Building Better Water Plans: Cultural Water Values Assessment for the Adelaide River catchment, Northern Territory
Tracks
Ellery B
| Thursday, August 6, 2026 |
| 4:30 PM - 4:50 PM |
| Concurrent Room 3 |
Overview
Michelle Rodrigo, DLPE - Water Resources
Details
1. Co‑designed cultural values assessments strengthen water plans, but there is no single model — each community will have its own views on how these processes should work.
2. Lessons from Adelaide River provide a foundation, but approaches must be adapted for other regions based on local priorities and cultural protocols.
3. Integrating Aboriginal knowledge improves community acceptance and strengthens the knowledge base to identify what is most important to protect in each system.
Speaker
Michelle Rodrigo
Senior Water Resources Planner
Dept Lands Planning and Environment
Building Better Water Plans: Cultural Water Values Assessment for the Adelaide River catchment, Northern Territory
Presentation Overview
This presentation outlines the process used to undertake a cultural water values assessment for the Adelaide River catchment and how the lessons learned might be applied more broadly to water planning in the NT.
The Adelaide River Water Allocation Plan will incorporate the cultural values and economic interests of Aboriginal people in the catchment. Working in partnership with the Northern Land Council, the Water Resources Division has engaged with Larrakia, Wulna, Warai, Kungarakan, Uwynmil and Wagiman groups to identify the cultural values that need to be protected. The presentation will describe this co design process and how we are maturing in our understanding and recognition of Aboriginal interests and cultural water values. Drawing on what we have heard from Aboriginal people in the catchment, we will share some early learnings from the study which are helping to ensure that cultural water values are accurately represented and appropriately considered in water management decisions. The Department of Lands, Planning and Environment acknowledges and sincerely thanks all participants in the Adelaide River Cultural Water Values study. Their knowledge, guidance and generosity have been invaluable in strengthening water planning and management in this region.
The Adelaide River Water Allocation Plan will incorporate the cultural values and economic interests of Aboriginal people in the catchment. Working in partnership with the Northern Land Council, the Water Resources Division has engaged with Larrakia, Wulna, Warai, Kungarakan, Uwynmil and Wagiman groups to identify the cultural values that need to be protected. The presentation will describe this co design process and how we are maturing in our understanding and recognition of Aboriginal interests and cultural water values. Drawing on what we have heard from Aboriginal people in the catchment, we will share some early learnings from the study which are helping to ensure that cultural water values are accurately represented and appropriately considered in water management decisions. The Department of Lands, Planning and Environment acknowledges and sincerely thanks all participants in the Adelaide River Cultural Water Values study. Their knowledge, guidance and generosity have been invaluable in strengthening water planning and management in this region.
Biography
Michelle is a long-term resident of Mparntwe-Alice Springs, having come to the Territory in 1997 for a role with the conservation NGO, Greening Australia. Since 2004, she has worked in various natural resource management roles with the NT Government, including intergovernmental water management programs for the Lake Eyre Basin and Great Artesian Basin, and more recently as a water policy officer and water resource planner, supporting water planning, policy and community engagement across the NT.
