Parks Stewardship Forum

This article outlines the Mamalilikulla Nation's journey to develop and declare an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area in November 2021. It speaks to the initiation and inspiration behind the IPCA, including the role of its guardians, and the Nation's inventory and knowledge collection that spoke to the need to manage the area in accordance with its law ofAweena'kola. It speaks to the strategy of leveraging Crown commitments to UNDRIP and reconciliation, and the development of a Marine Protected Areas Network. The importance of planning in advance to outline the Nation's direction is explored, as well as the value of managing for the inter-connection of watersheds with marine areas. The IPCA Declaration ceremony is outlined as a significant way of reconnecting dispersed Nation members and leaders to each other and to the territory. The paper speaks to the long journey ahead.