wayfinders circle governance report english - Flipbook - Page 35
b) Warddeken, Arnhem Land |
AUSTRALIA
The Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area is a part of Arnhem Land, a vast Indigenous territory in northern Australia that has
been home to Indigenous peoples and culture for over 65,000 years. Over twice the size of Switzerland, Arnhem Land is one of the
largest Aboriginal reserves in Australia and is perhaps best known for the art of its people and the strong continuous traditions of
its Indigenous inhabitants, as well as its geographic remoteness. Cultural beliefs have minor variations from clan to clan, although
it is understood that the land and the people were created by an array of spiritual ancestors. They made the rivers, the water holes,
the hills, the rocks, and all living things. They gave each clan their land, their totems, their laws to live by, and their dreaming.
The Nawarddeken, who are the traditional owners of Warddeken, make up 36 clan groups of the Bininj Kunwok language group.
Their ownership of the land is recognized under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976. Together they created
the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area in 2009, including 1,394,951 hectares of spectacular stone and gorge on the West
Arnhem Plateau, immediately east of Kakadu National Park. The plateau is significant for its numerous threatened species, and is
of great cultural significance for its thousands of rock art sites. These sites tell stories recording the way Indigenous peoples lived
tens of thousands of years ago, some even documenting first contact with Europeans, and are home to some of the richest density
of rock art galleries in the world.
ARID AND SEMI-ARID
The decision to establish the Warddeken Land Management Company Limited in 2007 is the result of a meeting between
traditional landowners. Following extensive consultations, the traditional landowners discussed which governance structure
would be best suited to deliver environmental services and create jobs for people on the land. In this way, the Warddeken Land
Management Company combines traditional ecological knowledge with Western science to manage and protect one of Australia's most unique environments. It was established to be the primary support organization for cultural and natural resource
management within the Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area. Warddeken Land Management Ltd. operates out of the remote
communities of Kabulwarnamyo, Manmoyi, and Mamaradwerre; and employs up to 130 Indigenous rangers a year on a casual
basis. Rangers work on various projects including fire management and carbon abatement, weed and feral animal control, rock
art conservation, education, and cultural heritage management. Passing down traditional ecological knowledge to younger
generations is a key role for rangers, as they act as role models in their communities.
03
The Aboriginal peoples of Warddeken use a variety of ceremonies and kinship relations to govern how they live, which are
interwoven into the traditional land management of the Warddeken territory. For example, fire management plays a significant
cultural and economic role in Warddeken’s local economy. The Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area is managed by its
traditional owners with the support of Warddeken Land Management Limited, a not-for-profit company founded in 2007. Its
Board of Directors is composed of representatives of the 36 clans from the different areas of the Indigenous Protected Area, and
is responsible for the governance, strategic direction, and the day-to-day operations of the ranger program. The institution does
not speak for the traditional owners, nor make decisions for them, but rather manages the land according to their guidance.
For the Aboriginal landowners of Warddeken, having an Indigenous Protected Area means they develop their own partnerships
and determine their own priorities and outcomes. Unlike joint-management arrangements for national parks, it means they
remain the primary managers of their country.
Warddeken
Land Management
ANNEXES
|
ARID AND SEMI-ARIDRANGELANDS
35
