The structure of this Plan reflects the Parks Australia Strategic Planning and Performance Assessment Framework, a set of priorities based on Australian Government policy and legislative requirements for the protected area estate that is the responsibility of the Director of National Parks.
The outcomes in the Plan are developed against the following Key Result Areas (KRAs) reflected in the Strategic Planning and Performance Assessment Framework:
KRA 1: Natural heritage management (see Section 5 of the Plan)
KRA 2: Cultural heritage management (see Section 5)
KRA 3: Joint management (see Section 4)
KRA 4: Visitor management and park use (see Section 6)
KRA 5: Stakeholders and partnerships (see Section 7)
KRA 6: Business management (see Section 8).
Not all KRAs apply to all reserves; KRA 7, Biodiversity knowledge management, does not apply to Kakadu. Appendix C details outcomes for the KRAs, which are also used to structure the State of the Parks report in the Director of National Parks’ Annual Report to the Australian Parliament.
1.3 Planning process
Section 368 of the EPBC Act requires that the Director of National Parks and the Board of Management (if any) for a Commonwealth reserve prepare management plans for the reserve. In addition to seeking comments from members of the public, the relevant land council and the relevant state or territory government, the Director and the Board are required to take into account the interests of the traditional owners of land in the reserve and of any other Indigenous persons interested in the reserve.
The Kakadu National Park Board of Management resolved that consultations be undertaken with Bininj on a clan-by-clan basis to seek comments on issues related to the management of the Park. During the drafting stage of this Plan, Park staff conducted extensive consultations with over 100 Bininj during 33 participatory planning meetings. These meetings covered a range of Park management issues including decision-making procedures; natural and cultural resource management; visitor management and Park use and Bininj employment. A number of Board meetings were also conducted to enable the Board to consider the draft Management Plan and submissions received from members of the public.
Other stakeholder groups and individuals that were consulted during the preparation of this Management Plan include:
tourism industry representatives, scientists, fishing and photography interest groups, representatives from Australian Government and Northern Territory Government agencies, and local community organisations
the Northern Land Council
Parks Australia staff.
2. Introductory provisions
2.1 Short title
This Management Plan may be cited as the Kakadu Management Plan or the Kakadu National Park Management Plan.
2.2 Commencement and termination
This Management Plan will come into operation following approval by the Minister under Section 370 of the EPBC Act, on a date specified by the Minister or the date it is registered under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, and will cease to have effect seven years after commencement, unless revoked sooner or replaced with a new Plan.
2.3 Interpretation (including acronyms)
In this Management Plan:
Aboriginal means a person who is a member of the Aboriginal race of Australia
Aboriginal land means
(a) land held by an Aboriginal Land Trust for an estate in fee simple under the Land Rights Act; or
(b) land that is the subject of a deed of grant held in escrow by an Aboriginal Land Council under the Land Rights Act
Aboriginal tradition means the body of traditions, observances, customs and beliefs of Aboriginals generally or of a particular group of Aboriginals and includes those traditions, observances, customs and beliefs as applied in relation to particular persons, sites, areas of Kakadu National Park, things and relationships
Australian Government means the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia
Balanda means non-Aboriginal people
BFC means the Bushfires Council established by the Bushfires Act (NT)
Bininj means traditional owners of Aboriginal land and traditional owners of other land in the Park, and other Aboriginals entitled to enter upon or use or occupy the Park in accordance with Aboriginal tradition governing the rights of that Aboriginal or group of Aboriginals with respect to the Park. (This includes Relevant Aboriginals as defined in the lease agreements for the Park)
Note: Bininj is a Kunwinjku and Gundjeihmi word, pronounced ‘bin-ing’. This word is similar to the English word ‘man’ and can mean man, male, person or Aboriginal people, depending on the context. Other languages in Kakadu National Park have other words with these meanings, for example the Jawoyn word is Mungguy and the Limilngan word is Murlugan. In this plan, the word Bininj is used to refer to Aboriginal people who have rights and interests in relation to Kakadu National Park
Board of Management or Board means the Board of Management for Kakadu National Park established under the NPWC Act and continued under the EPBC Act by the Environmental Reform (Consequential Provisions) Act 1999
CAMBA means Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the People's Republic of China for the Protection of Migratory Birds and their Environment
CITES means the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Commonwealth reserve means a reserve established under Division 4 of Part 15 of the EPBC Act
Director means the Director of National Parks under section 514A of the EPBC Act, and includes Parks Australia and any person to whom the Director has delegated powers and functions under the EPBC Act in relation to Kakadu National Park
EPBC Act means the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, including Regulations under the Act, and includes reference to any Act amending, repealing or replacing the EPBC Act
EPBC Regulations means the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 and includes reference to any Regulations amending, repealing or replacing the EPBC Regulations
ERA means Energy Resources Australia
eriss means the Environmental Research Institute of the Supervising Scientist
EPARR Act means the Environment Protection (Alligator Rivers Region) Act 1978
Gazette means the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette
GIS means geographic information system
ICOMOS means the International Council on Monuments and Sites
IUCN means the World Conservation Union
JAMBA means Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Japan for the Protection of Migratory Birds and Birds in Danger of Extinction and their Environment
JTC means the Jabiru Town Council
JTDA means the Jabiru Town Development Authority, or its successor.
Kakadu National Park, Kakadu or the Park means the area declared as a Park by that name under the NPWC Act and continued as a Commonwealth reserve under the EPBC Act by the Environmental Reform (Consequential Provisions) Act 1999
KRAC means the Kakadu Research Advisory Committee
KTCC means the Kakadu Tourism Consultative Committee
Land Rights Act means the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976
Lease agreements means lease agreements between Aboriginal Land Trusts and the Director in respect of Aboriginal land in the Park
Management Plan or Plan means this Management Plan for the Park, unless otherwise stated
Management principles means the Australian IUCN reserve management principles set out in Schedule 8 of the EPBC Regulations (see Appendix F)
Mining operations means mining operations as defined by the EPBC Act
Minister means the Minister administering the EPBC Act