Yellabinna and Warna Manda Parks Draft Management Plan 2017 We are all custodians of the Yellabinna and Warna Manda parks, which are central to Far West Coast Aboriginal communities. Our culture is strong and our people are proud - looking after, and sharing Country. We welcome visitors. We ask them to appreciate the sensitivity of this land and to respect our culture. We want our Country to remain beautiful, unique and healthy for future generations to enjoy. Far West Coast Aboriginal people Yellabinna parks Warna Manda parks • Boondina Conservation Park • Acraman Creek Conservation Park • Pureba Conservation Park • Chadinga Conservation Park • Yellabinna Regional Reserve • Fowlers Bay Conservation Park • Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Area • Laura Bay Conservation Park • Yumbarra Conservation Park • Point Bell Conservation Park • Wahgunyah Conservation Park • Wittelbee Conservation Park Your views are important This draft plan has been developed by the Yumbarra Conservation Park Co-management Board. The plan covers five parks in the Yellabinna region – the Yellabinna parks. It also covers seven coastal parks between Head of the Bight and Streaky Bay - the Warna Manda parks. Warna Manda means ‘coastal land’ in the languages of Far West Coast Aboriginal people. Once finalised, the plan will guide the management of these parks. It will also help Far West Coast Aboriginal people to maintain their community health and wellbeing by supporting their connection to Country. Country is land, sea, sky, rivers, sites, seasons, plants and animals; and a place of heritage, belonging and spirituality. The Yellabinna and Warna Manda Parks Draft Management Plan 2017 is now released for public comment. Members of the community are encouraged to express their views on the draft plan by making a written submission. Each submission will be considered in the development of the final plan. Once developed, the final plan will be submitted to the Minister for Sustainability, Environment and Conservation for adoption under section 38 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 and section 31 of the Wilderness Protection Act 1992. I encourage you to make a submission on this draft plan. Guidance on making a submission can be found on page 25. John Schutz Director of National Parks and Wildlife Cultural Sensitivity Warning Aboriginal people are warned that this publication may contain images of deceased persons. 1 Developing this plan Far West Coast Aboriginal people are members of the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation and include Kokatha, Mirning, Wirangu, Oak Valley and Yalata peoples as well as the descendants of Edward Roberts Senior. They have taken care of the Far West Coast of South Australia for eons. This draft plan has been developed by the Yumbarra Conservation Park Co-management Board – a partnership between Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation and representatives of the South Australian Government. The co-management board manages the Yumbarra Conservation Park and provides advice on the management of the other parks. The Yellabinna network of parks includes: Boondina Conservation Park, Pureba Conservation Park, Yellabinna Regional Reserve, Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Area, and Yumbarra Conservation Park (Figure 1, p.17). The Warna Manda (Coastal land) network of parks includes: Acraman Creek Conservation Park, Chadinga Conservation Park, Fowlers Bay Conservation Park, Laura Bay Conservation Park, Point Bell Conservation Park, Wahgunyah Conservation Park and Wittelbee Conservation Park (Figure 2, p.18). “This is a two-way learning process. It is only by working together that we can manage these parks for the benefit of all.” Leonard Miller Senior, Deputy Chair, Yumbarra Conservation Park Co-management Board The Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan guides the management of Country and reflects the aspirations of Far West Coast Aboriginal people for their Country and communities. It was developed by the Yumbarra Conservation Park Co-management Board and the Nullarbor Parks Advisory Committee, on behalf of the Far West Coast Aboriginal Corporation, through a series of on-country workshops with Far West Coast Aboriginal people. The Far West Coast Healthy Country Plan underpins the management of the parks and has been used to develop this plan. The Far West Language Centre provided guidance on the use of Far West Coast languages in this plan. Contents Directions for management .......................... 3 Yellabinna parks - significance and purpose ................5 Warna Manda parks - significance and purpose .............7 What are the challenges and opportunities? ................9 Management themes and priorities .....................10 Invitation to contribute ..............................25 References .......................................26 Yellabinna and Warna Manda Parks Draft Management Plan 2 Directions for management The continuous connection of Far West Coast Aboriginal people to their Country was acknowledged in 2013 when their native title was formally recognised under the Native Title Act 1993. As a result, Far West Coast Aboriginal people have a central role in setting directions for the management of the Yellabinna and Warna Manda parks. The Yumbarra Conservation Park Co-management Board has been established to set strategic directions and oversee management of these parks. The formation of the board recognises Far West Coast Aboriginal people as the original custodians of the land and acknowledges the importance of their traditional knowledge and customs in managing the cultural and natural values of the parks. The parks will be managed using traditional knowledge, scientific knowledge and contemporary park management techniques. The Yumbarra Conservation Park Co-management Board is currently a board for the Yumbarra Conservation Park and provides advice on all the other Yellabinna and Warna Manda parks. The Yellabinna and Warna Manda parks are all managed in accordance with South Australian laws for the conservation of their natural and cultural values. As such, directions for the management of all these parks are broadly consistent. Some sites within the parks have a particular focus due to their special values that need protection. Some threats, such as pest animals, require management at a large scale extending beyond individual park boundaries. The implementation of this plan will be monitored and evaluated to understand management effectiveness. Regular review of the plan’s implementation, combined with adaptation of the strategies, will be used to ensure that the objectives in this plan are achieved. The Yellabinna and Warna Manda parks will remain subject to the native title rights and interests that exists in relation to the land. The plan will be implemented in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Native Title Act 1993, as well as other relevant legislation. Significant sites according to Aboriginal tradition, and sites that are important to Aboriginal archaeology, anthropology and history, are protected in South Australia under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1988. All Aboriginal cultural sites, registered and unregistered, are protected under this Act and any significant works within the parks require cultural clearances. 3 The Natural Resources Management Act 2004 requires plans to be developed for the landscape scale management of natural resources. These plans promote community Managing the Far West involvement and guide many of the land management activities Coast parks together has that occur within the parks. The Yumbarra Conservation Park Co-management Board will work with neighbouring a long history communities and stakeholders to implement the priorities When the parks in the Far West Coast area were and strategies identified in this parks management plan and proclaimed, Far West Coast Aboriginal people were the relevant regional natural resources management plans. not allowed to hunt, gather, perform ceremonies and Acraman Creek, Boondina, Chadinga, Fowlers Bay, Laura take care of Country as we had been doing for tens of Bay, Pureba, Point Bell, Wahgunyah, Wittelbee and Yumbarra thousands of years. This affected our people’s and our Conservation Parks are all proclaimed under the National Parks Country’s health and wellbeing. and Wildlife Act 1972. Conservation parks are highly protected In the 1980s we formed the Aboriginal Consultative and managed for the conservation of their natural and cultural Committee to help the government understand that we values. They also provide for appropriate education, use and needed to be able to continue our cultural practices in enjoyment by people. By virtue of their proclamation, some of the parks in order for them to be healthy. At that time the these parks are available for approved exploration and production parks were being managed from Port Lincoln, which is a of minerals and energy resources. Areas that are available for approved activities are shown in detail in Figure 1, p.17 and in long way away. We talked to the manager there about Figure 3, p.19, Figure 7, p.23 and Figure 8, p.24. conservation activities including protecting the plants and animals and the need for local rangers to actively manage The Yellabinna Wilderness Protection Area is proclaimed under the parks. This led to changes to allow Aboriginal people the Wilderness Protection Act 1992. Wilderness protection areas to practice cultural activities in the parks and enabled us are afforded the highest level of protection in South Australia. to care for our Country. As such,