Commenced in 2002, this project examined the sustainable ecological management of Indigenous lands and bi-cultural models of ecologically sustainable tourism on Indigenous lands. 

Download the project progress summary here
 
Sustainable northern landscapes and the nexus with Indigenous Health
 
This project determined that landscape health, using a number of simple measures, is different under contrasting Aboriginal land management regimes. It compared the health and wellbeing of Aboriginal participants in land management compared with non-participants and initiated a critical evaluation of policy options for land management contributing to the development of Indigenous sustainable futures. 

Download the project progress summary here  

Development of Indigenous Knowledge capacity across north Australia
 
This project addressed the invaluable contributions Indigenous Australians have made, and continue to make, to the maintenance of healthy ecosystems and overall environmental
health.

It developed a workable strategy for the systematic conservation and application of Indigenous knowledge to integrated natural resource management at the local, regional and northern Australia levels. 

Download the project progress summary here
 
Developing institutional arrangements for Indigenous participation in the National Water Initiative
 
This project provided sound information and knowledge to Indigenous organisations and communities, and dialogue within and between Indigenous organisations and state water resource managers, the National Water Commission and researchers.

It also generated and recommend policy options for government, industry, research and non-government sectors on a range of issues including best practice in Indigenous participation in water resource planning.

The regulation of Indigenous rights through environmental legislation

This project examines the regulation of Indigenous rights through environmental legislation and policy,  including the development of natural resource management theory. It also investigates how law and policy are responding to the recognition of Indigenous rights to land and waters in NSW, and how these can be improved.  

Download the project progress summary here

An Agreement-based Approach to Customary Law Governance in Water Resource Management

The objectives of this project are:
  • Negotiate a governance of water agreement with N’gul (Anna’s Reservoir)
  • Identify and demonstrate Indigenous livelihoods in land and water management from agreements research and management, and benefit-sharing approaches (i.e. rangers, researchers, linguists, negotiators and project managers)
  • Demonstrate and communicate approaches for forming agreements and best practice examples for research, protocols, traditional knowledge management and recognition of customary law that will significantly improve effective governance arrangements for water resource management


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