Background
In southern central South Australia, the Ngarrindjeri Nation are the traditional owners of the land, waters and air of the lower River Murray, Lakes, Coorong and southern Fleurieu Peninsula.
“Our vision for our Sea Country is based on the relationship between our people and our Sea Country, which goes back to Creation. The river, lakes, wetlands/nurseries, Coorong estuary and sea have sustained us culturally and economically for tens of thousands of years”(Ngarrindjeri Nation 2006, 6).
Capacities and Opportunities
In March 2007 the Ngarrindjeri Nation launched the Ngarrindjeri Nation Yarluwar-Ruwe Plan - Caring for Ngarrindjeri Sea Country and Culture (NNYR Plan). This plan is the first Indigenous nation plan of its kind in South Australia and was, in part, prepared to “help government agencies, natural resource managers, researchers, industry and the wider Australian community to better understand and recognise rights and responsibilities to our sea country” (Ngarrindjeri Nation 2006, 6).
The NNYR Plan is divided into four parts - Part One introduces Ngarrindjeri people and culture; Part Two details the development of the plan; Part Three outlines the issues, objectives, strategies and priority actions of the nation in a manner that is consistent with our human rights, cultural rights and cultural obligations even though some of these challenge existing management plans; Part Four explores opportunities for partnerships for implementing the NNYR Plan. The Ngarrindjeri leadership decision to develop the plan was a strategic response to the abuse and misuse of Ngarrindjeri lands and waters and the denial of Ngarrindjeri rights and interests. It has marked a major change in the way in which the Ngarrindjeri leadership proposes to do business with non-aboriginal interests on Ngarrindjeri country. The NNYR Plan and the processes involved in the development of the plan have also been an important exercise in Ngarrindjeri agency as it “provides a strong statement of Ngarrindjeri rights, identity, authority and responsibility”(Hemming et al. 2007, 6).
Ngarrindjeri have argued that they see the development and implementation of the Sea Country Plan as an opportunity to apply their full range of rights and interests including Native Title rights and interests. In doing so the Ngarrindjeri recognise that others now live in Ngarrindjeri country and as a result have not asserted exclusive rights and interests over the claimed area but do seek proper recognition of their rights as the first peoples of this land (Ngarrindjeri Nation 2006, 21).
Challenges
The Ngarrindjeri have identified several issues related to the future management of Ngarrindjeri country. Each of these is interrelated and all reflect the Ngarrindjeri’s intention to meet cultural obligations related to the protection and conservation of their country and their intention to achieve fair economic benefit from the sustainable use of their country. In the NNYR Plan seven meta-themed issues are named each with a descriptor of the issue, the objectives of the Ngarrindjeri in relation to the issue and the strategies and priority actions for the responding to the issue. The seven issues are: Protected Areas; Fisheries; Heritage Protection and Management; Economic Benefits from Country; Collaboration with Other Indigenous Peoples; Research; and Implementing the Sea Country Plan.
The opportunity to meet Ngarrindjeri objectives through building partnerships based on commitments made in existing environmental and resource management plans assists not only the Ngarrindjeri but also government and others to meet their commitments to involve Ngarrindjeri people in environmental and resource management. “Rethinking and where necessary (re)developing strategic approaches to engage more effectively with the complex space of post-colonial justice, culture and economy” (Hemming, Rigney, and Pearce 2007, 219) is a huge challenge for the Ngarrindjeri, State, other Indigenous communities and the private sector. All too often structural impediments and a lack of resources exacerbate Indigenous communities lack of meaningful power and control making it very difficult in practice to take control of the Ngarrindjeri Nation’s own agenda and own situation. The defence of Ngarrindjeri country and the struggle to make a sustainable living on Ngarrindjeri country is the most serious challenge the nation faces as it attempts to build good governance, economic sustainability and community capacity.