The Tati Tati Cultural Water Futures project was delivered in partnership with the Murray–Darling Basin Authority (MDBA) and applied a co-design process with Tati Tati representatives to design and refine the project.
A series of workshops held by Tati Tati Kaiejin over several months brought Tati Tati generational knowledge, cultural objectives, and observations of the environment together with MDBA hydrological analysis and climate change projections.
The collaboration has seen the development of a deeper understanding of overbank flows before and following river regulation, as presented in the Tati Tati Purinya Kaiejin Marnmarnepu Report released 14 November 2024.
For Tati Tati senior knowledge holder Brendan Kennedy, the Tati Tati Purinya Kaiejin Marnmarnepu (Tati Tati Cultural Water Futures) project has been an opportunity to strengthen First Nations people’s application of our understanding and knowledge of our waterways and cultural landscapes.
“For generations, Margooya Lagoon has provided Tati Tati Traditional Owners resources and shelter as well as a place to conduct ceremony, maintaining cultural economies, cultural history, and lore. Margooya Lagoon will continue to provide for our cultural economic future and wellbeing,” Mr Kennedy said.
“We know regulation, manipulation, and water extraction of the river has disrupted how the water flows in Tol Tol. It’s changed the health of the river, the Country, and the Tati Tati people. This is compounded by the effects of climate change as shown by the hydroclimate projections. First Nations science contextualises these projections and adds much needed culturally informed, on the ground insights.
MDBA Acting General Manager of Applied Science Joel Bailey said projects like this provide an additional avenue for First Nations people’s interests to be considered in water planning.
“This project showed that applying Tati Tati’s science and MDBA hydrology analysis together produces insightful cultural climate risk information,” Mr Bailey said.
“We were able to use Tati Tati’s real time-study from 2022 to better understand when and how flows from the river enter the Lagoon.
“Using the Tati Tati Cultural objectives for overbank flows and applying modelling of a variety of future climate scenarios we’ve been able to develop new insights into what climate change may mean for the Lagoon.
“The Tati Tati Cultural Water Futures project is a first of its kind pilot study for the MDBA, with a Traditional Owner group working together to understand climate-related risks.
“It’s our hope that we can adapt and apply this collaborative approach for other Traditional Owner groups across the Murray-Darling Basin to better understand their unique priorities and cultural objectives.”
To read the report, visit Margooya Lagoon Tati Tati Purinya Kaiejin Marnmarnepu (Tati Tati Cultural Water Futures) report.
Contact the MDBA media office at media@mdba.gov.au or 02 6279 0141
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