Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Management Plan 2021 (Cth)

Part A – About Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park 1

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Management Plan 2021

This management plan has been prepared by the Director of National Parks and the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Board of Management and sets out the way the park will be managed for the next 10 years.

Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights can be addressed to:

Director of National Parks GPO Box 787

Canberra ACT 2601

Director of National Parks Australian Business Number (ABN): 13 051 694 963 A copy of this plan is available online at:

environment.gov.au/topics/national-parks/parks-australia/publications

Further information about the park can be found at:

environment.gov.au/topics/national-parks/Uluṟu-Kata-Tjuṯa-national-park

How to cite this document

Director of National Parks 2021. Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Management Plan 2021. Director of National Parks, Canberra.

Acknowledgments

The Director of National Parks and the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Board of Management are grateful to the many individuals and organisations who contributed to the preparation of this management plan. In particular they acknowledge Aṉangu, Parks Australia staff, the Central 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.

Credits

Maps

Environmental Resources Information Network.

Photography

Parks Australia, Tourism Australia, Tourism NT, Grenville Turner, and Stanley Breeden.

Artwork

Minyma tjuṯa tjitji tjuṯa mai wiṟu mantjini – Women and children collecting good bush foods © Kunmaṉara Taylor, Lillian Inkamala, Pollyanne Mumu, Theresa Taylor, Dulcie Moneymoon, Edith Richards/Copyright Agency.

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Board of Management’s vision and goals

Vision

Ngura nyangangka, Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park-ngka, Ananguku Tjukurpa kunpu kanyilkatipai Aṉangu malatja tjutaku.

Goals

•Tjungungku, lipulangku, Aṉangu munu piranpaku Tjukurpa wanungku, wangkara, kulira, wirura palyalkatintjaku.

•Atunymankula kanyintjaku Tjukurpa pulkanya kunpu ngarakatintjaku.

•Ipilypa wanka nyinantjaku wiru tjuta pakaltjinkuntjaku Aṉangu tjutaku, malatja tjutaku.

•Nganana Aṉangu tjuta, visitor tjutaku pukularipai munu palumpa tjanampa wiru tjuta Tjukurpawanungku palyalkatintjaku, Ananguku wiru tjuta kulu ngarakatintjaku.

And through this:

•Ngura winkinguru, World Heritage-ku ngura nyangatja miranwanintjaku.

Vision

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is a place where Aṉangu law and culture is kept strong for future generations.

Goals

•To work and make effective decisions together as equals, using Aṉangu and Piṟanpa knowledge and skills.

•To protect and maintain strong Tjukurpa, culture and country.

•To build livelihoods and other benefits for Aṉangu, particularly young Aṉangu.

•To provide fulfilling experiences based on culture and nature that benefit Aṉangu, who welcome visitors as their guests.

And through this:

•To create one of the world’s great World Heritage Areas.

ii Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Management Plan 2021

Foreword

Kuranyukutu ankunyangka nganana maḻatja tjuṯaku iwara tjukaṟuṟungku utilku tjana waṉaṉtjaku. Nganaṉa nintilkatipai nganampa maḻatja tjuṯa.

As we walk towards this vision we will prepare the right pathway for the young to follow. We have always passed on our knowledge to the next generations.

Our vision and goals will guide and provide the direction for implementing this management plan. We will only achieve them by Aṉangu (Aboriginal people) and Piṟanpa (non-Aboriginal people) walking together, side by side, as equals on the same pathway, and by passing on the responsibility for managing the park to future generations.

Aṉangu and Piṟanpa are committed to working and making decisions together to jointly conserve and protect the values of the Park, using a combination of Tjukurpa (Aṉangu law) and Piṟanpa knowledge, skills and obligations. We will also work together to build livelihoods and other benefits for Aṉangu, to help deliver a strong and healthy future for our community, especially for our younger generations.

We warmly welcome visitors from all around the world as our guests and want them to learn about and respect our culture and country. We also want visitors to have fulfilling experiences based on culture and nature, and to return safely to their homes and families, sharing the knowledge and experiences they have gained about this special place.

By achieving our vision and goals, we will create one of the world’s great World Heritage areas, ensuring that the Park’s cultural and natural values are protected and maintained for future generations.

The Board will apply adaptive management principles in four actions:

• Palyal katima – Keep working

• Nyaku katima – Keep checking

• Wangka katima – Keep talking

• Tjukaruruma – Keep straightening

Part A – About Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park iii

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Board of Management’s vision and goals ii

Foreword iii

1.1 Short title 12

1.2 Commencement and termination 12

1.3 Planning process 12

1.4 Values of the Park 13

1.5 IUCN category and zoning 16

1.6 Structure of this management plan 19

2.1 Board of Management 25

2.2 Work planning and implementation 34

3.1 Knowledge for managing country 39

3.2 Protecting and enriching culture and country 50

3.3 Assessment of proposals 60

4.1 Employment, education, training and other benefits 69

4.2 Muṯitjulu community 72

5.1Visitor experience and site management 81

5.2Information, education and interpretation 84

5.3Promotion, marketing, film and photography 87

5.4Commercial operations 89

6.Administration and business management 94

6.1Capital works and infrastructure 95

6.2Resource use 97

6.3Emergency management 99

6.4Compliance and enforcement 101

6.5Subleases, licences and associated occupancy issues 102

6.6New activities not otherwise specified in this plan 103

Appendix A	English glossary	106
Appendix B	Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjatjara words used in this plan	110
Appendix C	World Heritage values of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park	112
Appendix D	National Heritage values of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park	114
Appendix E	Commonwealth Heritage values of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park	116
Appendix F	Legislative context	118
Appendix G	Summary of the process used to prepare this plan	129
Appendix H	EPBC Act and TPWC Act listed threatened species occurring in Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park	131
Appendix I	EPBC Act listed migratory species occurring in Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park	132
Appendix J	European history of the Park	133
Appendix K	Significance of the Park	134
Appendix L	Provisions of the lease between the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Aboriginal Land Trust and the Director of National Parks	136

Figures
Figure1:

Approximate present-day extent of Western Desert language speakers

3

Figure 2: Location of protected areas and reserves surrounding the Park 5

Figure 3: Zones and their IUCN categories within the Park 18

Figure 4: Visual representation of the layout of this plan 20

Figure 5: Summary of the structure of this plan 21

Figure 6: The shared decision making and planning process for the Park 27

Figure 7: Example of how the Board discussed and approved major items in the preparation of this management plan
28

Figure 8: Some Aṉangu significant sites and places at Uluṟu 40

Figure 9: Aṉangu perception of the landscape with major landmarks extending outside the Park boundary © Rene Kulitja
42

Figure 10: Indigenous communities and homelands in the lands surrounding the Park 43

Tables
Table1:

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Values Statement

14

Table 2: Consultation requirements and decision-making process for action in the Park 32

Table 3: Introduced animal species at Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park and their effects on cultural and natural values
54

Table 4: Impact assessment procedures 61

Table 5: Impact assessment matters and considerations 64

Part A

About Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park

Tjukurpa atunymananyi

Protecting and conserving the cultural and natural values of the Park

Establishment of the Park

Nganaṉa pukuḻpa minga tjuṯa pitjanyangka. Paluṟu tjana iritinguṟu pitjangi. Kuwaripatjara nganaṉa tourist tjuṯaku nintiringu tjana Community-ngka wirkaṟa ngaripai.

We’re happy with visitors coming to our country—they’ve been coming here for a very long time. Our first experience with the tourists was when they were actually coming and staying inside the community.

On 24 May 1977, the Park became the first area to be declared under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 (Cth) which was superseded by the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) (Cth). The Park was originally named Uluṟu (Ayers Rock–Mount Olga) National Park, and was declared over an area of 132,550 hectares to a subsoil to a depth of 1,000 metres (this was amended in 1985 to include an additional 16 hectares of land). The Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission (the successor to the Northern Territory Reserves Board) carried out the day-to-day management of the Park.

In February 1979, a claim was lodged under the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth) (the Land Rights Act) by the Central Land Council on behalf of Nguraṟitja, for an area of land that included the Park. At that time, the Aboriginal Land Commissioner did not recommend the land claim be granted as the land had ceased to be unalienated Crown land upon its proclamation as a National Park. However, in 1983 the Prime Minister, Bob Hawke announced that the Park would be returned to its traditional owners on the condition that it was leased to the then Director of National Parks and Wildlife to be managed as a National Park. On 2 September 1985 the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act and the Land Rights Act were amended to put into place joint management of the Park between Nguraṟitja and the Director

of National Parks and Wildlife. These amendments provided for the area of the Park to be granted as inalienable freehold land to the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Aboriginal Land Trust. The Land Trust immediately leased the Park to the Director of National Parks and Wildlife, to be managed under a Board of Management with an Aṉangu majority.

At a major ceremony at the Park on 26 October 1985, the Governor-General formally granted title to the Park to the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Aboriginal Land Trust. The inaugural Board of Management was gazetted on 10 December 1985 and held its first meeting on 22 April 1986. In the same year, arrangements with the Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission that had been in place since 1977 ceased, and since that time staff of the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service (now Parks Australia), have carried out the

day-to-day management of the Park. In 1993, at the request of Aṉangu and the Board of Management, the Park’s official name was changed to its present name, Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park.

Aboriginal land and joint management

Nganaṉa nyinapai Aṉanguku ngurangka, nganampa ngura nyangatja munu nganaṉa kanyiṟa aṯunmankupai. Pala palulanguṟu nganampa Tjukurpa wanungku kanyintjaku ngaṟanyi.

We are on Aboriginal land, it belongs to us and we are looking after it. This means that our system of law must govern the way the land is protected here.

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is a living cultural landscape that is and has always been home for Aṉangu, the traditional owners of the park and its surrounding lands. Aṉangu is the term used by Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara Aboriginal people, from the Western Desert region of Australia, to refer to themselves.

Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara are two of the principal dialects spoken in the park, with these language groups extending throughout the central desert region (Figure 1).

Nguraṟitja is the term given to traditional owners that have direct links and rights to the land that encompasses the park. The term ‘traditional Aboriginal owners’ is defined in the Land Rights Act as a local descent group of Aboriginal people who have common spiritual affiliations with the land, or who are entitled by Aboriginal tradition to use and forage over a region. Tjukurpa is referred to consistently throughout this plan and refers to the system of Aṉangu law, history, knowledge, religion and morality that binds people, landscape, plants and animals.

Figure 1: Approximate present-day extent of Western Desert language speakers

Brisbane

The park is owned by the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Aboriginal Land Trust (which is composed of the traditional owners of the park) and covers approximately 1,325 square kilometres of the central desert. The Ayers Rock Resort at Yulara, which adjoins the park’s northern boundary, is owned by the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation. Both the park and the resort are surrounded by the Kaṯiṯi-Petermann Indigenous Protected Area (IPA). Declared in 2015, this IPA incorporates 50,432 square kilometres of Aboriginal freehold land. It is comprised of the Petermann Aboriginal Land Trust (44,993 square kilometres, declared in 1978) and the Kaṯiṯi Aboriginal Land Trust (5,431 square kilometres, declared in 1980).

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park and the Kaṯiṯi-Petermann IPA form part of a series of connected protected areas that cross the Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia borders, protecting almost 200,000 square kilometres of central desert (see Figure 2). This network of protected areas contains a vast number of sites of cultural importance to Aṉangu, with Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park being part of an extensive Aboriginal cultural landscape that stretches across the Australian continent.

