Custodian agreement to protect Red Gum forests

On February 23, representatives of the Murray and Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN) and the NSW National Parks Association (NPA) signed an agreement for shared protection of the ecology of the Murray and Lower Darling areas.

The agreement, 18 months in the making, recognises the damage done to the rivers as a result of unsustainable land use practices. The parties to it will encourage urgent remedial action through the creation of co-managed conservation reserves, including new national parks.

The agreement involves a large area of the Murray Darling basin and includes 10 Indigenous peoples such as the Wamba Wamba, Wiradjuri, Yorta Yorta and the Ngarrindjeri. According to the NPA, the protected area includes Red Gum forests that are culturally significant to the local Indigenous peoples. The forests along the Murray River are the largest remnants of vegetation left in one of the most heavily cleared and degraded landscapes on the continent.

MLDRIN chairperson Matthew Rigney said he is optimistic that the agreement will provide "real outcomes" in environmental management for the traditional owners.

From GLW issue 701