Aboriginal leaders shape water future

Over the past 18 months, Aboriginal leaders have engaged ina co-design process in efforts to guide the South Australian Framework to Advance First Nations Water Interests and deliver beneficial advice on water management for their Country. During a workshop held on Barngarla Country at Central Ovalin Port Augusta, representatives from PBCs approved a draft framework which will now be submitted to the SA Government for consideration.Throughout this series of workshops, Traditional Ownersvoiced the specific concerns and aspirations they had for the future management of water on their lands, an area which many in attendance voiced had been overlooked historically.South Australia’s water resources have historically beenundertaken without due acknowledgement of Traditional Owners’ ancestral rights and obligations to water, impacting Aboriginal people’s ability to use their traditional and ecological knowledge to care for the environment. During the workshop we spoke with respected Barngarla Elder Harry Dare about water concerns he had for his Country, as part of a wider conversation about the region’s unique challenges when it comes to managing theenvironment.