Stories of First Nations delivering benefits to Country and communities

First Nations’ connection to water is an important part of their story, cultural knowledge and traditions. Through tradition, Lore and custom, First Nations have inherent rights, responsibilities, interests and expertise in managing land and water sustainably. Caring for Country and water is fundamentally linked to the maintenance of good health and wellbeing of people. The 12 stories told in this report reflect how these intricate relationships are beginning to be incorporated into water for the environment management across the Murray–Darling Basin.

Errata: This report was updated on 7 April 2022 to make corrections to the table of contents and to the quotation attribution on page 16.

This report is a collection of 10 case studies of First Nations involvement in managing water for the environment in the Murray–Darling Basin across the 2019–20 water year. These stories show how First Nations people are working across the Basin to achieve shared cultural and environmental benefits through the delivery of water for the environment. Many of these case studies have been drafted by First Nations people directly, providing them the opportunity to share their stories.

ERRATA: This report was updated on 29 April 2021 to correct the caption for the cover photo and improve the readability throughout.