Guiding principlesGuiding principles

Guiding principles

The guiding principles for the management of Kakadu National Park are that:

• culture, country, sacred places and customary law are one, extend beyond the boundaries of Kakadu, and need to be protected and respected

• Bininj and Balanda keep joint management strong by working together, sharing decision-making, learning from and respecting each other

• young Bininj have opportunities to learn about culture and country

• Bininj and Park management share obligations to look after the natural and cultural values of the Park

• tourism is developed at a pace and level determined by Bininj, and strong partnerships are maintained with the tourism industry

• visitors are provided with opportunities for safe, enriching and memorable experiences.

Foreword

Kakadu National Park is, and always has been, Bininj land. The evidence for this is in the World Heritage rock art and archaeological sites throughout the Park and Bininj people’s traditional connection to land and our culture. The long and continuing history of Bininj custodianship of Kakadu is one of the most important things about the Park, recognised in its World Heritage listing.

Traditional owners and managers of Kakadu have strong responsibilities and obligations to care for country and to guide and look after visitors.

Since the late 1970s, traditional owners have leased back their country to the Director of National Parks as part of Kakadu National Park. Through joint management, they have worked hard with Park staff to balance the protection of their culture and the places that are important to them with the needs of Park visitors and other stakeholders.

The Kakadu National Park Board of Management and the Director of National Parks wrote this management plan. When writing this Plan, the Board and the Director worked together:

• to decide on those issues that are important in managing the Park
• to provide instructions on how those important issues should be dealt with
• to provide ways to make sure that the things they said will be done are done and to measure how well they are done.

The Plan will guide how Kakadu National Park is to be managed over the next seven years.

Kakadu National Park Board of Management

Acknowledgments

The Director of National Parks and the Kakadu National Park Board of Management are grateful to the many individuals and organisations who contributed to this Management Plan. In particular they acknowledge Bininj, Parks Australia staff, the Northern Land Council, and the Northern Territory and Australian Government agencies that provided information and assistance or submitted comments that contributed to the development of this Management Plan.