Indigenous partnerships

The Indigenous Partnerships Project is a vital component of the consultation and communication for the Living Murray Initiative. The project employs Indigenous facilitators and Indigenous cultural heritage monitors who work with icon site managers to fulfil the program objectives.

The Indigenous Partnerships Project plan was developed with and strongly endorsed by the Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations.

Indigenous Facilitators engage with Indigenous Nations to ensure Indigenous knowledge, cultural values, perspectives and aspirations are incorporated into each icon site environmental management plan and their implementation. They also consult with Traditional Owners on The Living Murray works and measures projects to ensure significant cultural sites are identified and protected.

Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN)

The Living Murray program works closely with MLDRIN, a self-determining independent Traditional Owner organisation, which provides strategic advice to the Indigenous Partnerships Program.

MLDRIN provides an Indigenous perspective on natural resource management and cultural issues in the Murray-Darling Basin, and seeks greater recognition and respect for Indigenous knowledge and values regarding land and water management.

MLDRIN is a confederation of 21 Indigenous Nations in the southern part of the Murray-Darling Basin.

MLDRIN comprises traditional owner nominated representatives from the following Nations:

Use-and-occupancy mapping

Use-and-occupancy mapping is a type of map survey that uses a rigorous, well-considered social-science methodology that has been widely implemented in Canada. It is a scientifically defendable technique that will help Indigenous people document the many ways in which they currently use land and water.

Use-and-occupancy mapping identifies and records the spiritual, cultural, environmental, social and economic interests of Indigenous people in today’s environment. Maps resulting from programs to date have been used by Traditional Owners to support their input into cultural and natural resource management negotiations and planning. The maps will also assist Traditional Owner input to monitoring the impacts of The Living Murray program and other research projects.

The introduction of use-and-occupancy mapping followed a strict process of free and prior consent involving MLDRIN and the Yorta Yorta Nation.