Sustainable Kimberley tourism partnership
WWF's partnership with Kimberley Tourism, AAT Kings and the Kimberley Land Council
A project promoting Indigenous participation in the tourism industry and protection of Indigenous cultural heritage values is achieving milestones in the Kimberley.
The Kimberley Coastal Tourism project is a partnership between The Travel Corporation Conservation Foundation, WWF-Australia and The Kimberley Land Council (KLC). Project partners want to see an increase in the number of Traditional Owners working in and benefiting from the thriving tourism industry in the Kimberley region, and at the same time protect its unique nature and cultural landscape. With the Kimberley rapidly becoming a global tourism hotspot, it is critical to put in place effective measures to safeguard the region.
Now in its third year, the project has achieved some important outcomes. Project participants are working to establish guidelines for visitors, which when adopted will ensure that Traditional Owners play a more pivotal role in tourism while protecting key cultural sites.
Cultural protocols and awareness packages are complete or under development with the Traditional Owner groups the Bardi Jawi, Dambimangari, Mayala, Uunguu and Balanggarra. The Bardi Jawi Indigenous Ranger Group has established a cultural awareness talk to inform visitors to their country about their vibrant culture, history, law and customs. It provides an economic benefit to the Indigenous rangers and the community, while giving visitors an opportunity to meet Traditional Owners and gain a better appreciation of the living culture of Bardi Jawi people. This group is also delivering a full-day cultural awareness training/induction (1) to visiting tour operators.
Tourism training modules are also being delivered to Kimberley Indigenous rangers, who will assist in tourism management and cultural awareness product delivery. These training units count towards the rangers’ TAFE qualifications. Training is conducted on-country, so is both readily accessible to ranger groups and relevant to the management of important sites.
In addition to providing training on site, on-country site visits enable the recording of traditional knowledge about each site’s cultural and natural values. This information is then used to develop and enhance management plans to look after country. This is underway with Uunguu rangers in Ngauwudu (Mitchell Plateau) and Munurru (King Edward River).
Traditional Owner groups from across the Kimberley have shown an interest in developing their own cultural awareness packages in the wake of the success of this program.
1. Purpose of the course – to instruct tour operators and their staff on cultural protocols and behaviour when they take their own private tours on country.
A project promoting Indigenous participation in the tourism industry and protection of Indigenous cultural heritage values is achieving milestones in the Kimberley.
The Kimberley Coastal Tourism project is a partnership between The Travel Corporation Conservation Foundation, WWF-Australia and The Kimberley Land Council (KLC). Project partners want to see an increase in the number of Traditional Owners working in and benefiting from the thriving tourism industry in the Kimberley region, and at the same time protect its unique nature and cultural landscape. With the Kimberley rapidly becoming a global tourism hotspot, it is critical to put in place effective measures to safeguard the region.
Now in its third year, the project has achieved some important outcomes. Project participants are working to establish guidelines for visitors, which when adopted will ensure that Traditional Owners play a more pivotal role in tourism while protecting key cultural sites.
Cultural protocols and awareness packages are complete or under development with the Traditional Owner groups the Bardi Jawi, Dambimangari, Mayala, Uunguu and Balanggarra. The Bardi Jawi Indigenous Ranger Group has established a cultural awareness talk to inform visitors to their country about their vibrant culture, history, law and customs. It provides an economic benefit to the Indigenous rangers and the community, while giving visitors an opportunity to meet Traditional Owners and gain a better appreciation of the living culture of Bardi Jawi people. This group is also delivering a full-day cultural awareness training/induction (1) to visiting tour operators.
Tourism training modules are also being delivered to Kimberley Indigenous rangers, who will assist in tourism management and cultural awareness product delivery. These training units count towards the rangers’ TAFE qualifications. Training is conducted on-country, so is both readily accessible to ranger groups and relevant to the management of important sites.
In addition to providing training on site, on-country site visits enable the recording of traditional knowledge about each site’s cultural and natural values. This information is then used to develop and enhance management plans to look after country. This is underway with Uunguu rangers in Ngauwudu (Mitchell Plateau) and Munurru (King Edward River).
Traditional Owner groups from across the Kimberley have shown an interest in developing their own cultural awareness packages in the wake of the success of this program.
1. Purpose of the course – to instruct tour operators and their staff on cultural protocols and behaviour when they take their own private tours on country.
Islands and coastal inlets of the Buccaneer Archipelago, near Talbot Bay, Kimberley.
