Lucas Jordan
The cultural values of water and the engagement of Indigenous communities in water management will be a hot topic at a National Water Education Conference in Alice Springs this week.
The four-day conference has been organised by the Australian Water Association to discuss the education needs in water management across the country and includes five presentations from Charles Darwin University researchers.
Lucas Jordan, a Research Associate with CDU’s School of Australian Indigenous Knowledge Systems, will today report on a collaborative project with the Anmatyerr Community, the NT Government and the Central Land Council which progresses international and Australian goals for Indigenous participation and recognition of Indigenous knowledge in natural resource management.
“The Anmatyerr Kwatj (water) Project aims to create sustainable livelihoods for the Indigenous people of this region north of Alice Springs, where emerging industry water use demands new governance arrangements for water,” he said.
“These livelihoods will be supported by skills training and hopefully enable people to communicate and advocate their cultural values and rights in relation to this valuable resource,” he said.
The project is funded by Land and Water Australia, the Desert Knowledge Cooperative Research Centre and CDU.
Other CDU presenters at the conference include:
- Eric Valentine – Foundation Professor of Civil Engineering
Postgraduate education in water engineering: past and future.
- Robert Wasson – Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research
Why isn’t systems thinking popular in catchment management and NRM education?
- Michael Douglas – Senior Lecturer, Environmental Research
Collaborative research and education: fish and river flows in the wet-dry tropics.
- Ian Dixon – Research Associate, Tropical Savannas CRC
Michael Douglas – Senior Lecturer, Environmental Research
Educating tropical land and water managers through riparian assessment training.
Media note:
Lucas Jordan and Anmatyerr community representatives will be available for interview at the conference on Wednesday 19 April, following the presentation.
For more information about the above presentations or to arrange an interview, please contact Kirsty Nancarrow on 08 8959 5450.