Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00002:front:0:p14
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:F2016L00002
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 38176–41069

1991 for the purposes of:
    * the preservation of the area in its natural condition
    * the encouragement and regulation of the appropriate use, appreciation and enjoyment of the area by the public.
The park is first and foremost home to Bininj/Mungguy. The long and continuing history of Bininj/Mungguy custodianship of Kakadu is one of the most important things about the park. Bininj/Mungguy have leased their land to the Australian Government to be jointly managed as a national park to protect and manage its priceless natural and cultural heritage. The management of the park is subject to a number of competing value systems, with Bininj/Mungguy and park staff working hard through joint management to balance the protection of Bininj/Mungguy culture and the park's natural values with the needs of park visitors and other stakeholders.

International listings
Kakadu National Park was first inscribed on the World Heritage list in 1981 and was subsequently expanded and re-inscribed in 1987 and again in 1992. The Koongarra area was added to the World Heritage Area in June 2011. The park meets five criteria of outstanding universal values as set out in the World Heritage Convention.
The park meets all nine criteria for identifying wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
Numerous migratory species that occur in Kakadu are protected under international agreements such as the Bonn convention for conserving migratory species, and Australia's migratory bird protection agreements with China (CAMBA), Japan (JAMBA) and the Republic of Korea (ROKAMBA).
Values
This values statement identifies and separates the cultural and country values of the park. However, it must be remembered that for Bininj/Mungguy the word 'country' not only refers to the landscape but also captures the rich interconnections between land and people – they are inseparable and there are no Bininj/Mungguy words that equate exactly with the Western concepts of 'culture' and 'country'.
Cultural values
The park is an internationally significant cultural landscape inscribed with the signs of an ancient and continuing Bininj/Mungguy presence.
   'Bininj culture really strong ... very strong for us Bininj. When I was a girl my grandmother, I learn. Same thing I do with younger generation. You have to look after country, for your grandfather country, like mother country, take care.'
Yvonne Margarula, Mirarr/Gundjeihmi clan
    * Stone country in the park protects one of the world's greatest concentrations of rock art sites, estimated to range in age from more than 20,000 years to the recent present, and constituting one of the longest historical records of any group of people in the world.
    * The park is a home for Bininj/Mungguy. It represents the oldest culture in the world with continuous occupation over 50,000 years, and is a place where Bininj/Mungguy have