Part A – About Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park 3

The park represents the interaction of Aṉangu and nature over thousands of years, and its landscape has been managed using Aṉangu knowledge and skills governed by Tjukurpa. Through the declaration of the Kaṯiṯi-Petermann IPA and joint management of the park, Aṉangu are involved in land management activities and the maintenance and conservation of cultural heritage across a vast area of the central Australian desert.

Joint management of the park has been in place since 10 December 1985 when the Board of Management was first established. From this time Nguraṟitja and Piṟanpa have been working and sharing decision-making together to manage the park’s cultural and natural values (see Chapter 2 Working and making decisions together).

Joint management relies on a commitment to look after country and culture by keeping Tjukurpa strong and meeting obligations under Piṟanpa law, particularly the park lease agreement, the Land Rights Act, the EPBC Act and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 (Cth) (EPBC Regulations). Joint management also aims to ensure visitors have the best opportunity to enjoy, appreciate and learn about the park and Aṉangu culture.

Kiwirrkurra Indigenous Protected Area

Lake MacDonald

Indigenous Protected Area National Park / Reserve Lake

Sealed road Unsealed road State border

Tjoritja / West MacDonnell National Park

R

0 50

100 km

Alice Springs

Lake Hopkins

Lake Neale

Finke Gorge National Park

Lake Amadeus

Watarrka National Park

CKE

Ngaanyatjarra Indigenous Protected Area

Katiti Petermann Indigenous Protected Area

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park

Angas Downs Indigenous Protected Area

NORTHERN TERRITORY SOUTH AUSTRALIA

Kalka - Pipalyatjara Indigenous Protected Area

Apara - Makiri - Punti Indigenous Protected Area

Watarru Indigenous Protected Area

Walalkara Indigenous Protected Area

Antara - Sandy Bore Indigenous Protected Area

Tjukurpa and a living cultural landscape

Uwankara Tjukurtjara, nguraritja winki: puṉu tjuṯa; ukiṟi; karu; tali munu puḻi tjuṯa. Uwankara winkiṯu Tjukurpa kanyini. .

© Sammy Wilson

Everything has meaning, everything of the land: trees; grasses; creeks; dunes; and hills. Absolutely everything holds law.

Tjukurpa is the foundation of Aṉangu life and can be defined as Aṉangu law. However, its deeper meanings are far more complex. It includes systems of history, knowledge, philosophy, religion, morality and human behaviour that must be followed to live in harmony with each other and with the land. It also defines the relationships between Aṉangu, the landscape, and those who visit the land. For further more information about Tjukurpa, see Feature Box 1.

According to Tjukurpa, there was a time when ancestral beings, in the forms of humans, animals and plants, travelled widely across the land and performed feats of creation and destruction. The journeys of these beings are remembered and celebrated, and the record of their activities exist today in the features of the land itself. For Aṉangu, this record provides an account and the meaning of the cosmos for the past and the present. When Aṉangu speak of the many natural features within the park, their interpretations and explanations are expressed in terms of the activities of particular Tjukurpa beings, rather than by reference to geological or other explanations. Therefore, the cultural significance of the park to Aṉangu not only includes the park's physical landscape, but also the detailed and extensive body of cultural knowledge associated with this landscape.

Around Uluṟu there are many ancestral sites with strong links to Tjukurpa. Within this cultural landscape there is a system of gender-based cultural knowledge and responsibilities, where Aṉangu men are responsible for looking after sites and knowledge associated with men’s law and culture, and Aṉangu women are responsible for looking after sites and knowledge associated with women’s law and culture.

Tjukurpa contains information not just about the landscape features, but also the ecology, the plants and animals, and appropriate use of areas of the park. Tjukurpa has been passed down through the generations and some information can be shared with visitors. Within the bounds of appropriate access to cultural knowledge, Tjukurpa is the source of much of the information for the interpretation of the park, as Aṉangu want visitors to understand how they see this landscape and to learn about Tjukurpa, Aṉangu culture and the park.

Feature Box 1: Tjukurpa

Tjukurpa is the foundation of Aṉangu life and encompasses:

• Aṉangu religion, law and moral systems

• the past, the present and the future

• the creation period when ancestral beings created the world as it is now

• the relationship between people, plants, animals and the physical features of the land

• the knowledge of how these relationships came to be, what they mean, and how they must be maintained in daily life and in ceremony

• strengthening family relationships by visiting relatives in other communities

• raising strong children and ensuring that knowledge is passed onto the next generation

Tjukurpa is the foundation of Aṉangu caring for country and includes:

• finding water and bush foods

• learning about, collecting and using bush medicines, food and seeds

• hunting and gathering certain foods at the right times of the year

• visiting country and keeping it alive, through stories, ceremony and song

• cleaning and protecting waterholes

• traditional burning techniques

• visiting and protecting sacred sites

• keeping visitors, Aṉangu men and women safe

• keeping the Muṯitjulu Community (home to many Aṉangu) private and safe

• keeping women away from men’s sites and keeping men away from women’s sites

• old men passing on knowledge and teaching stories to young boys and men

• old women passing on knowledge and teaching stories to young girls and women

• putting roads, park facilities and infrastructure in proper places so that sacred places are safeguarded

• teaching visitors including park staff and other Piṟanpa how to observe and respect Tjukurpa

Part A – About Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park 7

World Heritage listing

Iritinguru, titutjarangku Aṉangu tjutangku kanyilkatiningi ngura Tjukurpa pulka tjara nyangatja.

© Sammy Wilson

Since the beginning of time, Aṉangu have continued to hold this place of significant law.

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is listed as a world heritage area due to the combination of ongoing Aṉangu cultural traditions, and the park’s outstanding natural features. The park was first inscribed on the World Heritage List for its natural values in 1987 and was subsequently re-inscribed for its cultural values in 1994. The park meets four criteria of outstanding universal value as set out in the World Heritage Convention (see Appendix C), and is one of only 38 sites listed internationally for both cultural and natural heritage.

The immense rock formation of Uluṟu and rock domes of Kata Tjuṯa are remarkable geological and landform features that have special significance to Aṉangu under Tjukurpa, Aṉangu law. Uluṟu is a huge, rounded, red sandstone monolith that is 9.4 kilometres in circumference, and rises over 340 metres above the surrounding sand plain. Rock art in the caves around its base provide evidence of the enduring cultural traditions of Aṉangu. About 32 kilometres to the west of Uluṟu lie the 36 steep-sided domes of Kata Tjuṯa. The domes cover an area of 35 square kilometres and rise to a height of 500 metres above the surrounding plains. This area is sacred under Aṉangu men’s law and, as such, detailed cultural knowledge of it is restricted.

The World Heritage values of the park will be described in a Statement of Outstanding Universal Value, which was being finalised for the park at the time of preparing this management plan. The primary purpose of a Statement of Outstanding Universal Value is to be the key reference for the future effective protection and management of the property. When the park was listed in 1987 and 1994 a Statement of Outstanding Universal Value was not required. Until that statement has been finalised, the World Heritage inscriptions for cultural and natural criteria (see Appendix C) are illustrative of the values of the park and will be used as a guide to the Outstanding Universal Value of the property until the adoption of an official statement.

Chapter 3 Caring for culture and country describes how World Heritage values of the park are managed, with prescriptions and actions that aim to protect these values from actual or potential threats. Essential to this is maintaining Tjukurpa, and incorporating Aṉangu cultural knowledge and skills into the park’s management programs. In addition, a fundamental element of joint management is that Aṉangu cultural knowledge and skills are incorporated into the decision-making processes relating to management of the park (see also Chapter 2 Working and making decisions together).

Australia has national legislation to protect its World Heritage properties through the EPBC Act, and through these obligations, honours a number of international agreements including the World Heritage Convention (see Appendix F).

Part A – About Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park 9

Part B – Chapter 1

General provisions and IUCN category

Tjukarurungku atunymankunytjaku munu IUCN tjara

Supporting the aspirations of Nguraṟitja

1.General provisions and IUCN category

Tjukurpa tjuṯa nyiri nyanga nyangangka kuṉpu ngarintjaku ngaṟanyi, malatja maḻatja tjuṯangku nyakula mula-mularingkunytjaku. Ka tjana ngurkantankuku, ‘muntawa, nganampa nyangatja, nyangangku nganampa palyantjaku tjuṯa utini. Nganampa miri tjuṯangku wiṟuṟa kuliṟa

tjunkula wantingu.’

© Nellie Patterson

This plan should be a strong document that future generations can believe in. They will see that, ‘of course, this belongs to us, this sets out all the things we have to do. It has been laid out really carefully for us by our predecessors.’

1.1Short title

This management plan may be cited as the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Management Plan or the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Management Plan.

1.2Commencement and termination

This management plan will come into operation following approval by the Minister under s.370 of the EPBC Act, on a date specified by the Minister or on the day after it is registered under the Legislation Act 2003 (Cth). This management plan will cease to have effect 10 years after that date, unless it is revoked or replaced with a new plan sooner.

1.3Planning process

The EPBC Act requires the Park’s Board of Management and the Director of National Parks to prepare a management plan for the park which takes into account the interests of traditional owners and any other Indigenous person interested in the park. Once the draft management plan has been prepared the Director must seek comments on the draft from the public, the Central Land Council and the Northern Territory Government before finalising the management plan and providing it to the Minister.

This is the sixth management plan for the park. The fifth plan commenced on 9 January 2010, and ceased on 8 January 2020.

Before preparation of this management plan began, the Director reviewed how well the previous plan had been implemented to identify improvements for park management though this plan. The review assessed whether the Director had successfully carried out the actions and policies in the previous plan, and whether the Director had successfully met the aims of each Section of that plan.

The findings of the review suggested potential improvements to aspects of park management, recommending to:

•plan, monitor and report more regularly to provide measures of progress;

•ensure Board resolutions are properly formulated, tracked, and reported on;

•improve opportunities which lead to direct employment of Aṉangu;

•review the status and intent of climate change strategies;

•address the impact of feral species on native wildlife;

•address risks of ageing capital infrastructure, and ensure that park assets meet Australian standards.

These recommendations were taken into account in the preparation of this plan.

In September 2017 the Director published a notice inviting the public and stakeholders to have their say towards the preparation of this plan. Eleven written submissions were received, and the views expressed in those submissions were also considered in the preparation of this plan.

During the drafting stage of this plan, park staff and the CLC also conducted extensive consultations with over 50 Aṉangu during participatory planning meetings, working group meetings and Board of Management meetings. These consultations focused on park management issues related to decision making and working together; cultural and natural resource management; visitor management; Aṉangu employment and the building of other benefits for Aṉangu.

Several other stakeholder groups and individuals were consulted during the preparation of this management plan, including:

• Aṉangu residents of the Muṯitjulu community

• the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Tourism Consultative Committee

• the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Cultural Heritage and Scientific Consultative Committee

• the Central Land Council

• government agencies (The Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and the Executive Director of Township Leasing)

• local Aboriginal associations and corporations, including Aṉangu Jobs and the Muṯitjulu Community Aboriginal Corporation (MCAC)

• park staff.

Appendix G provides a summary of the consultations and planning timeframes undertaken in developing this plan.

1.4Values of the Park

Kuranyu Kutungku Nyakukatima Think for the future Kuranyu Kutungku Palyalkatima Working for the future Tjitji malatja tjutaku For our young children

Paluru tjanalpi ma-palyalku Do it for them

Tjitji malatja malatjanku For our descendants

© Rene Kulitja and Yuka Trigger

The importance of the park’s cultural landscape is recognised through the inscription of its cultural and natural values on the World Heritage List and on the Australian Government’s Commonwealth and National Heritage Lists. The World Heritage values of the park are described in Appendix C; its National Heritage values in Appendix D; and its Commonwealth Heritage values in Appendix E. The park is also significant regionally, nationally and internationally in terms of conservation, social and economic considerations

(see Appendix K).

