Strategic Plan for Yinhawangka Country
The Plan was developed through the participation of Yinhawangka Elders, the Directors of the Yinhawangka Aboriginal Corporation, and other Yinhawangka people at a meeting in Karratha in February 2016, followed by a series of trips on Yinhawangka Country in May 2016.
About The Plan
The Yinhawangka People have developed this Healthy Country Plan to:
- identify areas of special (cultural/environmental) interest
- assess the current health of their Country; and
- determine the current and future management requirements of their Country.
Implementing the Healthy Country Plan will: - provide the Yinhawangka People with an understanding of the health of their Country and an increased capacity to contribute to land and cultural management practices
- take direct actions to preserve and manage the cultural landscapes, priority flora and fauna and the values of the surface and underground waters of Yinhawangka Country; and
- guide the establishment of a Yinhawangka Ranger Team to undertake an annual works program to implement the Plan.
The Area Covered by the Plan
The Yinhawangka Healthy Country Plan covers all the areas to which the Yinhawangka People are the traditional custodians (see Figure 2) comprising:
- Yinhawangka Part A WAD340/2010 (4,699.83 km2)
- Yinhawangka Part B WAD216/2010 (5,413.71 km2) Native Title Claim Areas; and
- Approximately 1,820 km2 within Karijini National Park which, while not part of the Native Title Claim Areas, is part of Yinhawangka Country.
Within Yinhawangka Country are parts of the Angelo, Ashburton and Hardey River catchments, the Kunderong Range and Mount Vernon. Pastoral stations within the area include parts of Rocklea, Turee Creek, Mininer, Mt Vernon, Cheela Plains and Ashburton Downs.
A number of iron ore mines operated by Rio Tinto Iron Ore (RTIO) (Paraburdoo, Eastern Ranges, Channar and West Angelas), and the town of Paraburdoo are within Yinhawangka Country, including the infrastructure (roads, railways, bore fields) associated with them.
Primary Goals of the Plan by 2027:
- The priority water places within each management zone have been identified and are in good condition and being maintained by Yinhawangka People.
- Yinhawangka People are easily able to find and harvest a range of bush food and medicine plants.
- Yinhawangka People are able to readily find and hunt a range of bush meats within at least two management zones.
- No fauna species currently listed as of conservation significance has a lower status compared to 2016 levels.
- The majority of Yinhawangka cultural sites are in good condition and being regularly maintained by Yinhawangka People.
- Yinhawangka People are maintaining their cultural lore, knowledge, and practices, and passing this on to younger people.
- Yinhawangka People are regularly spending more time on their Country, managing the land, water and culture.
You are invited to review the entire plan document for a more comprehensive look at the objectives it is aimed to achieve.
“Our ancestral heritage is based on our lands which supports and sustains us. Our duty of care is closely tied to our lands and our respect for them in the past, present and the future”