The recognition of cultural water requirements in the montane rivers of the Snowy Mountains, Australia

Is investment in Indigenous land and sea management going to the right places to provide multiple co-benefits?

“…In Australia, Indigenous peoples engage in ILSM with multiple stakeholders (governments, scientists, producer groups, conservationists, philanthropists and others) through a range of mechanisms: formal government-supported natural resource management (NRM) projects (Roughley and Williams 2007); Indigenous and co-managed protected areas (Muller 2003;Ross et al 2009); endangered species initiatives (Nursey-Bray 2009); water planning processes (Jackson and Altman 2009;Hemming et al 2019;Jackson and Moggridge 2019;Jackson and Nias 2019;Moggridge, Betterridge, and Thompson 2019;Mooney and Cullen 2019;Poelina, Taylor, and Perdrisat 2019;Williams, Connolly, and Williams 2019); and the pursuit of cultural objectives conventionally undertaken in the absence of non-Indigenous actors (La Fontaine 2006). ILSM was first identified as an important area for investment by governments in the mid-1980s because it provided motivation for Indigenous peoples, and offered opportunities for work that extended into remote regions, where formal labour markets were often poorly developed or non-existent (Miller 1985;Rowse 2002;Johnston et al 2007).…”

Indigenous water management

“…Through the Snowy Mountains Scheme's operational management process, water and energy managers have started to include Traditional Owners in decision-making. The article by Williams, Connolly, and Williams (2019) describes the steps taken to address some of the needs of the five communities that have a direct connection to the waterways of the Snowy Mountains and an interest in the operations of the hydroelectric scheme. The article shows how agencies have engaged with Traditional Owners to shape and name specific flows (releases from the dam) after significant features of the Aboriginal world.…”

Indigenous Water Management

“…Through the Snowy scheme's operational management process, water and energy managers have started to include traditional owners in decision-making. The article by Williams et al (2019) describes the steps taken to address some of the needs of the five communities that have a direct connection to the waterways of the Snowy Mountains and an interest in the operations of the hydroelectric scheme. The article shows how agencies have engaged with traditional owners to shape and name specific flows (releases from the dam) after significant features of the Aboriginal world.…”