Table 1 shows the park’s Values Statement, which summarises the attributes that are fundamental to the park’s purpose and significance. Identifying and recognising these values ensures a shared understanding about what is most important about the park, and helps to focus management and planning processes. If the values are allowed to decline, the park’s purpose and significance would be jeopardised. The foundation for managing these values includes the protection provided by the EPBC Act and EPBC Regulations. For more detail on protecting and enriching the park’s values, see Chapter 3 Caring for culture and country.

Table 1: Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Values Statement1

Background

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is jointly managed park by the park’s traditional Aboriginal owners and the Director of National Parks. Tjukurpa (law) is the foundation of Aṉangu life, and the park is managed using traditional methods governed by Tjukurpa combined with western science and management practices. The park’s first priority is conserving the significant natural and cultural values of the area that comprise Tjukurpa.

Park-angka unngu munu Park-angka urilta Tjukurpa palunyatu ngaranyi kutjupa wiya. Ngura miil-miilpa tjuta Park – angka ngaranyi – uwankara kutju ngaranyi, Tjukurpangka.

© Tony Tjamiwa

It is one Tjukurpa inside the park and outside the park, not different. There are many sacred places in the park that are part of the whole cultural landscape–one line. Everything is one Tjukurpa.

The park’s landscape is dominated by the iconic massifs of Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa. These two geological features are striking examples of geological processes and erosion occurring over time and provide associated refuge and habitat for a broad range of plant and animal species.

The park was proclaimed in 1977 under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 (Cth) and continues as a Commonwealth reserve under the EPBC Act. The park protects an area of approximately 1,325 square kilometres within the Great Sandy Desert bioregion.

International listings

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is listed under the World Heritage Convention for both its natural and cultural heritage attributes. The park meets four criteria for listing under the convention:

•An outstanding example representing significant ongoing geological processes, biological evolution and man’s interaction with his natural environment

•Contains unique, rare or superlative natural phenomena, formations or features or areas of exceptional natural beauty, such as superlative examples of important ecosystems to man, natural features, sweeping vistas covered by natural vegetation and exceptional combinations of natural and cultural elements

•A cultural landscape representing the combined work of nature and of man, manifesting the interaction between humankind and its natural environment

•An associative landscape having powerful religious, artistic and cultural associations of the natural elements

1This table is to be used in conjunction with the impact assessment procedures in Section 3.3 Assessment of proposals when assessing and considering the impacts of proposals.

Values

Cultural values: A living cultural environment

• The park contains significant physical evidence of one of the oldest continuous cultures in the world, including cultural and sacred sites, rock art shelters and areas of archaeological importance

• The park is home to Aṉangu, who continue to practise their cultural obligations consistent with

Tjukurpa (Aṉangu law)

• Tjukurpa is observed today in the park as it was thousands of years ago. It embodies the principles of religion, philosophy and human behaviour that are to be observed in order to live harmoniously with one another and with the natural landscape

• Aṉangu pass on Tjukurpa through the intergenerational transfer of knowledge to their children

• Aṉangu have a deep understanding of, and connection with, the natural features of the landscape and associated plants and animals, many of which have strong cultural significance

• Aṉangu actively manage the landscape through customary land management practices, and maintain their culture in collaboration with park staff through joint management arrangements with the Australian Government. Aṉangu teach park staff about cultural protocols for working on Aboriginal land

• The park contains the monoliths of Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa that are directly and tangibly associated with the events, living traditions, ideas and beliefs of Aṉangu and form an integral part of the belief system of one of the oldest human societies in the world

• The park contains a number of registered and recorded sacred sites associated with multiple

Tjukurpa stories and ancestral beings

Natural values: Unique rock formations and a rich biota

• The park contains unique rock formations and habitats that are striking examples of geological and erosional processes over time, reflecting the age and relatively stable nature of the Australian continent

• The geological features of the park provide sanctuary, shelter and habitat for plant and animal species that are otherwise restricted within the bioregion

• The park contains a rich and diverse suite of plant and animal species suited to the semi-arid environment, including listed and iconic species

• The park contains reptile diversity unparalleled in other semi-arid systems

• Aṉangu’s land management knowledge and practices over thousands of years have been integral to developing and supporting the rich biota seen today

• Land management in the park today recognises and integrates Indigenous ecological knowledge, skills and management practices

• The park incorporates world class scenic vistas that include exceptional combinations of natural and cultural elements

As a result of these values, the park is of great economic, social and research significance to the community and the broader region.

1.5IUCN category and zoning

Under s.367(1) of the EPBC Act, a management plan for a Commonwealth reserve must assign the reserve to an IUCN protected area category. The EPBC Regulations describe the management principles for each IUCN category. The category to which the park is assigned is guided by the purposes for which the park was declared a Commonwealth reserve (see Appendix F). These are to ensure:

a.the preservation of the area in its natural condition; and

b.the encouragement and regulation of the appropriate use, appreciation and enjoyment of the area by the public.

The purposes for which Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park was declared are consistent with the characteristics for IUCN protected area category II ‘national park’.

In addition to assigning a Commonwealth reserve to an IUCN protected area category, a management plan may also divide a Commonwealth reserve into zones and assign each zone to an IUCN category. The category to which a zone is assigned may differ from the category to which the reserve is assigned (s.367(2)). The provisions of a management plan must not be inconsistent with the management principles for the IUCN category to which the reserve or a zone of the reserve is assigned (s.367(3)).

In 2017, the Director granted a township sublease to the Executive Director of Township Leasing over an area of the park which includes the Muṯitjulu community. This area, called the Muṯitjulu Township Zone, remains part of the Commonwealth reserve and a World Heritage area and is assigned IUCN category VI ‘managed resource use protected area’ by this management plan (Figure 3). Accordingly, development in the Muṯitjulu Township Zone must occur in a sustainable manner, consistent with the relevant aspects of this management plan, the terms and conditions of the Sublease, and other relevant legislation. For more information, see Section 4.2 Muṯitjulu community.

Prescriptions

1.5.1The park is assigned IUCN protected area management category II ‘national park’.

1.5.2The park is divided into two zones, the National Park Zone and the Muṯitjulu Township Zone. The location and boundary of each zone is set out in Figure 3.

1.5.3The National Park Zone is assigned to Australian IUCN protected area management category II ‘national park’, and will be managed in accordance with the principles set down in Schedule 8 of the EPBC Regulations being:

a. natural and scenic areas of national and international significance should be protected for spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational or tourist purposes.

b. representative examples of physiographic regions, biotic communities, genetic resources, and native species should be perpetuated in as natural a state as possible to provide ecological stability and diversity.

c. visitor use should be managed for inspirational, educational, cultural and recreational purposes at a level that will maintain the reserve or zone in a natural or near natural state.

d. management should seek to ensure that exploitation or occupation inconsistent with these principles does not occur.

e. respect should be maintained for the ecological, geomorphologic, sacred and aesthetic attributes for which the reserve or zone was assigned to this category.

f. the needs of Indigenous people should be taken into account, including subsistence resource use, to the extent that they do not conflict with these principles.

g. the aspirations of traditional owners of land within the reserve or zone, their continuing land management practices, the protection and maintenance of cultural heritage and the benefit the traditional owners derive from enterprises established in the reserve or zone, consistent with these principles, should be recognised and taken into account.

1.5.4The Muṯitjulu Township Zone is assigned to Australian IUCN protected area management category VI ‘managed resource use protected area’ and will be managed in accordance with the principles set down in Schedule 8 of the EPBC Regulations being:

a. the biological diversity and other natural values of the reserve or zone should be protected and maintained in the long term.

b. management practices should be applied to ensure ecologically sustainable use of the reserve or zone.

c. management of the reserve or zone should contribute to regional and national development to the extent that this is consistent with these principles.

Figure 3: Zones and their IUCN categories within the national park

1.6Structure of this management plan

Puṉu nyanga paluṟu wiṟuṟa utini tjukurpa nyanga wanungku ngura nyangatja aṯunymankunytjikitjangku. Aṉangu tjuta mukuringanyi puṉu kutjuku, uwankara wiṟu tjuṯa waṯa kutjunguṟu tjungu pakantjaku. Puṉu wanaṟi puṟunypa: wanaṟi panya tjuṯa ngaṟanyi munu puṉu nyanga palula puḻka mulapa pakalpai Aṉangu tjuṯaku. Puṉu wanaṟi panya tjukurpa pulkatjara, kutjupa tjuṯangku wanaṟinguṟu wanka kanyilpai: tjala; wana; waru munu kutjupa tjuṯa. Mina winki kulintjaku ngaṟanyi palu puṉu kutju alatjiṯu kulinma.

© Board of Management

The tree diagram is a good representation of the management plan to protect this country. Aṉangu want one tree, one single base, from which everything else stems. It’s like a mulga tree: they are plentiful and provide multiple necessities for Anangu. They are one of the most important trees, supplying many things

for survival like honey ants, digging sticks, firewood, and much, much more. It is important to think about the branches, but also to remember it is one whole tree.

This management plan provides the strategic direction for managing the park for a period of 10 years. The Board’s vision statement and four goals (see page ii) clearly define what management of the park seeks to achieve. The structure of this management plan is based around these goals, with Chapters 2 to 5 focused around a specific goal, and their associated objectives, performance indicators, prescriptions and actions. Performance indicators will be included in each year’s park operational plan and reviewed annually, with long term indicators reviewed in the fifth year of the management plan coming into force.

Figure 4 is a visual representation of the structure of this plan, and illustrates how the vision statement and goals link to major chapters. Tree roots are the foundation which is grounded in Tjukurpa and Australian law and the tree trunk represents Aṉangu and Piṟanpa working together. The four branches are the major

chapters of the plan, with each chapter relating to a different one of the Board’s four main goals for this plan. Figure 5 provides a visual summary of the structure of this plan.

Figure 4: Visual representation of the layout of this plan

Management Plan

Aṉangu and Piṟanpa working together

Tjukurpa Australian law

Figure 5: Summary of the structure of this plan

Part B – Chapter 2

Working and making decisions together

Tjungungku kuliṟa tjunkula palyaṉi

Working together, malparara way

2.Working and making decisions together

Joint management is an ongoing and adaptive process which requires Aṉangu and Piṟanpa to actively work together and share decision-making to manage the park. To be successful at jointly managing the park

and protecting its cultural and natural values, we need to include both Aṉangu and Piṟanpa knowledge and priorities when making decisions, and when planning and implementing park operations.

Working and making decisions together occurs at two levels. Firstly, through the Board of Management, where ‘big picture’ or strategic decisions are made in accordance with this plan and the advice of the Board’s working groups. Secondly, guided by the directions of the Board, decisions are made by park staff and Aṉangu when planning and conducting work programs together, to implement this management plan and Board decisions.

This chapter sets out the objectives, prescriptions and actions relating to how Parks Australia and Aṉangu will work and make decisions together to jointly manage Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park.

Snapshot of Chapter 2

Objectives

2.1Board of Management

The Board and Director make informed and effective decisions together as equals that respect and comply with Tjukurpa, Australian laws and this management plan

2.2Work planning and implementation

Aṉangu and Piṟanpa plan and conduct work programs together to implement this management plan and the decisions of the Board and Director

Goal—What we want

To work and make effective decisions together as equals, using Aṉangu and Piṟanpa knowledge and skills.

