The Armchair © Adam Bruzzone
Topics > Flinders Ranges World Heritage nomination

Community engagement

Landholders, key stakeholders and the community play a vital role in the World Heritage process, collaborating to explore how to best position the Flinders Ranges to maximise any economic opportunities and cultural protection from a potential World Heritage listing.

Community Reference Group

To ensure local perspectives, voices, issues and opportunities were heard throughout the nomination process, the Community Reference Group (the CRG) was created in 2020 and has met regularly through to October 2024. The CRG represented the following stakeholders:

  • Adnyamathanha People
  • Tourism sector
  • Landholders of key identified properties/sites
  • Local Government/Outback Communities Authority/Government
  • Local community members – pastoralists, people with particular expertise/interest in geo-tourism, nature based/eco-tourism
  • Economic development practitioners
  • DEW representatives to guide the process and provide executive support
Community engagement

The CRG complemented the technically rigorous nomination process set out in the UNESCO World Heritage Centre's Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

A successful World Heritage bid will rely on community ownership, support and action at a local and regional levels. Cecilia Woolford was chosen by the CRG as the independent chair to actively support the community in the development of the World Heritage nomination. Cecilia and the CRG have been, and will continue to be, crucial to the success of the bid. They have a deep understanding of the region and its people, recognise the importance of fostering widespread regional ownership and support for the nomination, and are committed to playing their part in achieving their region’s vision of World Heritage.

A new governance structure – the Flinders Ranges World Heritage Advisory Committee – will succeed the group in considering and advising on the views of community interests, after and if a World Heritage listing is granted to the Flinders Ranges.

For any queries related to community outreach or project updates, please contact us at dew.frwh@sa.gov.au.

Community Reference Group Meetings

The Community Reference Group has met quarterly in the region between February 2020 and October 2024. Over the years, the group has developed a set of key messages about the project that can be shared with the wider community.

Acknowledgement of Country

Acknowledgement of Country

The state government acknowledges Aboriginal people as the First Peoples and Nations of the lands and waters we live and work upon and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. We acknowledge and respect the deep spiritual connection and the relationship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have to Country.

We work in partnership with the First Peoples of South Australia and support their Nations to take a leading role in caring for their Country.