‘A river is our life force’: why Indigenous cultural values must be visible in conservation

Indigenous Australians have long understood that rivers, animals, and landscapes hold deep cultural and spiritual significance beyond their ecological role. Per The Conversation, a new research project called 'Recognising Culturally Significant Entities' has developed Australia's first nationally consistent framework to make these Indigenous cultural values visible in conservation planning. The Martuwarra—also known as the Fitzroy River—is one of Australia's largest river systems, flowing 730 kilometers through a 94,000 square-kilometer catchment. For Traditional Custodians, it's far more than water; it's a living connection to Country that guides when to hunt, move, and conduct ceremony. Conservation policies traditionally overlook these cultural meanings, focusing on ecological data alone. The framework's core principle: only Traditional Custodians can define what is culturally significant for their Country, ensuring cultural authority shapes conservation decisions.

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