Performance indicators—What we will check

• How satisfied the Board is with working and making effective decisions together

• Extent by which work programs are planned and carried out by Aṉangu and Parks Australia staff

• Extent by which work programs address actions in this management plan and Board decisions

• Extent by which traditional owner consultation is carried out according to Central Land Council and Board requirements

2.1Board of Management

Objective—What needs to happen

The Board and Director make informed and effective decisions together as equals that respect and comply with Tjukurpa, Australian laws and this management plan

Background

Nganaṉa mukuringanyi maḻatja tjuṯa Board-aku nintiringkunytjikitja, ka ngula palunya tjananya ngurkantankula tjunkula nyinanyangka park-aku tjukurpa kutjupa tjuṯaku ninti nyinanytjaku.

Nganaṉa ma-wiyaringanyi. Maḻatja tjuṯaku nganaṉala nintiringkunytjaku ngaṟanyi.

© Nellie Patterson

We want the young to learn about the Board so that if they are elected in the future they will have all the knowledge they need about the park. We won’t be around. The young need to learn from us.

Nyiri nyangangka tjukurpa puḻka ngaranyi, tjungu mulapa waakarinytjaku. Tjukurpa nyanga wanu Anangu munu piṟanpa ngapartji ngapartji tjukaṟuru nintiringkunytjaku.

© Stephen Clyne

This plan is an important document for working together. Through this plan Anangu and non-Anangu will be able to properly share their knowledge.

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park is one of Australia’s first jointly managed National Parks. Joint management began in 1985 when Anangu ownership of the land was formally recognised by title of the land being granted to its traditional owners under the Land Rights Act. The park was then leased to the Director of National Parks for 99 years (see Aboriginal land and joint management in Part A).

Joint management describes the working relationship between Aṉangu and the Director of National Parks, which is based on working and making decisions together as equals and sharing their knowledge and skills. For joint management to be successful, there must also be mutual trust and respect. At the core of this working relationship is the recognition that there are two law systems that govern the park and the greater region. Therefore, a joint commitment to maintain country and culture can only occur if we respect and comply with Aṉangu law (Tjukurpa) and Piṟanpa (Australian) law—particularly the EPBC Act and EPBC Regulations, the Land Rights Act, this management plan and the park lease agreement.

A key aspect of joint management is consulting with Nguraṟitja when making decisions about managing the park. The Director of National Parks and the Central Land Council (CLC) developed traditional owner consultation guidelines which the Board has approved, to assist Parks Australia staff meet the Director’s legal obligations associated with the joint management of the park.

Table 2 shows the decision making process required by this management plan for activities carried out in the park. Consultation requirements and decision making processes are separated into two main categories—routine actions and non-routine actions—depending on the potential impact on the park’s cultural and natural values, visitor use, facilities and infrastructure, and Aṉangu interests. While a key

aspect of joint management, consultation does not replace the need for Aṉangu and the Director continuing to work together as equals to manage the park.

Joint management is an ongoing learning process, and the relationship will adapt and transform because Aṉangu aspirations and other factors change over time. Working together requires active participation from both Aṉangu and Parks Australia staff, as well as from the Board of Management, the Board’s working groups, the Joint Management Partnership Team and the CLC. There are also other people and organisations that may need to be consulted and/or engaged for their expertise when the Board and the Director makes decisions, such as Aboriginal associations, the tourism industry, and experts in cultural and natural resource management.

The roles of each of the people and organisations involved in the joint management of the park is provided in more detail below. Figure 6 is a visual pathway for the shared decision making and planning process for Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park.

Figure 6: The shared decision making and planning process for the park

Board of Management*

Working groups

Joint Management Partnership Team#

Monitoring and review

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Management Plan

Park work plan

Aṉangu and Nguraritja

• Working together

• Consultations

• Meetings

Actions

*Board of Management is comprised of Aṉangu nominees, the Director of National Parks, a Minister for Tourism nominee, a Minister for the Environment nominee and a Northern Territory Government nominee.

#Joint management partnership team consists of representatives from the Central Land Council, a Mutitjulu Liaison Officer, and the Board Secretariat).

Board of Management

The Board of Management was established in 1985. Under Piṟanpa law (the EPBC Act), the Board must comprise of a majority of Indigenous people nominated by Nguraṟitja. At the time of this plan’s preparation the Board comprises eight Aṉangu members including the Chairperson (who by convention is Aṉangu); the Director of National Parks; a Minister for Tourism nominee; a Minister for the Environment nominee, and a Northern Territory Government nominee.

The Board operates under a set of rules approved by the Board, and its functions under the EPBC Act are outlined in section 2.1.1 of this plan. Two of these functions are, in conjunction with the Director, to prepare management plans for the park; and, to make decisions relating to the management of the park that are consistent with this management plan.

Figure 7 provides an example of how the Board and the Director worked together in a participatory manner to prepare this management plan.

Figure 7: Example of how the Board discussed and approved major items in the preparation of this management plan

Nguraṟitja

The term Nguraṟitja is used by Aṉangu as a collective term for traditional owners of the park. In the context of this management plan, Aṉangu is a broader word that refers to people with traditional affiliations to the region who may, or, may not be traditional owners/Nguraṟitja. Depending on the type of decisions that need to be made, Parks Australia and the CLC will consult with Nguraṟitja, using the processes in this

management plan and the consultation guidelines approved by the Board. Usually, the Board will ask for the views of Nguraṟitja on a particular issue before making a decision.

Director of National Parks

As well as being a Board member, the Director has a responsibility under the EPBC Act to administer, control, protect, conserve and manage biodiversity and heritage in Commonwealth reserves. At the time of this plans preparation, many of the Director’s powers under the EPBC Act are delegated to the staff of Parks Australia. The Director is also an ‘accountable authority’ for the purposes of the Public Governance,

Performance and Accountability Act 2013, which governs how the Director uses and manages public resources. The Director also has obligations to protect the interests and culture of Nguraṟitja under the Lease agreement. Funds for managing the park are allocated from the Australian National Parks Fund as provided for by the EPBC Act, and the Director may collect park use fees subject to the approval of the Minister.

Parks Australia

Parks Australia is a division of the Department of the Agriculture, Water and the Environment that supports the Director of National Parks to carry out their responsibilities. Parks Australia staff and Aṉangu manage the day–to–day operations of the park by planning and implementing work programs together. Work programs are guided by the prescriptions and actions of this management plan, and by the decisions and directions of the Board and Director. Parks Australia is also required to ensure that relevant government policies and legal requirements are addressed when managing the park.

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Aboriginal Land Trust and the Central Land Council

• The Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Aboriginal Land Trust holds title to the park which is owned by Nguraritja. The Central Land Council (CLC) was established under the Land Rights Act and has broad functions to assist and represent the interests of traditional Aboriginal owners of land and other Aboriginal people within Central Australia. CLC, represents Nguraritja for the park and acts on behalf of the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Aboriginal Land Trust. The CLC also acts on behalf of the Nguraritja for the Kaṯiṯi and the Petermann Aboriginal Land Trust, which hold title to the land surrounding the park.

• The CLC plays an important role in the joint management of the park by consulting with Aṉangu, monitoring the implementation of the management plan and ensuring that the provisions of the Lease are upheld.

• Under the EPBC Act and the Lease, the Director is required to consult the CLC about park management, specifically in relation to the preparation of management plans. At the time of this plan’s preparation, the Director supports a Joint Management Officer for the park to assist the CLC to carry out these activities and address responsibilities under the Lease. For a more detailed description of the role of the CLC, see Appendix F.

Muṯitjulu Liaison Officer

In accordance with the Lease conditions, the role of the Community Liaison Officer (referred to in this plan as the Muṯitjulu Liaison Officer) is to liaise between the Muṯitjulu community and Parks Australia about management activities, and to present Muṯitjulu community views to the Board. The Muṯitjulu Liaison Officer (MLO) position is funded by the Director, and at the time of preparing this management plan is administered by the Muṯitjulu Community Aboriginal Corporation (MCAC). For more information about the MLO, see Section 4.2 Muṯitjulu community.

Joint Management Partnership Team

The Joint Management Partnership Team supports the joint management of the park and addresses relevant Muṯitjulu community issues. At the time of preparing this plan, it comprises the CLC Joint Management Officer, Muṯitjulu Liaison Officer, Board Secretary, and the Park Manager. It operates under Terms of Reference determined by the Board.

Board working groups

The Board establishes working groups to assist the Board to carry out its functions, primarily to advise and conduct work delegated by the Board. These working groups are the cultural and natural heritage, tourism, media and Aṉangu employment working groups. Each working group is made up of Nguraṟitja, Parks Australia staff, CLC staff and experts in a particular field. Currently the Board has working groups in the areas of cultural and natural heritage, tourism, media and Aṉangu employment. Each working group operates under terms of reference determined by the Board.

Challenges

•Ensuring Aṉangu and Piṟanpa Board members can make informed and effective decisions together as equals

•Complying with Tjukurpa and Piṟanpa laws and governance requirements when making decisions

•Ensuring working groups function effectively to assist the Board to carry out its functions

•Engaging younger Aṉangu in decision-making related to the park's management, to ensure joint management remains relevant and effective for future generations

•Ensuring Aṉangu priorities and views are considered when making decisions

•Ensuring the implementation of this plan is effectively monitored, reported and evaluated

Prescriptions

2.1.1The Director will provide sufficient and reasonable resources to support the Board to effectively carry out its functions under the EPBC Act, which are:

a. to make decisions for managing the park that are consistent with this management plan; and

b. in-conjunction with the Director, to:

i.prepare management plans for the park;

ii.monitor the management of the park; and

iii.advise the Minister on the future development of the park.

2.1.2Joint management decision making and working together by the Director and the Board will be guided by the following principles:

a. the Board’s vision and goals for this management plan;

b. Aṉangu and Piṟanpa work and share knowledge together as equals using Tjukurpa and Piṟanpa laws;

c. trust and mutual respect between Aṉangu and Piṟanpa;

d. Aṉangu can be involved in all aspects of joint management; and

e. Aṉangu ways of planning and making decisions are incorporated.

2.1.3Decision-making by the Director and the Board under this management plan will be consistent with:

a. the EPBC Act and other relevant legislation;

b. the management principles for the IUCN protected area categories assigned to park zones by Section 1.5 IUCN category and zoning of this management plan;

c. the Director’s obligations under the Lease; and

d. consultation with Aṉangu will be conducted following the processes set out in Table 2.

2.1.4The Board will maintain the working groups under this management plan, and may establish new working groups to provide advice and other support to help the Board to carry out its functions (see sections 3.1.9, 4.1.3, 5.1.10 and 5.3.8). The Board will set out terms of reference for working groups established under this section.

Actions

2.1.5Unless otherwise determined by the Board, maintain the operation of the Joint Management Partnership Team.

2.1.6Develop guidelines and procedures to assist Parks Australia staff to comply with the Director’s obligations under this management plan, including Aṉangu consultation requirements outlined in Table 2.

2.1.7Support Board meetings in ways that enable all members to effectively contribute to making joint and informed decisions. This may include, but is not limited to:

a. preparation days, including opportunities for Aṉangu to develop, review and raise agenda items;

b. visual presentation methods;

c. use of an interpreter;

d. participatory planning processes;

e. on-country meetings;

f. governance and cross cultural training;

g. including Aṉangu agenda items on the Board’s agenda; and

h. secretariat support.

2.1.8Report to the Board on the implementation of this management plan and other park management issues, as requested by the Board. This includes reporting on the status of Board decisions and follow up actions.

2.1.9With the approval of the Board, communicate and disseminate information about Board activities for Aṉangu and Parks Australia staff, such as through joint management newsletters.

2.1.10Provide opportunities for young Aṉangu to engage in Board and working group forums.

