Arakwal National Park joint management program
Arakwal National Park is jointly managed between the Bundjalung of Byron Bay People (Arakwal) and NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The Arakwal National Park Joint Management Committee brings together the Bundjalung People with NPWS and Byron Shire Council representatives to provide advice on the management of Arakwal National Park.
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Arakwal National Park is the product of a landmark Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) – the first of its kind in Australia – between the government and the Bundjalung People of Byron Bay (Arakwal).
Since 1995, the Bundjalung People have successfully lodged 3 native title claims for Ti Tree Lake Aboriginal Area, and the joint management of these parks and a number of other parks in Byron Bay. The ILUA has resulted in employment of Arakwal People in the management of these parks and an educational program about Arakwal culture at Cape Byron.
The ILUA also resulted in the formation of the Arakwal National Park Joint Management Committee. This award-winning partnership brings together Bundjalung People with representatives from NPWS and Byron Shire Council. The committee, which meets monthly, prepared the plan of management for Arakwal National Park and works in partnership with NPWS to protect Aboriginal cultural sites, monitor and control foxes, and carry out an ethno-botanical study in the park, among other things. It continues to ensure the future of Arakwal National Park is secure, both for general visitors and descendants of the Bundjalung People.