Water-related socio-cultural values
| Objective: | Water-related sociocultural values, beliefs and practices in northern Australia |
| Funding: |
$1.2 million plus applicable GST |
| Jurisdiction: | Northern Australia |
| Commencing: | March 2010 |
| Completion: | June 2012 |
| Outputs: | Indigenous water values and water planning in the Upper Roper River, Northern Territory |
About the project
The Northern Australia Water Futures Assessment (NAWFA) is a multidisciplinary program being delivered jointly by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts and the National Water Commission. The objective is to provide an enduring knowledge base to inform decisions about development and protection of northern Australia's water resources, so that any development proceeds in an ecologically, culturally and economically sustainable manner.
Development schemes must also be consistent with the principles of the National Water Initiative (NWI).
The project will identify socio-cultural values, beliefs and practices as they relate to water in catchments identified by jurisdictions as likely to experience water resource development.
This project is also relevant to the recommendations of the Northern Australia Land and Water Taskforce by providing social, cultural and economic analysis to support the assessment of competing values and uses for land and water use planning, catchment level water planning and local decision making.
The project is in three parts:
- Part 1 aims to answer the question "How can socio-cultural values, beliefs and practices associated with water in northern Australia be effectively captured to inform water planning processes?"
- Part 2 will investigate non-resident cultural and social values associated with water in northern Australia
- Part 3 is a literature review that will seek to draw conclusions about the relationship between high conservation value aquatic ecological assets and protection of cultural and social values associated with water.
Project benefits
The project follows on from a Review of existing cultural and social initiatives, and key groups and organisations across northern Australia associated with water undertaken by the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts in 2009. The project will deliver improved understanding of socio-cultural values, beliefs and practices, the water regime required to maintain them, and the potential impact of any changes to these flow regimes.