2.1.11Review the Lease agreement with CLC in consultation with Nguraṟitja every five years.

2.1.12Schedule the prioritisation and implementation of actions and (relevant) prescriptions in this management plan in conjunction with the Board.

2.1.13In the fifth year of this management plan coming into force, prepare and present to the Board an audit of the implementation of this management plan. The audit will include, but may not be limited to, the following terms of reference:

a. the status of the implementation of actions and (where relevant) prescriptions;

b. evaluating the effectiveness of prescriptions, actions and performance indicators in relation to addressing management plan goals and objectives; and,

c. recommendations for the next management plan.

Table 2: Consultation requirements and decision-making process for action in the park

Category

Example

Decision making process and

consultation requirements

Routine actions

Actions that are likely to have no impact, or no more than a negligible impact, on:

•the cultural and natural values of the park;

•the interests of Nguraṟitja, community members and other stakeholders;

•visitor use of the park and facilities and services in the park;

•changes to existing facilities and services in the park

Management activities by the Director:

•Minor works to maintain, repair, replace or improve existing infrastructure in its present form and footprint

•Existing routine operations to implement prescriptions or

actions in this management plan or work programs established under this management plan

•Seasonal opening or closing of visitor areas

Approval of regulated activities:

•Issuing permits for regular activities in accordance with this management plan e.g. existing types of commercial activities carried out in areas of the park generally open to the public (section 5.4.2) and non- commercial research (section 3.1.4)

• Assessment process accords with management plan prescriptions and actions

• Nguraṟitja, community members and other stakeholders are consulted

• Decision is made by the Director or appropriate delegate

Category

Example

Decision making process and

consultation requirements

Non-routine actions

Actions that are likely to have more than a negligible impact, on:

• the cultural and natural values of the park;

• the interests of Nguraṟitja, community members and other stakeholders;

• visitor use of the park and facilities and services in the park;

• changes to existing facilities and services in the park

Management activities by the Director:

•Development of new work programs under this management plan

•Minor new works and infrastructure to implement prescriptions in this management plan

•Moderate or major capital works or developments e.g. new infrastructure, or expansion or upgrade of existing infrastructure beyond its current footprint, including realignment of roads

•Major or long-term changes to existing visitor access arrangements

•Changes to the tour guide accreditation course

Approval of regulated activities:

•Approval of moderate or major works for an existing approved commercial operation, e.g. new infrastructure, expansion or upgrade of existing infrastructure

•Approval of moderate or major capital works in connection with a commercial operation

•Approval of new types of commercial activities

•Issuing of subleases, commercial activity licences or occupation licences

•Assessment process accords with management plan prescriptions and actions

•Nguraṟitja, community members and other stakeholders are consulted in coordination with the CLC where appropriate

•Any relevant working groups engaged

•Relevant stakeholders are consulted and kept

informed about progress of assessments

•Proposal must be approved by the Board before the Director carries out the management activity or issues an authorisation.

Note 1: Some actions may also require a Sacred Site Clearance Certificate from the CLC, see Table 4 in Section

3.3 Assessment of proposals.

Note 2: Actions involving the grant or assignment of a

sublease or other dependent interest by the Director requires the consent of the CLC and

the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Aboriginal Land Trust in accordance with the park lease agreement.

2.2 Work planning and implementation

Objective—What needs to happen

Aṉangu and Piṟanpa plan and conduct work programs together to implement this management plan and the Board’s and Director’s decisions

Background

Tjunguringkula wangkara kuliṟa palyanma: wangka munu iwara kutjungka.

© Board of Management

Come together to talk and reflect on decisions: one path, one voice.

In addition to making decisions together at the Board level, joint management requires Aṉangu and Piṟanpa to actively work and make decisions together to plan and implement park work programs and operations.

This management plan and the Board and Director’s decisions provides the ‘big picture’ directions to help do this, including for planning, implementing and monitoring operations to manage the park. Park operations are also guided by and must follow Tjukurpa and Australian laws, including the Director’s responsibilities under the EPBC Act and EPBC regulations the Land Rights Act, the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 and the park lease agreement.

A critical aspect of joint management is engaging Aṉangu in park management work programs and operations. This occurs in a number of ways, including through employment in park operations, involvement in Board and working group meetings, and representation on staff selection panels (see Section 4.1 Employment, education, training and other benefits).

As noted in Section 2.1 Board of Management, park staff also consult with Aṉangu on a range of operational issues relating to managing the park by following the procedures in Table 2, and the operational guidelines approved by the Board and Central Land Council. Where relevant, Aṉangu priorities and information arising from these consultations guide the preparation and implementation of work programs.

In addition to the day-to-day park operations, carrying out on-country activities together is another important way of including Anangu knowledge in the park's cultural and natural resource management programs. On- country activities can be defined as excursions or fieldtrips on Aboriginal land carried out over one or more days where Aṉangu and Piṟanpa work together. These activities can be classified into three main groups: intergenerational learning, caring for country and cultural knowledge exchange between Aṉangu and Piṟanpa. On-country activities aim to promote the use of Anangu land management practices, support the intergenerational transfer of cultural knowledge from senior Aṉangu to younger Aṉangu and promote cultural awareness. They also facilitate opportunities for Piṟanpa staff to learn from Nguraṟitja, and for Aṉangu to learn science-based land management approaches, fostering positive joint management relationships.

Some of these activities are conducted in-conjunction with Central Land Council, as several sites of cultural significance are located adjacent to the park in the Kaṯiṯi and Petermann Aboriginal Land Trust (see also Action 3.2.14). Two-way cross-cultural understanding is important for both Piṟanpa and Aṉangu, as it helps to build a shared understanding of cultural perspectives, and nurtures the exchange of skills and knowledge. This is critical for developing strong relationships, mutual respect and enhancing Aṉangu involvement in the management of the park. On-country work is a core aspect of cultural and natural management programs and is discussed in further detail in Section 3.2 Protecting and enriching culture and country.

This section is to be read in conjunction with the prescriptions and actions of Section 2.1 Board of Management.

Challenges

• Ensuring work plans and associated operations address the prescriptions and actions in this management, plan and the Board’s and Director’s other strategic directions and priorities

• Undertaking operations in ways that are jointly planned, culturally appropriate and facilitate the exchange of knowledge between Piṟanpa and Aṉangu park staff

• Supporting the maintenance of Anangu knowledge and skills and fostering positive joint management relationships with park staff as part of park operations

Actions

2.2.1Prepare, implement and monitor work plans to address the prescriptions and actions in this management plan and the Board’s and Director’s other strategic directions and priorities.

2.2.2Engage and employ Aṉangu when planning and implementing work plans and programs and ensure they are properly supported and mentored.

2.2.3Develop the skills and capability of staff to undertake park management activities to implement this management plan.

2.2.4Seek Nguraṟitja involvement on employment panels for ongoing staff appointments, including providing training associated with recruitment processes.

2.2.5Conduct and document consultations with Aṉangu in accordance with this management plan (see section 2.1.7 and Table 2). Where relevant, incorporate priorities from consultations into work plans.

2.2.6Conduct joint management inductions and foster the exchange of cross-cultural knowledge and awareness, for both Aṉangu and non-Aṉangu staff.

2.2.7Conduct cultural activities and on-country trips with Aṉangu and non-Aṉangu staff (see also sections 3.1.11 and 3.2.12).

2.2.8Formalise joint planning arrangements and representation with Kaṯiṯi Petermann IPA and Yulara.

Part B – Chapter 3

Caring for culture and country

Tjukurpa aṯunymananyi

Protecting and conserving the cultural and natural values of the park

3.Caring for culture and country

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park has a number of outstanding cultural and natural values, which have resulted in the park being inscribed on Commonwealth, National and World Heritage listings. These values are described in this chapter and also summarised in the values statement in Table 1. For Aṉangu, ‘caring for culture and country’ are inextricably linked. The ongoing land management practices and traditions carried out by generations of Aṉangu in accordance with Tjukurpa, have helped to shape the country we see today and are fundamental to the listing of the park under the World Heritage Convention.

Cultural knowledge and skills are therefore essential in maintaining and enhancing the integrity of the park’s values. Since European settlement, the park’s landscape has altered, with the introduction of invasive plants and animals, altered fire regimes, tourism and associated infrastructure. For these reasons, the application of Aṉangu and contemporary scientific land management practices are essential for managing the park into the future.

This chapter sets out the objectives, prescriptions and actions for managing the cultural and natural values of the park. It also outlines how these values will be protected from current and potential threats, including assessing new activity proposals.

Snapshot of Chapter 3

Performance indicators

•Extent of Aṉangu participation in cultural and natural heritage management programs

•The number of on-country activities conducted

•The number of opportunities to support and document the intergenerational transfer of cultural skills, practices and knowledge

•Whether monitoring programs for significant flora and fauna are carried out

•Whether water extraction from aquifers remains sustainable and water quality is maintained

•The number of rock art and cultural sites monitored and managed

•Whether waterhole management and protection occurs

•The number and extent of active heavily eroded sites

•Whether the distribution and/or abundance of targeted invasive species is decreased

•Whether the frequency, extent and intensity of large-scale fires are reduced

•Whether proposals for new activities are assessed for their impacts in accordance with the management plan

Objectives

3.1 Knowledge for managing country

Use Aṉangu and contemporary land management skills and knowledge for the protection, maintenance and enrichment of the park's cultural and natural values

3.2 Protecting and enriching culture

and country Protect, maintain and enrich the park's cultural and natural

values and sites

3.3 Assessment of proposals

The impacts of proposed actions on park values and Nguraṟitja interests are assessed and considered before decisions are made to approve them

Goal—What we want

To protect and maintain strong Tjukurpa, culture and country

Performance indicators—What we will check

• Extent of Aṉangu participation in cultural and natural heritage management programs

• The number of on-country activities conducted

• The number of opportunities to support and document the intergenerational transfer of cultural skills, practices and knowledge

• Whether monitoring programs for significant flora and fauna are carried out

• Whether water extraction from aquifers remains sustainable and water quality is maintained

• The number of rock art and cultural sites monitored and managed

• Whether waterhole management and protection occurs

• The number and extent of active heavily eroded sites

• Whether the distribution and/or abundance of targeted invasive species is decreased

• Whether the frequency, extent and intensity of large-scale fires are reduced

• Whether proposals for new activities are assessed for their impacts in accordance with the management plan

3.1Knowledge for managing country

Objective—What needs to happen

Use Aṉangu and contemporary land management skills and knowledge for the protection, maintenance and enrichment of the park's cultural and natural values

Background

Nganampa maḻatja tjuṯa nyinanyi kaya uti nintiringama tjitjinguṟu, Tjukurpa winki atunmanykunytjaku. Tjitjinguṟu Tjukurpaku nintiringkunytjaku munu pala palanguṟu waaka wanungku kuṉpungku kanyintjaku. Ranger tjuṯanguṟu kuḻu nintiringkunytjaku ngaṟanyi, tjukurpa kutjara wanungku ngura kanyilkatinytjaku.

© Nellie Patterson

We have a lot of young people and their education in protecting law and culture needs to start from childhood. They should learn the laws from childhood and then be employed to keep them strong.They should also be learning from ranger staff so the country is held and protected through both cultural systems.

Cultural heritage, places, material and knowledge

Under Tjukurpa, Aṉangu have always been connected with Uluṟu. According to Aṉangu, ancestral beings created the plants, animals and features of the landscape, and Aṉangu are the descendants of these ancestors that are responsible for protecting and managing country. Knowledge associated with fulfilling these responsibilities has been passed down from generation to generation through Tjukurpa. Strong spiritual associations and interactions between Aṉangu and country continue today, and it is this ongoing relationship with the land that led to the park being included on the World Heritage List for its cultural values. Therefore, looking after country in accordance with Tjukurpa is a primary responsibility shared by the Director and Aṉangu in jointly managing the park.

