Western University Scholarship@Western Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi) 1-2012 Conservation planning in a cross- cultural context: the Wunambal Gaambera Healthy Country Project in the Kimberley, Western Australia Heather Moorcroft Emma Ignjic Stuart Cowell John Goonack Sylvester Mangolomara See next page for additional authors Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/aprci Part of the Environmental Policy Commons Citation of this paper: Moorcroft, Heather; Ignjic, Emma; Cowell, Stuart; Goonack, John; Mangolomara, Sylvester; Oobagooma, Janet; Karadada, Regina; Williams, Dianna; and Waina, Neil, "Conservation planning in a cross- cultural context: the Wunambal Gaambera Healthy Country Project in the Kimberley, Western Australia" (2012). Aboriginal Policy Research Consortium International (APRCi). 212. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/aprci/212 Authors Heather Moorcroft, Emma Ignjic, Stuart Cowell, John Goonack, Sylvester Mangolomara, Janet Oobagooma, Regina Karadada, Dianna Williams, and Neil Waina This article is available at Scholarship@Western: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/aprci/212 FEATURE doi: 10.1111/j.1442-8903.2011.00629.x Conservation planning in a cross- cultural context: the Wunambal Gaambera Healthy Country Project in the Kimberley, Western Australia By Heather Moorcroft, Emma Ignjic, Stuart Cowell, John Goonack, Sylvester Mangolomara, Janet Oobagooma, Regina Karadada, Dianna Williams and Neil Waina This article illustrates how a conservation planning approach combined Indigenous knowledge and Western science to support Indigenous Traditional Owners to make decisions about managing their ancestral lands and seas, and communicate more strategically with external stakeholders Key words: conservation planning, Envi- Figure 1. Traditional Owners and project partners in the men’s group during a planning work- ronmental Non-Government Organisations, shop for the Wunambal Gaambera Healthy Country Project. (Photo: Wunambal Gaambera Aborigi- Indigenous knowledge, Traditional Owners, nal Corporation). Western science. is a Gaambera elder, a Wunambal Gaambera Tra- An Emerging Collaborative Heather Moorcroft is a conservation planner ditional Owner and WGAC Director; Sylvester Conservation Space and PhD candidate at the Australian Centre for Mangolomara is a Wunambal man, a Wunambal Cultural Environmental Research (University of Gaambera Traditional Owner and Wunambal here is growing recognition in the Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Gaambera Senior Cultural Advisor; Janet Ooba- TAustralian conservation sector that Australia; Tel: 0401 414 732; Email: hmoorcroft@ gooma is a Wunambal elder and Wunambal to address national environmental bigpond.com). Emma Ignjic is an Indigenous Gaambera Traditional Owner; Neil Waina is a challenges and achieve conservation Partnerships Officer with Bush Heritage Australia Gaambera man, a Wunambal Gaambera outcomes, partnerships with Indige- (PO Box 329, Flinders Lane, Melbourne, Victoria Traditional Owner and Head Uunguu Ranger; nous land owners are essential (Ross 8009, Australia; Email: [email protected]). Dianna Williams is a Gaambera elder, a Wunam- et al. 2008; National Biodiversity Strat- Stuart Cowell is Conservation Programs Manager bal Gaambera Traditional Owner and WGAC egy Review Task Group 2009). with the Tasmanian Land Conservancy and was Cultural Advisor Director, [PMB 16 (Kalumburu) This recognition provides new previously with Bush Heritage Australia (PO Box via Wyndham, Western Australia, 6740, Australia]. opportunities for Indigenous land 2112, Lower Sandy Bay, Tasmania 7005; Email: This article is a narrative of aspects of a conserva- owners. In 2008, the total Indigenous [email protected]). John Goonack is a Wunam- tion planning process. It is based on the views of the land estate was approximately 20% of bal man, a Wunambal Gaambera Traditional authors who were involved in the process. Tradi- the Australian continent (Australian Owner and Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal tional Owners have approved the article and the Government 2010). Most Indigenous Corporation (WGAC) Director; Regina Karadada use of the images. held land is remote, largely intact and 16 ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION VOL 13 NO 1 JANUARY 2012 ª 2012 Ecological Society of Australia Ecological Society of Australia FEATURE has high conservation value (Altman reserves jointly managed or co-man- Alcorn (1993) argued that conserva- et al. 2007). However, the natural and aged with Indigenous Traditional tion is best achieved through partner- cultural assets of this estate are facing Owners) added another 9.8% (Austra- ships between conservationists and increasing threats and pressures, many lian Government 