Indigenous Community Water Facilitator Network (ICWFN) Project
Background
The
Indigenous Community Water Facilitators Network Project
(ICWFNP) was an initiative of the North Australian Indigenous Land
and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) supported by the Australian
Government through the National Water Commission’s Raising
National Water Standards Program. . The project was established in
June 2007.
The project aimed to support and establish a network of six
regionally based Indigenous Community Water Facilitators to operate
in the; West (Fitzroy River) and East (Ord River) Kimberley Region
Western Australia; Katherine Daly River Catchments in the Northern
Territory; Gulf (Gregory River) and the Mitchell and Wenlock Rivers
in the Cape York Region, Queensland.
The project outcomes were to:
- increase engagement and participation for (by) Indigenous
people across the region in water planning and management, and
- increase recognition and protection of the values, use and
customary management regimes (for water).
Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation, Carpentaria Land
Council Aboriginal Corporation, initially the Miriuwung
Gajerrong’s Corporation and then the Kimberley Land Council
and Northern Land Council developed agreements with NAILSMA between
January and July 2009 to become partners in delivering the project
and to host the Indigenous Community Water Facilitators.
The Evaluative Approach
The ICWFNP was essentially a capacity building project aimed at
increasing Indigenous community knowledge of water values, issues
and participation in water planning processes, formal or informal.
Performance Story Reporting (PSR) incorporating a modified
Appreciative Inquiry interview technique has been found to be a
robust approach for reporting the impact and effectiveness of
capacity building projects. A ‘performance story
report’ is defined as an ‘evidence based’
statement about progresses towards desired outcomes being supported
by multiple lines of qualitative and quantitative evidence. It is a
valuable evaluation technique to gather evidence of the
appropriateness, impact, effectiveness and legacy of a project.
Overall Conclusion
The evidence presented provides a high level of confirmation that
the ICWFN project, through it’s northern Australia support
actions together with the facilitory support provided by the
regionally based Indigenous Community Water Facilitators (ICWFs)
has led to increases in skills, knowledge, confidence and
participation of key TOs, Land Councils and selected Indigenous
community groups for water planning. The changes were in line with
desired outcomes identified in the ICWFNP concept, contract and as
subsequently interpreted in the program logic. The project has
gathered pace recently in the Gulf, Cape York and Top End regions
with increased levels of engagement of TOs, Land Councils and
Indigenous community members in water discussions and planning.
There is more to do and in the words of one TO
interviewed;
“Its only very early – it does take time
and people are dealing with a complex issue and after 3 years there
has been traction in addressing governance and water by Indigenous
people” - Traditional Owner
It is highly plausible that the ICWFNP project was associated
with and largely responsible for the significant changes
demonstrated.
Read the full report here.