The physical aspects of Aṉangu cultural heritage, such as sacred sites, rock art and archaeological material, are all also part of the park’s living cultural landscape. The park contains significant physical evidence of one of the oldest continuous living cultures in the world. Sites of significance include rock art sites, stone arrangements, rock engravings and rock shelters containing archaeological deposits. Some of the work undertaken to care for significant sites include protecting rock art by installing visitor viewing platforms, controlling erosion, removing weeds and realigning walking tracks away from sensitive areas. A register of sites of special significance has been established in consultation with Aṉangu, the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority and the Central Land Council. Figure 8 shows some of the significant sites and Aṉangu place names at Uluṟu.

Figure 8: Some Aṉangu significant sites and places at Uluṟu

A major part of Aṉangu cultural heritage are the intangible aspects of Tjukurpa. These include the spiritual knowledge about country, sacred sites, ancestral stories and beliefs, language, songs, dances; land use; and cultural practices, ceremonies or rituals. It also includes hunting and gathering techniques which are important cultural activities for reinforcing connection to country, maintaining links with Tjukurpa and passing on knowledge to younger generations.

Aṉangu maintain a detailed body of cultural and ecological knowledge of the land based on thousands of years of continuous habitation in the region. Aṉangu landscape management methods follow a traditional regime of fire management, sustainable hunting and harvesting practices and protection and maintenance of water sources. This knowledge also includes climate patterns, animal behaviour and ecological responses, and the relationships between different elements of the landscape. Aṉangu knowledge and cultural material can be described as Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (See Feature Box 2) which is an essential element of maintaining Tjukurpa. Preserving and maintaining this knowledge through recording Aṉangu oral history and the intergenerational knowledge transfer, helps keep Aṉangu culture strong and maintains knowledge for managing country, for now and the future.

Feature Box 2:

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) is a term used to describe Indigenous cultural material and knowledge. The Board and Parks Australia work with CLC and other stakeholders to ensure ICIP rights

are protected

To Aṉangu it is extremely important to protect their ICIP, which includes but may not be limited to:

• immovable cultural property, including sacred sites and rock art

• cultural objects, including sacred objects and other objects of cultural significance

• contemporary art, including paintings and other works

• human remains, including the remains of Aṉangu ancestors

• traditional knowledge, including spiritual, scientific, ecological and local historical

• stories, including Tjukurpa stories and Aṉangu history and society

• language, including the Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara languages

• inma (singing and dancing performances and ceremonies), including recordings

• knowledge of cultural environment resources – including plants, animals and minerals

• images, including photographs, films and artworks of the landscape or people.

Tjukurpa provides rules that protect this material and knowledge from inappropriate access and use by Aṉangu and other Aboriginal people. Today however, ICIP can be accessed and used by non-Aṉangu for a range of purposes.

Aṉangu have concerns about being able to manage and control ICIP, specifically by protecting cultural material; recognising that Aṉangu are the owners of this property; having the capacity to monitor and regulate its use; and being able to benefit from sharing it.

It is the view of Nguraṟitja that, through Tjukurpa, there should be strong links between the management of the park and adjoining lands. This is because areas in the park are closely related to cultural and natural features beyond its boundary. For example, many converging ancestral tracks and Tjukurpa stories that extend across the surrounding lands converge at Uluṟu and Kata Tjuṯa. Connection to these extended sites has direct implications for the practice and maintenance of Tjukurpa within the park.

Figure 9 highlights some of the important Aṉangu sites that occur both inside and outside the park. These sites include homelands, or outstations, which are small communities built on land of particular cultural significance. There are several homelands located on the Kaṯiṯi-Petermann IPA (see Figure 9 and Figure 10) and these areas are culturally significant for Nguraṟitja. For this reason, working together with traditional owners of the surrounding lands is important for Nguraṟitja in order to help maintain the living cultural landscape and Tjukurpa both inside the park and in the surrounding region.

Figure 9: Aṉangu perception of the landscape with major landmarks extending outside the park boundary © Rene Kulitja

Indigenous Community Homeland

Lake MacDonald

Lake Hopkins

Tjukurla

Warakurna

Papulankutja (Blackstone)

Irruytju (Wingellina)

Station

Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park Protected areas

Lake

Sealed road

Unsealed road R

4WD road State border

N

0 50

100 km

Ntaria (Herbannsburg)

Alice Springs
Kaltukatjara (Docker River)

Lake Neale

“Land Council” means the Central Land Council established under the Land Rights Act or any other Land

Council that may be established for the area in accordance with section 21 of the Land Rights Act; “Land Rights Act” means the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 of the Commonwealth; “person” includes a body corporate and any other entity recognised by law.

“Plan of Management” means the plan of management for the Park prepared in accordance with the Act as in force from time to time;

“relevant Aboriginals” means all the traditional Aboriginal owners of the Park and the Aboriginals entitled to use, or occupy the Park, and Aboriginals permitted by them to reside in the Park;

“Relevant Aboriginal Association” means Mutitjulu Community Incorporated or any other incorporated Aboriginal Association or group whose members live in or are relevant Aboriginals in relation to the Park which is the successor to Mutitjulu Community Incorporated and which is approved as such in writing by the Land Council.

“the Act” means the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 of the Commonwealth; “traditional Aboriginal owners” has the same meaning as in the Land Rights Act;

“Uluru–Kata Tjuta Board” means the Uluru–Kata Tjuta Board of Management the name of which is so specified as established under the Act;

2. The Acts Interpretation Act 1901 of the Commonwealth applies, so far as is applicable, to the interpretation of this Lease as if this Lease were an Act.

3. A reference in this Lease to an Act or regulation includes any amendment to that Act or regulation for the time being in force and also to any Act or regulation passed in substitution therefore.

The Director of National Parks and Wildlife accepts this lease subject to the reservations, provisions, covenants and conditions set out above.

Bibliography

Australia Bureau of Statistics (2016) Muṯitjulu census data. < Briggs, J.D. & Leigh, J.H. (1996) Rare or threatened Australian plants. CSIRO Publishing.

Director of National Parks (1999) Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Draft Management Plan 1999-2009. Director of National Parks, Canberra.

Director of National Parks (2012) Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Climate Change Strategy 2012-2017. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Canberra, Australia.

Director of National Parks (2015) Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Management Plan 2010-2020 Mid-Term Implementation Review. Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Canberra, Australia.

Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories (1994) Renomination of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park by the Government of Australia for inscription on the World Heritage List. Commonwealth of Australia.

Garnett, S.T. (1992) Threatened and Extinct Birds of Australia. RAOU Report 82. Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union and National Parks and Wildlife Service, Canberra.

Hyder Consulting (2008) The impacts and management implications of climate change for the Australian Government’s protected areas. A report to the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, and Department of Climate Change.

Jacobs (2018) Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Water Supply Aquifer Sustainability Assessment. Jacobs Group (Australia) Pty Limited, Melbourne.

Lee, A.K (1995) The Action Plan for Australian Rodents, Environment Australia: Canberra.

Morton, S. R., Short, J., & Barker, R. D (1995) Refugia for Biological Diversity in Arid and Semi-arid Australia. Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, Canberra.

Paltridge, R. (2002) The diets of cats, foxes and dingoes in relation to prey availability in the Tanami Desert, Northern Territory. Wildlife Research, 29:389–403.

Reid, J.R.W., Kerle, J.A. & Morton, S.R. (1993) Uluṟu fauna: The distribution and abundance of vertebrate fauna of Uluṟu (Ayers Rock–Mount Olga) National Park. Australia National Parks and Wildlife Service, Canberra.

Saxon, E.C. (1984) Introduction to patch burning. Anticipating the Inevitable: A Patch-Burn Strategy for Fire Management at Uluṟu National Park. CSIRO, Melbourne.

Smith, A.P. & Quin, D.G. (1996) Patterns and causes of extinction and decline in Australian conilurine rodents. Biological Conservation 77:243-267.

Sweet, I.P. & Crick, I.H (1992) Uluṟu & Kata Tjuṯa: a geological history. Australian Geological Survey Organisation.

Index

Note: locators in bold indicate tables, italics indicate figures

A

Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority, 40

Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth) (the Land Rights Act), 2, 25, 102, 126

cultural protection, 44 traditional Aboriginal owners, 3

Acacia ammobia (sandhill wattle), 117, 118

adder’s tongue ferns (Ophioglossum lusitanicum subsp. coriaceum), 117, 118 administration and business management, 94–103

capital works and infrastructure, 95–6 compliance and enforcement, 101 emergency management, 99–100

new activities not specified in plan, 103 performance indicators, 94, 95

resource use, 97–8

subleases, licences and associated occupancies, 102 vision and goals, 95

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 (JAMBA), 127, 132, 135

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 (CAMBA), 127, 132, 135

Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Korea for the Protection of Migratory Birds 2007 (ROKAMBA), 127, 132, 135

air access, 82, 84, 89, 91 Air Services Australia, 91

Aṉangu (traditional owners of park), 2 ancestor story, 51

Board membership and participation, 28, 70

commercial tourism, 70

consultations, 90, 130

cultural, social and economic rights, 76 cultural and natural values, 15 disruption to fire management, 55

fire management, 117

habitat categorisation system, 44–5 income sources, 70

intergenerational transfer of cultural knowledge, 34 landscape management, 41

livelihoods and benefits, 68–78 management plan preparation, 28 physical aspects of cultural heritage, 40 significance of park to, 6–7

significant sites outside Park boundary, 42

tourism benefits for, 87

visitor interpretation and educational experiences, 86 work planning and implementation, 34–5

working relationships, 25

See also Tjukurpa (traditional Aṉangu law)

Aṉangu Jobs, 13

ancestor story, 51

ancestral animals, 46

ancestral sites, 6

ancestral tracks, 42

Aquifer Sustainability Assessment (2018), 45, 73

aquifers, 45, 73

Aṟa Iritija (database), 44, 49

archaeological material, 40

art See cave art; rock art assessment of proposals, 60–5

challenges, 60

impact assessment matters and consideration, 64–5

impact assessment procedures, 61–3

prescriptions, 60 assessments for conservation, 58 associated occupancy issues, 102 audio recording, 87, 88

audits, 12, 32

Australian Federal Police, 101

Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service, 2, 114 See also Parks Australia Australian National Parks Fund, 29

Australian Privacy Principles, iii Australian Public Service (APS), 70 Ayers Rock See Uluṟu

Ayers Rock Airport (Connellan Airport), 82, 89 Ayers Rock Resort, 3, 83, 89

Ayers Rock–Mount Olga National Park, 2, 133 See also Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park

Basedowena olgana (camaenid land-snail), 117 biological resources access, 125, 128

bird species, 46, 52

threatened species, 131 Board of Management, 24

Aṉangu membership and participation in, 28 decision-making and planning strategies, 27 EPBC Act context, 120

formation of, 2, 4, 28

joint management objectives, 25–33 meetings, 130

Picasso Gold Medal award 1995, 128, 135 role and responsibilities, 120

preparation for management plan summary, 129–30 preparation plan discussion and approval, 28

vision and goals, iv

working groups, 26, 27, 30, 44

Bonn Convention, 127, 132, 135

brand and marketing strategies, 85, 86, 87

buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) management, 50, 53, 59 burnt or regenerated areas (nyaru), 45

