Aboriginal Waterways Assessment program

6 Aboriginal Waterways Assessment — Part A Introduction
Summary of the project
The Aboriginal Waterways Assessment
(AWA) project tested and adapted a
Māori-originated water assessment tool
to suit Traditional Owners’ needs and
preferences in the Murray–Darling Basin.
The purpose of the project was to
develop a tool that consistently measures
and prioritises river and wetland
health so that Traditional Owners can
more effectively participate in water
planning and management in the Basin.
Building on long-term relationships
between Aboriginal Nations in the
Basin and the Murray–Darling Basin
Authority, a Participatory Action
Research strategy provided the inquiry
framework for collaboration with
Nations as they carried out the pilots.
The three participating Nation groups
were: Wemba Wemba and Barapa
Barapa Nations (Deniliquin); Gamilaraay
Nation (Walgett); and Dhudhuroa and
Waywurru Nations (Victorian Alps).
The research found: each Nation group
agrees that the Aboriginal Waterways
Assessment tool and process is a
culturally appropriate, safe and
strengthening way to assess the health
of river and wetland places.
Additionally, the Aboriginal Waterways
Assessment was found to:
• produce accurate, accessible and
useful information
• be good for people’s health and
wellbeing
• increase Aboriginal peoples’
confidence in using their
knowledge in water planning and
management environments
• enable members of Nations with
limited knowledge of Country to
contribute to river and wetland
health assessment
• provide local knowledge of:
• biodiversity and flow conditions
• extended time-frames of flow
characteristics
• current observations of the
local impacts of water policy
and regulation on Nations
• help prevent further loss of
Traditional Owners’ knowledge of
Country by:
• providing an analysis of river
and wetland health relative to
cultural uses
• recording the current state
of cultural values and uses
of Country
• contributing to cultural
transmission including
historical stories
• providing valid and locallyowned
information for caring
for Country.
A multi-disciplinary and crosscultural
team worked on this project
in partnership with the MDBA’s
Aboriginal Partnerships team.
The teams provided technical expertise
with regard to the original Cultural
Health Index, river and wetland
ecological management, social ecology
and Participatory Action Research.
The Murray Lower Darling Rivers
Indigenous Nations and Northern
Basin Aboriginal Nations authorised
the design and implementation of the
Aboriginal Waterways Assessment
project.