Management plan released for iconic Ikara- Flinders Ranges National Park

Posted 22 May 2017.

The plan has been developed with the Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park Comanagement Board, a partnership between the Adnyamathanha traditional owners and the South Australian Government.

The park conserves an awe-inspiring landscape, important Adnyamathanha cultural sites, historic sites, plants, animals, and geological and palaeontological features of global

significance, including some of the world’s best preserved fossils.

It also supports numerous nature-based tourism businesses that are important to the economy of local communities in, and around, the Flinders Ranges.

“The management plan was developed by the Co-management Board with input from the community; it aims to honour the past and shape the future, respect the aspirations of all South Australians and give a strong connection and voice to the Adnyamathanha people,” said Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park Co-management Board Chair John Schutz.

The new management plan for the park has three themes:

• Supporting the Adnyamathanha spirit, culture, health and economic opportunity through co-operative management, healing the land, continuation of traditional cultural practices and protecting all aspects of the Adnyamathanha cultural landscape.
• Restoring the natural ecology of the park by removing major threats to biodiversity and ecological integrity so the ecosystem is able support the re-introduction of some locally extinct species.
• Encouraging safe and sustainable visitor experiences that promote the park’s peace, tranquillity and adventure and connecting visitors with Adnyamathanha culture, the landscape and spirit of the park.

“To the Adnyamathanha people, everything in Ikara-Flinders Ranges National Park is significantly important and interconnected physically and spiritually, “ said Co-Management Board deputy chair Glenise Coulthard. “Everything has its place; the land cannot survive without the people and we (the people) cannot survive without the land.

“The new management plan provides opportunities for Adnyamathanha people and their families to maintain close connections to the park, carry out their responsibilities towards the land, participate in traditional practices and benefit from tourism and other economic ventures.

“It also provides opportunities for people to develop a deeper appreciation of Adnyamathanha culture and visit important cultural sites while ensuring that the cultural, economic and intellectual interests of the Traditional Owners are protected.”

The Ikara-Flinders Ranges Management Plan is available online at: www.environment.sa.gov.au/managing-natural-resources/park-management/plansstrategies-and-policies/park-management-plans