Bushfires Management Act 2006 (NT), 55, 57, 99

camaenid land-snail (Basedowena olgana), 117 CAMBA, 127, 132, 135

camels, 54

management, 53

capital works and infrastructure, 95–6 prescriptions and actions, 96

caring for culture and country, 38–65 actions, 48–9

assessment of proposals, 60–5 challenges, 47, 56

climate change, 55

cultural heritage, places, material and knowledge, 40–4 fire management, 55

incorporating Tjukurpa, 8

introduced animals and plants, 53, 54 knowledge for managing country, 39–49 native animals and plants protection, 46 performance indicators, 38, 39

physical landscape, 44–5

prescriptions, 47–8, 56–7

protecting significant sites and species, 52

research, monitoring and knowledge management, 47–9 vision and goals, 39

water sources, 45

cats, 53, 54

the CATSI Act, 75 cave art, 8

cavernous weathering process, 44, 113

CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity), 127 Central Land Council (CLC), 2, 12, 40

consultation guidelines, 26

consultations, 13

on-country activities, 34

fire management, 55

formation, 133

joint management responsibilities, 29 role and responsibilities, 126

centralian blue-tongued lizard (lungkaṯa), 46 Cercophonius squama (scorpion), 117 ceremony See inma (ceremony)

Charles Darwin University, 89 chenopod (Maireana lanosa), 118

China–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA), 127, 132, 135

Chthonocephalus pseudevax (daisy), 118 CITES, 127

Civil Aviation Safety Authority, 89 clay pans (tjintjiṟa), 45

climate change and water resource, 97 climate change strategy (DNP, 2012), 55

collaboration actions, 49 commercial activity licences, 48 commercial filming, 87, 88

commercial flights, 89, 91 commercial licence activities, 89 commercial media licences, 87 commercial operations, 89–91, 101

actions, 91

challenges, 90

prescriptions, 90–1 commercial tour operators, 89 commercial tourism, 134

use of native animals and plants, 70 Commonwealth Heritage values, 117–18, 124–25, 134 Commonwealth reserves controlled actions, 123 communities surrounding the Park, 43

Community Liaison Officer, 30 See also Muṯitjulu Liaison Officer (MLO) community services, 75

compliance and enforcement, 101

Connellan Airport (Ayers Rock Airport), 82, 89 conservation assessments, 58

consultations

with Aṉangu, 13, 129, 130

commercial operations, 90

guidelines, 26

joint management decision-making, 32–3

Nguraṟitja (traditional Aboriginal owners), 26, 29 Consultative Forum of Traditional Owners, 73 controlled actions, 60, 63

Commonwealth reserves, 123 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), 127

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), 127 Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (the Bonn Convention), 127, 132, 135 Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 (Cth) (the CATSI Act), 75

on-country activities, 34, 44, 50 creek lines (karu), 45

crested bellbird (paṉpaṉpaḻaḻa), 46 Cultural and Natural Heritage group, 44

cultural and natural management programs, 34, 38, 47 Cultural Centre

proposed upgrade, 84

as source of tourist information and education, 86 waste disposal and recycling, 97

water sources, 45, 73

cultural heritage database, 44, 49 cultural knowledge

intergenerational transfer, 34, 39, 41, 50

supporting retention, 50–1

See also Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) cultural material/ property

protection mechanisms, 44

removal, 52

repatriation, 44

culture and country See caring for culture and country

daisy (Chthonocephalus pseudevax), 118 dangerous recreational activities, 82, 83

Dasycercus cristicauda (murtja/mulgara), 46, 54, 117, 131

database, cultural heritage, 44, 49

decision-making, 103

general administrative principles, 120–21 joint management, 24, 26, 27

Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, 13 Department of the Environment and Energy, 29 Department of the Environment, Sport and Territories, 114 desert mouse (Pseudomys desertor), 118

desert quandong (Santalum acuminatum), 46 dialects, 2 See also Pitjantjatjara; Yankunytjatjara dingoes, 54

direct employment, 70 Director of National Parks

capital works and infrastructure jurisdiction, 96 commercial activity licences, 48

commercial operations jurisdiction, 90–1 consultation guidelines, 26

dealing with unexpected future matters, 103 EPBC Act context, 119

essential services provision, 75, 95, 96

lease of Park to, 2, 25, 72, 102

management activities, 32–3

research and monitoring activities, 48

review of 2010–2020 management plan, 12–13

role and responsibilities, 29, 44, 119

tourism jurisdiction, 83

township sublease, 16, 68, 73

diversity of activities, 82 dogs, 53, 54

Muṯitjulu Township Zone, 77 National Park Zone, 56

drones See remote piloted aircraft (drones) Dune Plains Aquifer, 45

E

emergency management, 99–100

challenges, prescriptions and actions, 100

Emergency Management Act 2013 (NT), 99

employment, education, training and other benefits, 69–71 actions, 71

challenges and prescriptions, 70 types of employment, 70

En Route Supplement Australian Special Procedures 7 (ERSA SP7), 89 English glossary, 106–9

Enneapogon caerulescens (grass), 118

Environment and Heritage Legislation Amendment Act (No. 1) 2003, 115–16

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), 2, 4, 28, 119–25

accessing and conducting activities, 82, 128 Board of Management, 120

commercial tourism operations, 89 controlled actions, 60, 63

controlled actions in Commonwealth reserves, 123 cultural protection, 44

Director of National Parks, 119 endangered animal species, 46 excavation and mining prohibition, 52, 123

heritage protection, 124–5

IUCN categories and management principles, 120

management plan purpose, content and matters, 121–122 matters of national environmental significance, 123–24 migratory birds, 132

native plants and animals protection, 46, 85 park lease agreement, 72–3

penalties, 125

prohibited capital works, 95

research and monitoring activities, 47 staff appointments, 101

subleases and leases, 102 threatened species, 131

Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa Management Plan provisions, 12–17 wildlife protection, 124

World Heritage property protection under, 8

Environmental Reform (Consequential Provisions) Act 1999 (Cth), 14, 119

EPBC Regulations, 16

access to biological resources, 125 accessing and conducting activities, 82, 128

capture of culturally appropriate images and sounds, 87 commercial tourism operations, 89

compliance and enforcement, 101 cultural protection, 44

excavation and mining prohibition, 52, 123 general administrative principles, 120–21 Indigenous traditional and native title rights, 125 IUCN categories and zoning, 16–17

native plants and animals protection, 46 penalties, 125

prohibited activities, 83 prohibited capital works, 95

research and monitoring activities, 47 restricted recreational activities, 84

Eragrostis sterilis, 118

erosion issues, 52, 58, 113

ERSA SP7, 89

essential services provision, 76, 95 96 events and festivals, 82

excavation and mining operations, 52, 56, 123 Muṯitjulu Township Zone, 76

Executive Director of Township Leasing, 13, 16, 68, 73

Falco hypoleucos (grey falcon), 46, 118, 131

ferns, 118

Fire and Emergency Act 1996 (NT), 99

Fire and Rescue Service and Bushfires NT, 55 fire management, 50, 52, 53, 55, 57

actions, 59

Aṉangu, 41, 117 flat areas (puṯi), 44

flora and fauna See native animals; native plants foreword, v

foxes, 53, 54

frog species, 46, 52

fuel stoves for cooking, 83 funding sources, 29

G

gender-based cultural knowledge and responsibilities, 6 general administrative principles, 120–21

genetic resources, 125, 127

Giles, Ernest, 133 glossaries

English, 106–9

Pitjantjatjara/Yankunytjara, 106–9

Goodenia occidentalis, 118

Gosse, William, 133

great desert skink See tjakura/great desert skink (Liopholis kintorei)

Great Sandy Desert, 14

grey falcon (Falco hypoleucos), 46, 118, 131

groundwater, 45, 97

H

habitat categorisation system, 44–5 harvesting practices, 41

Hawke, Bob, 2

helicopter use, 77, 84

homelands surrounding the Park, 42, 43

house mice, 53, 54

housing, staff, 95, 96

I

impact assessment matters and consideration, 64–5, 103 impact assessment procedures, 61–3

income sources, 70

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP), 41 Indigenous Land Corporation, 3

Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), 3, 4, 5, 42 Indigenous traditional and native title rights, 125 in-direct employment, 70

information education and interpretation, 85–6 challenges, 86

prescriptions and actions, 86

infrastructure See capital works and infrastructure infringement notices, 101

Ininti Store, 72, 133

inma (ceremony), 50

international agreements, 127–8, 135

International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), 134 International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), 16–18, 120, 121 international visitors, 82

introduced animals, 52, 53, 54

control programs, 58–9, 78

introduced plants, 53

Muṯitjulu Township Zone, 77 invasive animals See introduced animals invitation to comment, iii

Isoetes muelleri, 117

Isotropis centralis (pea flower), 118

itjaritjari (marsupial mole), 131

IUCN categories and zoning, 16–18, 120, 121

Japan–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA), 127, 132, 135

joint management, 2–5

critical elements, 70

general administrative principles, 120–121 tourism opportunities, 69

Joint Management Officer, 29

Joint Management Partnership Team, 26, 30 journalism reporting access, 88

Juncus continuus (sedge), 118

karu (creek lines), 45 Kata Tjuṯa

geological formation, 44, 118 sacred areas in, 8

Kaṯiṯi Aboriginal Land Trust, 3, 29, 34

Kaṯiṯi-Petermann Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), 3, 4 homelands on, 42

Kulitja, Rene, 51

kuniya (Woma python), 46

Lagorchestes hirsutus (mala/rufous hare-wallaby), 46, 54, 131

national recovery program, 52, 58

the Land Rights Act See Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 (Cth) (the Land Rights Act) landscape management, according to Tjukurpa, 7

large springs (waṉampi-tjara), 45

The Larrakia Declaration on the Development of Indigenous Tourism, 128 leases, 2

under EPBC Act, 72–3, 126

See also subleases Legislation Act 2003 (Cth), 12 licences

commercial activities, 89

commercial media, 87

commercial tourism, 90

occupation, 102

lily (Wurmbea centralis), 118

Liopholis kintorei (tjakura/great desert skink), 46, 54, 117, 131

livelihoods and benefits for Aṉangu, 68–78

employment, education, training and other benefits, 69–71 Muṯitjulu community, 72–8

vision and goals, 68, 69

lungkaṯa (centralian blue-tongued lizard), 46

Maireana lanosa (chenopod), 118

mala/rufous hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus), 46, 54, 131

national recovery program, 52, 58

malpa arrangement, 70

Management Plan See Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa Management Plan

management plan (Commonwealth reserves), 121–2 management plan 2010–2020 review, 12–13, 32 marsupial mole (itjaritjari), 131

MCAC See Muṯitjulu Community Aboriginal Corporation (MCAC)

meetings, 129, 130 men’s law and culture, 6

sacred areas in, 8

migratory birds, 127, 132 See also international agreements mining operations See excavation and mining operations MLO, 30, 70, 75, 78

murtja/mulgara (Dasycercus cristicauda), 46, 54, 117, 131

Muṯitjulu community, 68, 72–8, 89

actions, 78

challenges, 76

community services, 75 essential services provision, 95 leases, 73–4

MCAC, 75

plants and animals, 56 population, 72

prescriptions, 76–7

Muṯitjulu Community Aboriginal Corporation (MCAC), 13, 30, 75, 102

meetings, 130

Muṯitjulu Liaison Officer (MLO), 30, 70, 75, 78 Muṯitjulu Township Sublease, 73

Muṯitjulu Township Zone, 16, 17, 73, 74, 78 capital works and infrastructure, 96 commercial activities, 77

excavation and mining operations, 76 rocks, soil or gravel, 57

water sources, 45, 73

N

Nagoya Protocol, 128

National Heritage values, 115–16, 124, 134

National Park Zone, 16–17, 82

air access, 84

commercial filming, photography and recording, 88

National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 (Cth), 2, 14, 119 See also Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)

