The Living Murray Initiative recognises that the aspirations, interests and contributions of Indigenous people are an integral component of contemporary natural resource management and aims to take into account the social, economic and spiritual objectives of Indigenous communities for each of the Murray’s icon sites. In order to do this, The Living Murray’s Indigenous Partnerships Project is developing and implementing a consultation process that will enable Indigenous communities to effectively participate in the discussion about cultural and environmental flows. Based on experience and expertise from Canada, a rigorous social science methodology, known as Use and Occupancy Mapping, has been adapted and trialled to help illustrate and articulate Australian Indigenous peoples’ contemporary use of land and water.

This presentation will explore Use and Occupancy mapping and its application for the Indigenous people of the Murray-Darling Basin. It is hoped that the information gained using Use and Occupancy mapping will help Indigenous people describe and present their contemporary land and water management objectives in a manner that builds on their traditional knowledge and perspectives and clearly expresses their future association with their country.

Lee Joachim is the Yorta Yorta Nation Leader & The Living Murray Indigenous Facilitator and Neil Ward is the Senior Manager, TLM Indigenous Partnerships Project, Murray Darling Basin Commission