What is natural resource management?
Land, water, plants, animals, rivers, forests, grasslands and woodlands are all natural resources. Management of natural resources is about caring for the environment we live in. Canberra’s development has changed the ACT’s natural environment and put some natural resources at risk. There is a growing realisation that we all depend on natural resources to live and that each of us has a role in taking care of the land.
ACT Natural Resource Management Council
The ACT Government established the Council to provide community leadership and guidance on ACT and Australian government investments in natural resource management in the Territory. The Council is hosted in the ACT Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate.
For more information visit the website www.actnrmcouncil.org.au
Indigenous Natural Resource Management
As the seat of the Australian Government, the ACT has a special responsibility to ensure Indigenous people participate in natural resource management (NRM). There is growing recognition that:
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Indigenous people have significant knowledge and skills to offer and responsibilities to fulfill in the protection of Australia’s natural resources;
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understanding, learning, respecting and applying Indigenous knowledge systems and including Indigenous people in decision-making in natural resource management is key to reconciliation;
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strong connection to community, country and culture is fundamental to Indigenous health and well-being; and
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greater involvement of Indigenous people in NRM will help increase Indigenous employment, improve Indigenous educational achievement; and reducing Indigenous incarceration rates in the criminal justice system.
The ACT Natural Resources Management Plan, developed by the Council, aims to increase the involvement of Indigenous people in NRM. The Council wants to see:
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traditional knowledge actively influencing significant decision-making in Namadji National Park;
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traditional knowledge and values influencing the conservation and management of the ACT’s natural assets;
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Indigenous employment and active participation in natural resource management activities more than doubling from its 2008 base; and
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Indigenous communities strengthened through their engagement in NRM.
Natural Resource Management Aboriginal Curriculum
This resource has been developed by the ACT NRM Council, ACT Environment and Sustainable Development Directorate, ACT Sustainable Schools Initiative in collaboration with the ACT Department of Education and Training.
Copies of the supporting DVD are also available for loan from ACT public libraries.
Resources
FactSheet: Getting back to country: Indigenous Natural Resource Management in the ACT
Media release
Australian first sees ACT students learn about Aboriginal landcare
