New Management Plan for Malkumba-Coongie Lakes National Park

Posted 04 February 2015.

A new management plan has been developed to protect Malkumba-Coongie Lakes National Park, one of South Australia’s most remote and untouched National Parks.

The park is located in the far north-east of South Australia, near Innamincka. It safeguards an important section of the Cooper Creek, protecting Coongie Lake and the surrounding wetlands.

It is also recognised under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance, as the area provides essential habitat and breeding sites for numerous nomadic and migratory bird species.

The new management plan was developed in consultation with the Yandruwandha and Yarwarrawarrka Parks Advisory Committee. The Yandruwandha and Yarwarrawarrka traditional owners have a strong connection to Country and the plan outlines strategies to care for their country.

Natural Resources SA Arid Lands Regional Manager Stuart Paul said Malkumba-Coongie Lakes is a stunning destination that has been shaped by drought, flood and the footprints of generations of people who have lived and passed through the area.

“This management plan begins a new phase in the life of the park,” Mr Paul said. “It will help to protect Coongie Lake and the wetland system within the Cooper Creek Catchment. It will also contribute to the health of the Lake Eyre Basin.

“Renaming the park to Malkumba-Coongie Lakes National Park has been an important step and the development of this plan acts to strengthen the relationship between the Yandruwandha and Yarwarrawarrka Parks Advisory Committee and the South Australian Government.”

Key themes of the plan, which will guide the park’s ongoing management, include enhancing the relationship between traditional owners and their ancestral lands, enabling natural ecological processes to flourish, and providing a sustainable, low-impact visitor experience.