Sustainable Communities

Sustainable Communities Building on Wheatbelt NRM's investment (from 2006) the Aboriginal NRM project will incorporate Aboriginal traditional cultural knowledge into natural resource management through recording traditional ecological knowledge, a network of Indigenous Advisory Groups and specific site management activities over the next four years.

This will be achieved through;

A continuation of the recording traditional knowledge, building on the capacity WNRM has developed, to date. This includes maintaining and building the capacity of Avon Aboriginal Advisory Groups.

Developing partnerships with Aboriginal and NRM organisations, identifing a further three sites per year of cultural and environmental significance where the Aboriginal community is willing to play an active management role, and to develop processes allowing WNRM to continue integrating cultural ecological knowledge into site management plans.

Continued employment of the NoongarNyungar Budjar Carers through partnerships with National Reserve System managers in the region to integrate traditional knowledge.

Assistance to Aboriginal landowners in the region to become more sustainable, both in their farming practices and through caring for the environment.

Site Management

The Wheatbelt NRM Aboriginal Advisory Group, which is made up of Elders, has helped to nominate six new sites.

Over the next two years Wheatbelt NRM will work to continue to protect culturally significant sites, consulting with community in the region.

Depending on the site, the protection work could include cleaning up, re-vegetation, improving water quality and interpretive signage to learn more about the area.

Last year, similar work was completed on Burlong Pool in Northam and the Badgaling Aboriginal Community north Quairading, which also borders a reserve.

These potential sites include Redbank Pool in Toodyay, Boyagin Rock near Brookton and the granite outcrop Shark's Mouth near Kellerberrin.

Wheatbelt NRM will also continue to record the stories of Elders and their recollections of how the landscape used to look, using filmed interviews to be shared amongst schools and community groups.