Caring for country
First Nations people and communities have a deep connection to land, water and air. They have cared for it for tens of thousands of years.
What Caring for Country is and what it means
Caring for Country is the First Nations approach to managing land, water and air.
Caring for Country centres on the relationships between First Nations peoples and their country. Which includes their land, water, plants, animals, heritage, culture, ancestors, laws, religions and more. Caring for Country is also necessary for the health of the land.
Why Caring for Country is important
Working on Country is important for First Nations peoples’ identity and wellbeing. It strengthens their relationship to the land. Ngunnawal Traditional Custodians actively care for sacred sites, landforms, and resources in the ACT. They pass down cultural values related to the land by sharing stories and language which helps to keep cultural wisdom alive.
The ACT Natural Resource Management (ACT NRM) team works with the ACT First Nations community.
The ACT Parks and Conservation Service (ACT PCS) partners closely with Ngunnawal Traditional Custodians to care for Ngunnawal Country.
First Nations staff in ACT PCS help to:
- develop programs and projects
- look after the land
- respect cultural values
- use traditional practices
- embrace co-design and collaboration.
How Caring for Country works
Sharing cultural knowledge
Ngunnawal Traditional Custodians pass their knowledge to their families and others. This helps with planning and taking care of the land.
The Aboriginal Waterways Assessment (AWA) assesses the cultural values and health of waterways in the ACT. These assessments help Ngunnawal Traditional Custodians share their knowledge. All waterways have significant cultural value. Waterways with significant cultural value include the Murrumbidgee River and Molonglo River.
Other important areas in the ACT that help with sharing cultural knowledge include:
Protecting cultural sites
Ngunnawal Traditional Custodians are engaged in practices to protect cultural sites. They provide advice to Environment, Heritage and ACT PCS to conserve and protect tangible and intangible values within the cultural landscape of the ACT.
Thousands of cultural heritage sites have been found in the ACT, with many listed on the Heritage Register. If you find an Aboriginal heritage object or place:
- do not move it
- do not do anything that might damage it
- note if it is under threat (e.g., from machinery or vandalism)
- alert ACT Heritage by emailing heritage@act.gov.au within 5 working days.
Managing cultural landscapes
Ngunnawal Traditional Custodians use traditional ways to care for the land.
ACT PCS are working with the Ngunnawal community to develop a Ngunnawal cultural burning framework.
Burn sites are a shared decision between ACT PCS and the Ngunnawal community based on the needs of country. These burns can happen in native grasslands and cultural sites. They balance this with government priorities to care for the land.