Management Narratives: Local Participation in Indigenous Protected Areas
Jane Walker, Charles Darwin University and Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre, Alice Springs
Global concerns for sustainable development, biodiversity conservation and Indigenous participation have led to the development of new protected area governance regimes. Such regimes do not however guarantee that Indigenous management agendas are achieved alongside those of the state, and are often criticized as a result. To start addressing such failings, the gap between management intent and practice must be identified. Within Australia, Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) are seen to embody the challenge of accommodating Aboriginal values, objectives and processes within management practice. IPAs promise much: bringing equity and participation by enhancing Aboriginal control in management, recognising the cultural, spiritual and economic significance of land to Aboriginal people and providing greater support for economic and social development. This suggests IPAs will contribute strongly to achieving sustainable livelihoods for Aboriginal landowners. This research examines Aboriginal participation in protected area management through a case study of the Northern Tanami IPA, Northern Territory, by investigating how the inclusion of Aboriginal values, objectives and processes relates to enhanced conservation outcomes for protected areas. My preliminary findings illustrate diversity between local, regional and national management agendas and processes. Aboriginal interests in management are driven by cultural and emotional attachments to country, whilst national and regional agendas are driven principally by the need to curtail management costs and improve environmental outcomes. A better understanding and adaptation of management to the local context is essential to move protected areas away from the preservation rhetoric to a more concrete position encompassing sustainable development and biodiversity conservation approaches.
