Kokatha Field Day
Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation (KAC) is working on two key plans to incorporate cultural knowledge with sustainable management of its pastoral properties.
Members of the Kokatha Aboriginal Corporation Board’s Culture and Heritage Committee and Kokatha Pastoral staff came together for a field day to focus on ecologically sustainable rangeland management (ESRM) as part of a newly developed plan, and to discuss recommended works. Elements of this plan will be incorporated into KAC's Healthy Country Planning process which is also underway.
The event provided an opportunity to look at sustainable practices for their properties, helping to balance agricultural growth with environmental and cultural conservation.
Kokatha Pastoral is actively working with the board as part of the Building Pastoral Sustainability Program. In October last year, Richard Marver from Contour Environmental and Agricultural Consulting worked with the organisation to identify and prioritise sites for projects that foster agricultural development while protecting natural capital and biodiversity.
The two-day Community on Country event in May brought Richard Marver back to engage the wider Kokatha community. Together they visited key sites across Kokatha-run properties, discussing sustainable cattle management strategies that align with both environmental and cultural values.
During the event, 18 attendees received an overview of the ESRM plan before heading into the field to see these principles in action. They explored various areas across three pastoral properties, seeing firsthand the contrast between overgrazed and healthy country.
The group learned how managing grazing pressure encourages perennial plant recruitment and identified potential sites for monitoring points to track land health over time.
Kokatha Pastoral manages 500,000 hectares of pastoral lease across Purple Downs, Roxby Downs, and Andamooka stations.
The Building Pastoral Sustainability Program is made possible with support from the Australian Government, funded through the Natural Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program.
