Progress Report 2007-2008 - Department of Environment and ...

114
Due date Region FA section Milestone Progress
ABORIGINAL INTERESTS
Aboriginal involvement in forest management
2000 1 April
UNE,
LNE,
Eden
5.1.3
SFNSW and NPWS each to prepare a strategy to
ensure Aboriginal communities and stakeholders are
given a greater participatory role in forest
management.
In progress
DECC is developing a policy for Aboriginal partnerships in park management, which is expected to be complete in 2009. With other
initiatives, such as DECC’s Aboriginal Community Engagement Framework (completed in 2007), the policy will form DECC’s strategy
for providing Aboriginal communities and stakeholders a greater participatory role in park management.
Despite this, Aboriginal communities are already involved in park management. Existing joint management arrangements are a case
in point. Also draft reserve plans of management are generally referred to relevant Aboriginal organisations and National Parks plans
of management are generally referred to relevant Aboriginal organisations and National Parks and Wildlife Regional Advisory
Committees, which include Aboriginal representatives, for comment. DECC also continues to consult with Aboriginal communities on
the preparation of threatened species, recovery plans (a statutory requirement of the Threatened Species Act 1995) and to help
recover other species where there is a known cultural association. In some instances major development proposals are referred to
Aboriginal organisations for comment.
Further reporting on Aboriginal involvement in reserve and cultural heritage management can be found in DECC’s annual reports
available at: www.environment.nsw.gov.au/whoweare/reports.htm
Further information on Aboriginal communities’ involvement in threatened species recovery plans and management is available at:
www.threatenedspecies.environment.nsw.gov.au/tsprofile/pas_recovery_strategies.aspx (under ‘Aboriginal liaison and/or
interpretation’).
The Bega and Eurobodalla Aboriginal heritage studies are continuing. These studies are overseen by two steering committees,
comprised mostly of Aboriginal people.
The UNE, LNE, Eden and Southern ESFM plans include policy statements that commit Forests NSW to ensuring Aboriginal
communities are involved in managing State forests, and corporate ‘Operational Guidelines for Management of Aboriginal Cultural
Heritage on State forests’, which include consultative arrangements that Forests NSW regions will use to engage with local Aboriginal
communities for forest activities, when communication with the community could be expected, site protection and a review of how well
these consultative arrangements worked over the previous period. The guidelines were developed in consultation with NPWS and the
NSW Heritage Office and draw on the Protective Mechanisms for Cultural Heritage report prepared on behalf of the Cultural Heritage
Working Group, as part of the NSW Comprehensive Regional Assessments.
To achieve this, Forests NSW makes a commitment with Aboriginal people to ensure:
appropriate Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Awareness training for Forests NSW staff
involvement in any further development of policy concerning the management of Aboriginal values and interests in State forests
identification and management of Aboriginal cultural heritage sites, places and resources
access to land for cultural purposes which may include hunting and gathering
identification of culturally appropriate co-management and commercial joint venture opportunities, and
identification of Aboriginal employment opportunities in cultural and natural resource management activities.
NSW FOREST AGREEMENTS AND INTEGRATED FORESTRY OPERATIONS APPROVALS