Today, that landscape faces growing pressures from climate change, biodiversity loss, water extraction and proposals for industrial development. At the same time, Traditional Owners are leading a different vision for the future. One grounded in care for Country, cultural authority, science, and long-term stewardship.
Dusseldorp Forum is proud to support that vision through a partnership supporting the Living West Kimberley Blueprint, alongside Australian Ethical Foundation, Gum Tree Foundation and Lotterywest.
The initiative brings together the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council, Nulungu Research Institute, the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists and Griffith University to develop a regionally led blueprint for nature stewardship, climate resilience and community wellbeing across the West Kimberley.
The Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council is an alliance of Elders from the independent Nations of the Fitzroy River catchment. The Council has consistently advocated for governance that recognises the living relationship between people and Country and the responsibilities that come with caring for both.
Executive Chair Professor Anne Poelina has spent decades bringing this vision and understanding to audiences across Australia and internationally. She reminds us that we must find new ways of working together, centring First Nations systems thinking.
“This ancient wisdom is the wisdom that can save humanity.”
Rather than responding to individual challenges in isolation, the West Kimberley Blueprint seeks to align investment, knowledge and action across an entire region. It will identify practical actions to strengthen ecosystem health, build climate resilience, advance Indigenous rights and aspirations, support culture and science economies, and create a coordinated 30-year investment agenda shaped by regional priorities.
For Dusseldorp Forum, this partnership reflects our commitment to supporting community-led change; lasting solutions that grow from the knowledge, relationships and leadership that already exist within communities.
The Blueprint also demonstrates how Indigenous knowledge and Western science can work together. It builds on years of community leadership and the West Kimberley Indigenous-led Climate Change Adaptation project, while drawing on the Wentworth Group’s national Blueprint to Repair Australia’s Landscapes.
Importantly, the process has been designed around collaboration. Regional communities, Traditional Owners, researchers and technical experts will work together to define shared objectives, identify actions, estimate investment needs and quantify the environmental, social and economic benefits over the coming decades.
This approach recognises that healthy ecosystems, thriving communities and strong local economies are deeply connected. Investment in Country creates benefits that extend well beyond environmental outcomes. It strengthens cultural continuity, supports sustainable livelihoods, improves climate resilience and creates opportunities for future generations.
Throughout this work, the voices of Traditional Owners remain the foundation.
The Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council has brought together stories, reflections and knowledge from Elders and Riverkeepers that speak powerfully about their enduring relationship with the Martuwarra Fitzroy River and their vision for its future. These stories offer an invitation to understand why protecting the river matters, for all Australians.
We encourage you to spend time with these stories: Voices for the Martuwarra: https://martuwarra.org/storytelling/Voices-for-the-Martuwarra and Riverkeepers: https://martuwarra.org/riverkeepers
And explore the West Kimberley Indigenous-led Climate Change Adaptation project and the Wentworth Group’s national Blueprint to Repair Australia’s Landscapes.