ABSTRACT

A complex environmental water governance system has developed in Australia over the past decade, with institutional arrangements that allow government and non-government organisations to acquire and manage substantial volumes of water for the benefit of the environment. Management of environmental water in partnership with other parties presents Aboriginal people with an opportunity to access water and restore environments, as well as reaffirm and rebuild socio-ecological relationships and water-dependent livelihoods. This article describes the emergence of collaborative partnerships between environmental water managers and Aboriginal community organisations in the Murray–Darling Basin to water country. Through case study profiles, the article shows how Aboriginal organisations and water managers are working together to improve the quality of wetlands, as perceived by traditional owners and others, and to share more equitably in the benefits from the acquisition and management of environmental water. The constraints and barriers are discussed, alongside the conditions that have laid the foundations for this emerging form of co-management of water.

摘要

在过去的十年中，澳大利亚已经建立了复杂的环境水治理体系，其制度安排使政府和非政府组织能够获取和管理大量的水以造福于环境。与其他各方合作对环境水进行管理，为土著人民提供了获得水源和恢复环境，以及重申和重建社会生态关系和以水为生的生计的机会。本文介绍了默里-达令盆地至水利国之间环境水管理者与原住民社区组织之间合作伙伴关系的出现。通过案例研究资料，该文章说明了原住民和其他人认为土著居民组织和水管理者如何共同努力改善湿地的质量，并更公平地分享环境水的获取和管理所带来的利益。讨论了制约因素和障碍，并讨论了为这种新形式的水共同管理奠定基础的条件。