Northern Australia Water Futures Assessment – Cultural and Social program
Northern Australia's water resources and aquatic ecosystems are important to individuals and communities across northern Australia for a range of reasons –cultural, spiritual, recreational, and economic.
The aim of the Northern Australia Water Futures Assessment's (the assessment's) Cultural and Social program is to understand the socio-cultural values, beliefs and practices associated with water and how they may be affected by changes in water availability. In order to do this, the Cultural and Social program will:
- identify key Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups and organisations
- in collaboration with key groups and organisations, identify socio-cultural values, beliefs and practices as they relate to water.
In catchments identified by jurisdictions as likely to experience water resource development, the Cultural and Social program will work with jurisdictions to:
- identify requirements for specific socio-cultural studies or analyses
- conduct location-specific case studies to understand socio-cultural values, beliefs and practices as they relate to water including patterns of usage, religious implications, economic activities, and social, and political issues.
The program will also identify tools and processes to articulate Indigenous social and economic aspirations with respect to water, and will make recommendations for directions and priorities for future research.
The outputs from the Cultural and Social program will be integrated with those from the Water Resources and Ecological programs, to inform future decisions regarding the development of water resources in northern Australia. The outcomes of this program will also inform broader natural resource management issues in the north.
Projects
Review of existing cultural and social initiatives and key groups and organisations across northern Australia associated with water - Finalised
An initial review of projects, research initiatives and water planning processes relevant to cultural values, beliefs and practices was completed in September 2009.
Identifying tools and processes to capture/articulate Indigenous social and economic aspirations with respect to water in Northern Australia - In Progress
The objective of this project is to develop knowledge and understanding of Indigenous social, cultural and economic aspirations with respect to land and water management and development in the north of Australia. The project is being led by the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) and consists of four connected sub-projects. The information generated by this project will feed into government initiatives that will inform policy-setting with respect to north Australian development.
Social and cultural values project - In Progress
This project is being conducted by CSIRO, and consists of three connected sub-projects, the findings of which will increase our understanding of socio-cultural values, beliefs and practices held by various water using groups across northern Australia. The three sub projects are:
- Sub-project 1 - Social and cultural values in the planning cycle
- Sub-project 2 - Relative values of water for trade-offs
- Sub-project 3 - Developing management models for Indigenous water strategies.
The relationship between aquatic ecological assets and the protection of cultural and social values associated with water - In Progress
This project will produce a comprehensive desk top literature review and final report that focuses on the relationship between aquatic ecological assets and the protection of cultural and social values related to water. This report will contribute to the maintenance of cultural and social water related values, and discussion about the extent to which flow regimes set to meet environmental requirements also meet social and cultural needs.
Contact us
For further queries or to receive updates, email northern.assessment@environment.gov.au or phone 1800 218 478.
See also
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