Inaugural Indigenous-led research strategy launched for Kakadu National Park

Aimed at protecting the World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park, the first Indigenous-led Research Strategy for Kakadu National Park has been launched.

The strategy was launched by Environment Minister Murray Watt, Kakadu Traditional Owners and project partners Parks Australia and the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Resilient Landscapes Hub, hosted by The University of Western Australia.

Effective collaboration between scientists and Traditional Owners is seen as crucial to prepare for the environmental challenges ahead. Fire, feral animals, invasive weeds and sea level rise threaten Kakadu's natural environment including plants and wildlife found nowhere else, and its cultural values, including bush-tucker species and art sites.

Located 240km east of Darwin in Australia's tropical north, Kakadu National Park covers almost 20,000 sq km and is a place of enormous ecological and biological diversity. There are 77 species of mammals (nearly a quarter of Australia's land mammals), 271 species of birds (more than one-third of Australian bird species), 132 reptiles, 27 species of frogs, 314 fish species, almost 1600 plant species and over 10,000 species of insects.

The strategy sets the agenda for research in Kakadu over the next decade ensuring Bininj/Mungguy Indigenous knowledge holders and the research community work closely together.

Minister Watt shared "I congratulate the National Environmental Science Program Bininj/Mungguy project leaders who have been instrumental in the development of the first Indigenous-led Research Strategy for Kakadu National Park.

"The Kakadu Research Strategy is an important step in listening to what the research priorities are for Bininj/Mungguy and understanding the right way for scientists to work with them in Kakadu."

The 10-year strategy directs what research will be undertaken in Kakadu to protect its unique environment and culture, and how that research should be conducted.

Kakadu Traditional Owner, Parks Australia Ranger and NESP project leader Bernadette Calma advised "as a Traditional Owner, I'm really proud to have been one of the Bininj and Mungguy leaders of the NESP project that developed this strategy.”

"I look forward to working together with researchers, Parks Australia and Bininj to protect Kakadu for future generations," Kakadu Traditional Owner and NESP project leader Victor Cooper added.

For 65,000 years the Bininj and Mungguy Traditional Owners' continuing cultural connection to the land has allowed for the development of an intimate knowledge of Country handed down over 1,000 generations.

NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub leader, UWA Professor Michael Douglas highlighted "we know a lot about northern Australia from the more than 40 years of research done in Kakadu and there is a wealth of Bininj/Munnguy knowledge to help manage the park, but responding to new threats, like invasive species and climate change, needs new information and that's where research is critical.”

This Indigenous-led strategy will position Kakadu National Park as a leading example of two-way science over the next decade.

The Kakadu Research Strategy will guide the protection of park values while delivering benefits for Bininj/Mungguy, including ensuring Indigenous custodians are guiding the research being undertaken on their land, as well as providing training and employment pathways.

Director of National Parks, Ricky Archer added "by building off our strong partnerships between the National Environmental Science Program Resilient Landscapes Hub, Parks Australia and Traditional Owners we can empower and better support the aspirations of Bininj/Munnguy from a research and cultural perspective.”