Living Waters of the Martuwarra/Fitzroy River, Australia
The Martuwarra (Fitzroy River) in Western Australia has sustained Indigenous peoples and their societies for millennia.
The conceptual differences between Modern water paradigm, upon which state systems of water management are based, and a customary system of management have implications for water justice.
The Martuwarra (Fitzroy River) in Western Australia has sustained Indigenous peoples and their societies for millennia. A research project led by scientists at the Australian Rivers Institute, and designed with Traditional Owners of the Martuwarra, has developed powerful new insights into different ways of knowing and valuing water.
One model represents a modern water paradigm, upon which state systems of water management are based, and the other represents a customary system of management: a Living Waters paradigm that depicts the relationships between people, other beings, and the waters of the Martuwarra/Fitzroy River catchment. The differences between these two conceptual models have implications for water justice, as well as for sustainability research and socio-ecological modelling as it applies to rivers and their waters in Australia and elsewhere, or to other human-environment relationships
In addition to generating conventional research outputs, the project used art and storytelling works to depict Indigenous and western scientific ways of understanding and managing water flows.
A click on the link below takes us to A Story Map of Living Water of the Martuwarra.
