Environmental stewardship resurgence in Walbunja Land and sea country

For several decades, members of the Walbunja community have worked to strengthen their capacity to influence the development and environmental management decisions across their land, freshwater and sea territories. Located along the NSW South Coast, the lands and seas for which the Walbunja are the caretakers have been heavily transformed by settler colonial processes since early periods of invasion. Over time, the progressive urbanisation and privatisation of their Country led to further dispossession, limiting their movements and access to important sites, traditional food, medicine and material, heavily impacting the Walbunja community members' capacity to perform their ceremonies, economy and customary responsibilities. Today, Walbunja territories are facing increasing development pressures notably from urban expansion and gentrification, tourism, commercial fisheries and so on.