Aboriginal Waterways Assessment program

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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.
Aboriginal Waterways Assessment — Part A Introduction 7 PART A An assessment team from Walgett, New South Wales, using the Aboriginal Waterways Assessment tool (photo by Jackie Luethi, MDBA).
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References Aboriginal Waterways Ass
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Published by the Murray-Darling Bas
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Aboriginal Waterways Assessment program

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