Closing the Gap: Turning commitment into action through First Nations partnerships
The Chairs of South Australia’s nine landscape boards have renewed their pledge to care for Country in partnership with First Nations communities.
After a review of the commitment made in December 2021, the Chairs came together in Yorke Peninsula’s Dhilba Guuranda-Innes National Park in early August to sign the 2026 Statement of Commitment.
This formal commitment, which complements the new 2026-31 Regional Landscape Plans, is guided by shared priorities at both state and national levels, including the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, reconciliation principles, and aligning with the Department for Environment and Water’s Stretch Reconciliation Action Plan. At its core, it’s about working alongside Aboriginal people to care for, protect, and restore Country.
Dr. Penny Schulz, speaking on behalf of landscape board Chairs, said it represented a shared commitment across all landscape boards to continue listening, learning and working together in ways that are meaningful, authentic and respectful.
“I don’t think anyone would suggest that we have reached the end of that journey, but today’s signing is an important step because it reflects a genuine willingness to keep learning together and keep building those relationships,” she said.
“At its heart, the statement recognises something that Aboriginal people have always known. That caring for landscapes is caring for Country, which is not just about land and water. It’s culture, identity, history, knowledge and connection that we continue to try and understand and incorporate in what we do.
“As landscape boards we still have much to learn from the landscape stewardship that Aboriginal people have developed over thousands of years, and this commitment ensures that these voices, perspectives and knowledge continue to shape our work and are an integral part of how we make decisions, how we develop partnerships and projects and how we care for landscapes.”
Closing the Gap
The Statement of Commitment builds on the relationships and on-Country work already happening throughout each of the state’s nine landscape board regions.
Every landscape board undertakes significant work with local Aboriginal groups, Traditional Owners and Prescribed Body Corporates, making an effort to align with the National Agreement on Closing the Gap.
At the heart of the Agreement is a simple idea: better outcomes are achieved when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are involved in the decisions that affect them.
The Agreement focuses on four Priority Reforms that aim to change the way governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including:
- building stronger partnerships and shared decision-making
- supporting Aboriginal community-controlled organisations
- transforming government organisations to work in more culturally responsive and effective ways
- improving access to data and information so communities can make informed decisions.
Landscape boards are working towards these priorities in different ways. From Aboriginal-led governance structures and ranger programs to co-designed planning processes and long-term partnerships, there are growing examples of what working differently can look like in practice.
Building stronger partnerships and shared decision-making
The Northern and Yorke Landscape Board’s Five Nations Landscape Committee is a practical example of how to create opportunities for Aboriginal leadership and shared decision-making.
This committee brings together representatives from the Narungga, Nukunu, Ngadjuri, Peramangk and Kaurna Nations to help shape strategic planning, investment priorities and program design. It moves engagement beyond consultation and ensures decisions affecting Country are shaped by those with enduring cultural authority and connection.
On Eyre Peninsula, Wirangu, Nauo and Barngarla Aboriginal Corporations were involved in regional landscape planning in 2025 through two dedicated workshops that generated valuable feedback on how the Regional Landscape Plan can better reflect cultural values, land management aspirations and community priorities.
In the same year, the Eyre Peninsula Landscape Board established the Aboriginal Water Interests Working Group (AWIWG) to ensure Aboriginal voices are embedded in the revision of the Southern Basins and Musgrave Water Allocation Plan (WAP). Prescribed Body Corporates (PBCs) who hold Native Title over the Prescribed Wells Areas nominated a representative who consults with their community and contributes knowledge and priorities for the revised WAP.
On Kangaroo Island, a Country Planning process is being developed with the Ngarrindjeri, Kaurna and Narungga Nation Groups. The first gathering was held in September 2025 with 12 representatives from each of the respective PBCs invited to attend. The Kangaroo Island Landscape Board will incorporate the outcomes and priorities of the Kangaroo Island Country Planning process into their strategic planning.
In the far west of the state, the Alinytjara Wiluṟara Landscape Board continues to provide a unique model of Aboriginal governance, with a board made up entirely of Aṉangu people connected to Country. It is the only board of its kind in Australia comprised entirely of Indigenous people. Board members are well placed to make good decisions about land management issues, based on both traditional knowledge and modern scientific approaches, informed by community priorities.
