'The river is part of who we are. It is about respecting that traditional knowledge, to bring it into the twenty-first century, and to put it as two words: Cultural Flows.' - Cheryl Buchanan, Kooma (Gwama) Nation  

Cultural Flows are 'water entitlements that are legally and beneficially owned by Indigenous Nations of a sufficient and adequate quantity and quality, to improve the spiritual, cultural, environmental, social and economic conditions of those Indigenous Nations'. This is our inherent right.

This definition was endorsed by representatives from thirty-one Indigenous nations at a joint meeting of the Murray Lower Darling River Indigenous Nations (MLDRIN) and the Northern Basin Aboriginal Nations (NBAN) -The Echuca Declaration, September 2010.

What we did

The National Cultural Flows Research Project is a game-changing ressearch project driven by Aboriginal people, for Aboriginal people.

The project was working to secure a future where First Nations' water allocations are embedded within Australia's water planning and management regimes, to deliver cultural, spiritual and social benefits as well as environmental and economic benefits, to Aboriginal communities in the Murray-Darling Basin and beyond.

Our purpose

We developed rigorous and defendable knowledge on First Nations' water interests for the benefit of Aboriginal people. The project drew on a range of scientific research methodologies and generations of cultural knowledge to:

• Provide a greater understanding of Aboriginal values relating to natural resources, especially water
• Equip First Nations with information and tools to ensure that Aboriginal water requirements and preferences are reflected in water policy
• Inform the development of new governance approaches to water management that incorporate aspects of First Nations' governance and capacity building

While the focus of the National Cultural Flows Research Project was on the Murray Darling Basin, the project was established for the benefit of all First Nations across Australia. Through the use of case study sites that consider cultural flows in different cultural, social, economic and ecological settings, the project has developed a framework, principles and solid evidence base that can be applied outside of the Basin, to inform the recognition of Aboriginal water rights in different jurisdictions.