Traditional Owner cultural values and uses
Goulburn Broken CMA consults with the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation when planning deliveries of water for the environment in the Broken system.
Currently, water for the environment can only be delivered to Broken wetlands in Yorta Yorta Country. The Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation and the CMA are working to ensure that planned watering actions at Black Swamp, Kinnairds Wetland and Moodie Swamp align with the conservation and protection of cultural sites and allow for connection to Country and the establishment of strong linkages. The Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation has been involved in planning through online meetings and on-Country visits and by providing content for, reviewing and endorsing the Broken wetlands seasonal watering proposal.
Increasing the involvement of Traditional Owners in the planning and management of water for the environment and ultimately providing opportunities to progress towards self-determination within the environmental watering program is a core commitment of the VEWH and its agency partners. This is reinforced by a range of legislative and policy commitments, including the Water Act 1989, the Victorian Aboriginal Affairs Framework, the 2016 Water for Victoria and in some cases, agreements under the Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010.
Where Traditional Owners are more deeply involved in the planning and/or delivery of environmental flows for a particular site, their contribution is acknowledged in Table 5.5.5 with an icon. The use of this icon is not intended to indicate that these activities are meeting all the needs of Traditional Owners but is incorporated in the spirit of valuing their contribution and indicating progress towards deeper involvement.
 | Watering planned and/or delivered in partnership with Traditional Owners to support cultural values and uses |
Black Swamp and Kinnairds Wetland have significant diversity within the landscape, and multiple varieties of nardoo (a food source), native grasses (such as old man weed and sneezeweed, which have medicinal uses) and sedges and rushes (used for basket weaving) are in the area. Each of the sites, including Moodie Swamp, supports a wide array of bird life and other animals that provide a variety of cultural values. At Black Swamp, there is evidence of cooking mounds around the perimeter, and there are basket weaving sedges at Moodie Swamp.
Traditional Owner icons in the tables below indicate which proposed watering actions support these values.
Social, recreational and economic values and uses
In planning the potential watering actions in Table 5.5.5, Goulburn Broken CMA considered how environmental flows could support values and uses, including:
- water-based recreation (such as canoeing)
- riverside recreation and amenity (such as birdwatching, camping, picnicking, photography and walking)
- community events and tourism (such as community gatherings at Kinnairds Wetland and the Walk and Squawk event)
- socio-economic benefits (such as tourism, which is a large contributor to the local economy).