2010). In other Indigenous peoples. With a growing that were not present in pre-European words, Indigenous held lands can be recognition of Indigenous peoples’ Australia, such as destruction of cul- considered a cornerstone of Austra- rights, particularly as owners of areas tural sites as a result of develop- lia’s protected areas. of high biodiversity, there has also ment actions (Vinnicombe 2002). A new conservation approach is been support to address the social Managing these vast and largely inac- evolving in this context, providing impacts of conservation (Springer cessible landscapes can be resource opportunities for collaborations between 2009). The recognition of the inter- intensive, and Traditional Owners and Indigenous Australians and the conserva- connectedness of biological diversity their representative bodies are seeking tion sector. Historically, ENGOs based and cultural diversity (Pretty et al. support from external organisations to their conservation efforts on cultural 2009) is driving a major paradigm shift help plan for (Fig. 1) and manage perspectives dominated by non-Indige- among Western conservationists who these areas, particularly for conserva- nous people, ‘a community of scien- accept human use and occupation of tion (Dhimurru 2008; Hoffman et al. tists’ (Brockington 2010) and a the environment as integral to finding 2012; Preuss & Dixon 2012; Wallis preservationist belief. The Western a common ground of sustainability et al. 2012). preservationist view of ‘wilderness’ (Berkes 2008: 237). A number of EN- The Indigenous estate has made a contends that there is an inverse rela- GOs in Australia have developed Indig- substantial contribution (at least in tionship between humans and the nat- enous engagement polices, employ terms of area) to Australia’s National ural environment, a dichotomy of Aboriginal people and have Indige- Reserve System (NRS), mainly nature and culture (Berkes 2008). By nous Australians on their management through Indigenous Protected Areas contrast, Indigenous Australians’ rela- boards. Many, such as WWF Australia (IPAs). IPAs are Australia’s equivalent tionship with the environment is and Bush Heritage Australia (BHA), to internationally recognised Commu- firmly based on the connectedness of have Indigenous partnership pro- nity Conserved Areas, which are humans and the natural environment, grammes. Some ENGOs further landscapes of natural or cultural sig- on ancestral association and resource acknowledge that conservation out- nificance, voluntarily managed or utilisation (Rose 2005). Reinforcing comes on a collaborative project with conserved by local communities dualistic world views in environmen- Traditional Owners can only be (Borrini-Feyerabend et al. 2004). In tal campaigns and management has achieved if the project also supports 2008, the NRS covered 12.8% of sometimes resulted in conflict cultural, social and economic out- Australia (Fig. 2). Private reserves, between Indigenous people and the comes, such as sustainable livelihoods owned mainly by Environmental conservation sector (Herath 2002; for Traditional Owners (Fitzsimons Non-Government Organisations (EN- Adams 2008; Pickerill 2009). It has et al. 2012). GOs), contributed to over 4% of the also resulted in imposed control and Castree and Head (2008) ask NRS. In contrast, IPAs made up restrictions on Indigenous people’s whether we are reaching a time in 19.4% of the NRS and shared man- ability to use and occupy their ances- Australia when we have passed this agement protected areas (includes tral estates (Langton et al. 2005). dualism of world views, and note the importance of reporting on approaches that challenge this dual- ism. In this article, we describe the challenges of adapting a widely used ‘dualist’ conservation planning and prioritisation tool so that it respects and privileges Indigenous knowledge and ownership whilst maintaining the benefits of its Western science base. Wunambal Gaambera Country and its People Wunambal Gaambera Country covers Figure 2. Diagram highlighting the importance of the Indigenous estate in Australia’s expanding approximately 2.5 million hectares of National Reserve System. the north Kimberley region of ª 2012 Ecological Society of Australia ECOLOGICAL MANAGEMENT & RESTORATION VOL 13 NO 1 JANUARY 2012 17 FEATURE Figure 3. Maps showing the location and area of Wunambal Gaambera Country. Australia, including land and sea has a number of listings of Nationally Aboriginal Corporation (WGAC) as the (Fig. 3). Wunambal Gaambera Country Important Wetlands and Priority 1 and formal governance body responsible is part of the Wanjina Wunggurr Priority 2 Wild Rivers (Australian Gov- to them for management of Wunambal community. Wunambal Gaambera ernment 2011). Three of the World Gaambera Country. The Wunambal people