Renowned for the richness of its Aboriginal cultural dating back over 40,000 anni

About Kakadu

Located 240 chilometri ad est di Darwin nel nord tropicale dell'Australia, Kakadu National Park è il più grande parco nazionale terrestre di Australia. Kakadu copre quasi 20,000 chilometri quadrati ed è un luogo di enorme diversità ecologica e biologica. Si estende dalla costa e negli estuari a nord attraverso pianure alluvionali, billabongs and lowlands to rocky ridges and stone country in the south. These landscapes are home to a range of rare and endemic plants and animals, including more than one-third of Australia’s bird species and one-quarter of its freshwater and estuarine fish species.

Culture

Kakadu is considered a living cultural landscape. The traditional owners Bininj Mungguy have lived on and cared for this country for more than 50,000 anni. Their deep spiritual connection to the land dates back to the Creation and has always been an important part of the Kakadu story.

World Heritage listing

The extraordinary natural beauty and ancient cultural heritage of this land was recognised internationally in 1981 when it was first inscribed on the World Heritage list. Further land was added to the listing in 1987 e 1992. In 2011, the Koongarra land, which had previously been excluded from the listing because of its potential uranium resources, was added to the Kakadu World Heritage Area following decades of lobbying by Koongarra’s senior custodian Jeffrey Lee. The land is now part of Kakadu National Park, protecting its significant cultural and heritage values for future generations.

Joint management

Oggi, the World Heritage-listed park remains well protected by a board of management, which has an Aboriginal majority representing the traditional owners. This arrangement showcases to the world how ‘joint management’ can combine ancient culture and modern practice.