Almost half of the Northern Territory’s (NT) Kakadu National Park, located 250 kilometers west of Darwin, returned to indigenous peoples on Thursday as the federal government finalized six Aboriginal land grants across NT.
At a ceremony held in Kuinda, Aboriginal Minister of Australia Ken Wyatt returned to traditional owners the ownership of four land tenures covering a total of 9,733 square kilometers of iconic national parks.
Environment Minister Susan Lay said the return of these four lands meant that almost all of the land in Kakadu is now under the possession of indigenous peoples.
Australia’s largest land-based national park, Kakadu covers approximately 20,000 square kilometers and is renowned for its cultural richness, including more than 5,000 indigenous rock art sites. 60,000 years of continuation Aboriginal Residence regional.It is also known for its natural beauty of thunder waterfalls, rocky canyons and lush rainforests.
Northern Land Council President Samuel Bush Branasi congratulated the long-awaited return, saying the grant had completed a 45-year unfinished project.
“In 1977, the Ranger Uranium Environmental Survey approved land in the Alligator Rivers area (Stage 1, known as Kakadu National Park) as Aboriginal land under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act of 1976. I recommended that you do it. “
“There have long been two classes of land in Kakadu National Park: Aboriginal land and other lands that are” subject to Aboriginal land claims. ” Today it has been fixed once.
“This returned land is a traditional country of the people of Limilngan / Minitja, Murumburr, Garndidjbal, Yurlkmanj, Wurngomgu, Bolmo, Wurrkbarbar, Matjba, Uwinymil, Bunidj, Djindibi, Mirrar Gundjeihmi, and Dadjbaku,” he says. I did.
Bush Branasi further said that the return of this land would open up new and exciting opportunities for investment and tourism.
“There are new opportunities for traditional owners to direct, engage and benefit from improved and enhanced park operations, fire protection programs, and new carbon economies. These are just a few examples,” he says. I did.
“Traditional owners also take better care of their country through improved co-management and protection of cultural places, and by taking care of their country because only they know how to do it. can do.”
Bush Branasi also talked about opportunities to culturally rejuvenate and celebrate the living cultural traditions of traditional owners.
in the meantime, Minister Wyatt “The connection between Aboriginal people and their country and cultural traditions is uninterrupted and lasting,” he said.
“This land grant allows this by law and gives traditional owners a seat of land management. It asserts their cultural authority to the Aboriginal people and continues their community. It gives them the right to build partnerships to manage their land for good profit, “he said.
Wyatt added that the handbag will move towards Goal 15 of the National Agreement. Fill the gap It aims to increase the legal rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in land and sea countries by 15 percent.
“These certificates are a testament to the efforts of the traditional owners, the Northern Land Council, and the Government of Parks Australia and the Northern Territory to reach an agreement that all parties can celebrate.”
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Steve is a Sydney-based Australian reporter with sports, arts and politics. He is an experienced English teacher, a qualified nutritionist, a sports enthusiast, and an amateur musician. Contact him at [email protected]