Abstract
Aboriginal participation in water resources decision making in Australia is similar when compared with Indigenous peoples’ experiences in other common law countries such as the United States and Canada; however, this process has taken different paths. This paper provides a review of the literature detailing current legislative policies and practices and offers case studies to highlight and contrast Indigenous peoples’ involvement in water resources planning and management in Australia and North America. Progress towards Aboriginal governance in water resources management in Australia has been slow and patchy. The U.S. and Canada have not developed consistent approaches in honoring water resources agreements or resolving Indigenous water rights issues either. Improving co-management opportunities may advance approaches to improve interjurisdictional watershed management and honor Indigenous participation. Lessons learned from this review and from case studies presented provide useful guidance for environmental managers aiming to develop collaborative approaches and co-management opportunities with Indigenous people for effective water resources management.
Highlights
Indigenous communities throughout the world have long histories and experience in managing their lands and waters
Since European settlement of Australia and North America, the western scientific approach to natural resources management (NRM) has become the dominant approach to managing land and seascapes [1]. This ideological hegemony set the tone for water resource management and perpetuated political and cultural alienation by aligning policy and relationships according to colonial governments
Some frameworks in Western Australia that have encompassed significant factors for successful co-management have proven to be robust when evaluated against international standards for best practice
Summary
Indigenous communities throughout the world have long histories and experience in managing their lands and waters. Since European settlement of Australia and North America, the western scientific approach to natural resources management (NRM) has become the dominant approach to managing land and seascapes [1] This ideological hegemony set the tone for water resource management and perpetuated political and cultural alienation by aligning policy and relationships according to colonial governments. This paper’s main focus is on Australia, with important references to Canada and the U.S for purposes of discussion This summary details governance frameworks, legislative policies and practices, and provides case studies in three country contexts to highlight and contrast Indigenous peoples involvement in water resources planning and management in Australia and North America. We advocate advancing cooperative approaches to water planning and management gained from lessons learned from this review while improving collaboration and effective water resources management with Indigenous people
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