National Reserve System, 134

National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development, 134

National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia’s Biological Diversity, 134 native animals, 46, 52

monitoring, 47

protection mechanisms, 85

rare and threatened species, 116–18, 131, 134

restrictions, 56

use in commercial tourism, 70 native mammals, 46

native plants, 46, 117–18

monitoring, 47

protection mechanisms, 85

rare and threated species, 117–18 restrictions, 56

use in commercial tourism, 70 Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), 125 native title rights, 125

Neophema splendida (scarlet-crested parrot), 118 ‘news of the day’ media coverage, 88

Nguraṟitja (traditional Aboriginal owners), 3, 42

consultations, 26, 29

cultural responsibilities, 69 handback of Park to, 72

introduced animals control programs, 58–9

niche markets, 82

non-Aboriginal people See Piṟanpa (non-Aboriginal people) non-commercial public gatherings, 83

non-routine actions, 26, 33

Northern Territory Aboriginal Sacred Sites Act 1989 (NT), 44 Northern Territory Emergency Service, 99

Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service, 99 Northern Territory Government, 12, 55 Northern Territory Police, 99

Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Service (NTPFES), 99, 100

Northern Territory Reserves Board, 2, 133 See also Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission

Notoryctes typhlops (tjaritjari/marsupial mole), 46

nyaru (burnt or regenerated areas), 45

occupation licences, 102 The Olgas See Kata Tjuṯa open fires, 83

Ophioglossum lusitanicum subsp. coriaceum (adder’s tongue ferns), 117

Ophioglossum polyphyllum (fern), 118 oral history recordings, 58

panpanpalala (crested bellbird), 46

Parietaria debilis, 117 Park Headquarters

maintenance of capital works and infrastructure, 95 water sources, 45

park lease agreement, 126 Parks Australia, 2, 29

commercial flight operations, 89 cultural heritage database, 44 employment opportunity types, 70 lease agreements, 126

staff appointments, 101

staff meetings, 130

pea flower (Isotropis centralis), 118 penalties, 125

performance indicators

administration and business management, 94, 95 caring for culture and country, 38, 39

livelihoods and benefits for Aṉangu, 68, 69 tourism experiences and services, 80, 81 working and making decisions together, 24, 25

pesticides use, 77

Petermann Aboriginal Land Trust, 3, 29, 34 Petermann Aboriginal Reserve, 133 photography

access to sacred sites, 85 commercial, 87

commercial tourism, 88

unauthorised, 52

Picasso Gold Medal award 1995, 128, 135

pila (sandy plains habitat), 44 Piṟanpa (non-Aboriginal people), 4

visual structure of vision and goals, 20

Piṟanpa law See Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act)

Pitjantjatjara, 2, 70

glossary, 110–11

Police Officer-in-Charge, 99

Polytelis alexandrae (Princess parrot), 46, 118, 131 preservative-treated pine for construction, 96 Princess parrot (Polytelis alexandrae), 46, 118, 131 Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), iii

privacy policy, iii

prohibited activities, 82, 83

promotion, marketing, film and photography, 87–8 protecting and enriching culture, 50–9

actions, 57–9

challenges, 56

prescriptions, 56–7

Pseudomys desertor (desert mouse), 118

Public Governance Performance and Accountability Act 2013, 29, 119 public road access, 82

puḻi (rocky habitat), 44

puṯi (flat areas), 44

R

rabbits, 53, 54

rainfall, 45

Ramsar Convention, 122

rangers, 101

Rangerville, 95

recreational activities, 84

safety information, 86

See also dangerous recreational activities recycling and disposal of waste, 97

Relevant Aboriginal Association, 75, 102

relict species, 117

remote piloted aircraft (drones), 84 repeater stations, 95

reptile species, 46, 52, 117

threatened species, 131

Republic of Korea–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (ROKAMBA), 127, 132, 135 research and monitoring activities

introduced animals and plants, 53 principles, 48

resource use, 97–8

actions, 97–8

challenges, 97

general administrative principles, 120–1 prescriptions, 97

road closures, 82, 83

road maintenance, 95 rock, soil, gravel, 57 rock art, 8

conservation assessments, 58

protection mechanisms, 40

threats, 52

vandalism, 52

rockhole management, 117 rocky habitat (puḻi), 44 ROKAMBA, 127, 132, 135

routine actions, 26, 32

rufous hare-wallaby See mala/rufous hare-wallaby (Lagorchestes hirsutus)

S

sacred sites, 40

appropriate public access, 87 Kata Tjuṯa, 8

photography access, 85

protection mechanism, 44, 82

registered and recorded, 15, 40 Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park, 14

unauthorised access and photography, 52, 101 safety risk assessments, 84

sand dune systems (tali), 44

sandhill wattle (Acacia ammobia), 117, 118 sandy plains habitat (pila), 44

Santalum acuminatum (desert quandong), 46 scarlet-crested parrot (Neophema splendida), 118 school-based learning, 70

scorpion (Cercophonius squama), 117 search and rescue operations, 100 sedge (Juncus continuus), 118 sewage processing, 95

Sida calyxhymenia, 118 significant sites

outside of the Park boundary, 42 protection mechanisms, 40, 52 recording and documenting, 58 Uluṟu, 40

soaks (tjuṉu), 45

social media, 88

sorry rocks, 52

Southern Aquifer, 45, 73

Statement of Outstanding Universal Value, 8 staff appointments, 101

staff housing, 95, 96

staff meetings, 130

staff training and development, 70 stakeholders, 13, 60

Standard Scenic Flight Procedures, 89, 91

Stylidium inaequipetalum, 117, 118

subleases, 16, 68, 73, 102 See also Muṯitjulu Township Sublease; Muṯitjulu Township Zone

surface water, 45

surveys, visitor, 47 sustainability issues

challenges for Park, 97

general administrative principles, 120–21

See also resource use sustainable hunting, 41

swimming prohibitions, 57

tali (sand dune systems), 44

Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission, 2

Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 2006 (TPWC Act), 46, 131 timber for construction, 96

tjakura/great desert skink (Liopholis kintorei), 46, 54, 117, 131

tjintjiṟa (clay pans), 45

Tjukurpa, 3, 4, 41

ancestral animals, 46

within cultural landscape context, 6–7 cultural responsibilities under, 69 ensuring visitor safety, 82

incorporating into land management methods, 14, 112 intergenerational transfer, 15

sacred sites and public access, 87

as source of information, education and interpretation, 85

visual structure of vision and goals, 20

water sources, 45

tjuṉu (soaks), 45

tour guide accreditation, 89, 91, 101

tour operators See commercial tour operators Tourism Australia, 88

tourism experiences and services, 80–91 commercial operations, 89–91

early, 133

information education and interpretation, 85–6 performance indicators, 80, 81

principles, 83

promotion, marketing, film and photography, 87–8 vision and goals, 81

visitor experience and site management, 81–4

See also commercial tourism Tourism NT, 88

track closures, 82, 83

traditional Aboriginal owners See Nguraṟitja (traditional Aboriginal owners) traditional Aṉangu law See Tjukurpa (traditional Aṉangu law)

traditional knowledge, public access to, 85 training courses, 89, 91

treatment ponds, 95

Triglochin calcitrarapum, 117

U

UHF radio network, 95 Uluṟu

erosion issues, 52

geological formation, 44–5, 118

Uluṟu Knowledge for Tour Guides training course, 89, 91 Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa Aboriginal Land Trust, 2, 3, 73, 102

joint management responsibilities, 29 park lease agreement, 126

Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa Management Plan CLC contribution to, 126 commencement and termination, 12

general provisions and IUCN category, 12–21 IUCN categories and zoning, 16–18

planning process, 12–13

short title, 12

structure of, 19–21 value of park, 13–15

Values Statement, 14–15

visual structure, 20

Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park Commonwealth Heritage values, 117–18

cultural and natural features beyond boundaries, 42 cultural values, 15

establishment of, 2 European history of, 133

excavation and mining prohibition, 52 international listings, 14

international significance, 134–5 IUCN categories and zoning, 16–18

landscape changes since European settlement, 38 migratory birds, 132, 135

National Heritage values, 115–16 national significance, 134

native plants and animals, 46

natural values, 15

protected areas and reserves surrounding, 5

public road access, 82 regional significance, 134

relict species, 117

significant ecological sites, 45 significant sites in, 40 threatened species, 131

tourism history, 72

values of, 13–15

Values Statement, 14–15

water sources, 45

World Heritage values, 112–14 World Heritage listing, 8, 128

Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park Cultural Heritage and Scientific Consultative Committee, 13 Uluṟu–Kata Tjuṯa National Park Tourism Consultative Committee, 13

UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 128 underground water systems See aquifers

unexpected matters, dealing with, 103

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), 135

vehicle access tracks, 83 vision and goals, iv, 20

administration and business management, 95 caring for culture and country, 39

livelihoods and benefits for Aṉangu, 69 summary of, 21

tourism experiences and services, 81 working and making decisions together, 25

visitor access, 52, 83 areas prohibited to, 82 flexibility to change, 90 waterholes, 57

visitor experience and site management, 81–4 actions, 84

challenges, 83

prescriptions, 83–4

visitor safety, 82

visitor surveys, 47

visitor viewing platforms, 40 visitors, international, 82

waṉampi-tjara (large springs), 45 wardens, 101

waste disposal and recycling, 97 water sources

Aṉangu maintenance, 41 Muṯitjulu Township Zone, 73 semi-permanent, 72

sustainability issues, 49, 97

types of, 45

waterholes, swimming in, 57

weed management See buffel grass (Cenchrus ciliaris) management

Weeds Management Act 2001 (NT), 53 Western Desert language, 2 See also dialects Western Desert language speakers, 3

wildlife protection, 124 Woma python (kuniya), 46

women’s law and culture, 6

Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth), 34, 82, 99 working and making decisions together, 24–35

actions, 31–3, 35

challenges, 30, 35

decision-making and planning strategies, 27

decision-making strategies, 24, 26

performance indicators, 24, 25

prescriptions, 30–1 vision and goals, 25

work planning and implementation, 34–5 working groups, 26, 30, 44

workshops, 129

World Heritage Committee, 115, 116

World Heritage Convention, 8, 14, 38, 122, 124, 128, 134

World Heritage listing, 8, 40

protection, 124

values, 112–14

Wurmbea centralis (lily), 118

Y

Yankunytjatjara, 2

glossary, 110–11

Yulara, 45

emergency management, 99 essential services provision, 95 resort, 133

parksaustralia.gov.au/uluru

Figures Figure1:	Approximate present-day extent of Western Desert language speakers	3
Figure 2:	Location of protected areas and reserves surrounding the Park	5
Figure 3:	Zones and their IUCN categories within the Park	18
Figure 4:	Visual representation of the layout of this plan	20
Figure 5:	Summary of the structure of this plan	21
Figure 6:	The shared decision making and planning process for the Park	27
Figure 7:	Example of how the Board discussed and approved major items in the preparation of this management plan	28
Figure 8:	Some Aṉangu significant sites and places at Uluṟu	40
Figure 9:	Aṉangu perception of the landscape with major landmarks extending outside the Park boundary © Rene Kulitja	42

Tables Table1:	Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Values Statement	14
Table 2:	Consultation requirements and decision-making process for action in the Park	32
Table 3:	Introduced animal species at Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park and their effects on cultural and natural values	54
Table 4:	Impact assessment procedures	61
Table 5:	Impact assessment matters and considerations	64