In the Limestone Coast, the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, South East Aboriginal Focus Group (SEAFG) and Burrandies Aboriginal Corporation have worked together over many decades, collaborating on projects and guiding engagement in environmental planning and works. The Limestone Coast Walking Together Statement describes the way in which the partners work together to manage the Limestone Coast landscape.
Supporting Aboriginal community-controlled organisations
Landscape boards are increasingly investing in partnerships that strengthen the capacity of Aboriginal organisations to lead work on Country, deliver environmental outcomes and create opportunities for future generations.
In the Hills and Fleurieu region, support for the Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Corporation to establish and grow its own Indigenous Ranger Program reflects a shift from short-term project delivery towards building long-term organisational capacity. After one year, the ‘Yarluwar ruwe Ranger Program’ employs more than 30 Ngarrindjeri rangers working across more than a dozen projects.
Established in 2022, the SA Arid Lands Landscape Board's Aboriginal Engagement Network was built to genuinely link the Board’s work with the aspirations of First Nations people caring for Country. The results are numerous: funding secured to get families out on Country, grants awarded to support Healthy Country Plans, engagement on Board plans, and — the flagship achievement — an Indigenous Ranger Gathering now in its fourth year and hosted in partnership with Indigenous Desert Alliance.
Transforming government organisations to work in more culturally responsive and effective ways
Closing the Gap calls on government agencies to change the way they work by building stronger relationships, recognising cultural authority and embedding Aboriginal perspectives into everyday decision-making. Across landscape boards, this transformation is occurring through new ways of engaging with communities, adapting governance structures and creating culturally informed processes.
Green Adelaide's Warpulai Kumangka (meaning ‘working together’) advisory group provides cultural guidance on environmental matters and helps embed Kaurna perspectives into projects across Kaurna Yarta. The group's advice informs environmental programs while helping strengthen understanding of cultural values within the organisation.
The Hills and Fleurieu Landscape Board recently demonstrated this approach through a First Nations art procurement project that was guided by an assessment panel including Aboriginal community representatives from Peramangk, Kaurna and Ngarrindjeri Nations. Their cultural knowledge and perspectives helped ensure the process was respectful, culturally appropriate and community informed.
Improving access to data and information so communities can make informed decisions
Access to information is essential for meaningful participation in planning, decision-making and caring for Country. Landscape boards are working with Aboriginal communities to ensure information is shared in accessible ways and that planning and environmental management processes draw on both scientific evidence and Aboriginal knowledge systems.
In the Murraylands and Riverland, a series of community climate change yarning circles brought together Aboriginal community members and climate scientists to explore future climate scenarios, discuss impacts on cultural values and identify practical responses for their communities. These conversations created opportunities for knowledge sharing while supporting communities to make informed decisions about future challenges. The priorities identified by the Ngarrindjeri community through its yarning circle have led to establishing a monitoring program for freshwater soaks along the Coorong, involvement in threatened species conservation programs and undertaking a major revegetation project at a significant site on Lake Alexandrina.
Projects such as the Limestone Coast's karst springs restoration and Kangaroo Island's work combining traditional knowledge with new technologies for pest management also demonstrate the value of bringing different knowledge systems together. By sharing information, building understanding and recognising Aboriginal knowledge alongside western science, landscape boards are helping to create stronger outcomes for both Country and communities.
The work isn't finished
While there has been significant progress, Closing the Gap was never intended to be a short-term project. There is still work to do.
Across the landscape sector, organisations continue to learn how to strengthen shared decision-making, improve cultural capability and create more opportunities for Aboriginal leadership.
Many Aboriginal communities and organisations continue to face capacity and resourcing challenges, particularly when asked to participate in multiple planning and engagement processes.
There is also ongoing work needed to ensure Aboriginal perspectives are embedded from the beginning of projects, policies and programs, rather than brought in later.
The next phase of Closing the Gap will require continued investment in relationships, stronger support for community-led initiatives, and systems that enable Aboriginal people to influence decisions that affect Country and community wellbeing.
