All things in the landscape were left by the Creation Ancestors.
They left ceremonies, rules to live by, laws, plants, animals and people, then they turned into djang (Dreaming places).
They taught Aboriginal people how to live with the land. From then on Aboriginal people became keepers of their country.
World Heritage Listing and RAMSAR Convention on wetlands
Recognising its international significance, the park and its natural and cultural heritage are committed to numerous international agreements and conventions.
In 1981 Kakadu National Park was first inscribed on the World Heritage list—this extraordinarily beautiful land and its ancient cultural heritage was recognised internationally as a special place. Its enduring natural values stem from its exceptional beauty and unique biodiversity, and its variety of landforms, habitats and wildlife. The protection and conservation of the biodiversity in the park is an important part of the long-term management of this special place.
There are approximately 683 000 hectares of Kakadu listed as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Kakadu wetlands have water in them all year round, making them a sanctuary for not only native-Australian birds but for migratory birds that travel from countries far away. As part of the Ramsar agreement, the East Asian-Australasian Flyaway was established to protect routes used by migratory shorebirds.
For general information about the Ramsar agreement go to The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.
For detail about the Ramsar site at Kakadu go to Australian Ramsar Wetlands.
Other International agreements
In addition to the protection offered by World Heritage and Ramsar listing, many of the animals and habitat that occur in the park are protected under other international agreements including:
- Japan-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA) - Forty-six of the 76 birds listed under this agreement are found in Kakadu
- China-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA) - Fifty of the 81 birds listed under this agreement are found in Kakadu
- Republic of Korea-Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (ROKAMBA)
- Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species and Wild Animals (Bonn Convention) - Twenty-one of the species listed under this convention are found in Kakadu
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) - protecting and conserving Australian native wildlife by regulating international trade
- Convention on Conservation of Nature in the South Pacific (Apia Convention)
- South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) - MOU to facilitate cooperative marine conservation programs in the South Pacific
- Tri National Wetlands Conservation Project - Kakadu is part of a project developed by the World Wide Fund for Nature Australia which encourages sharing of knowledge in managing wetlands between the local Indigenous people of Kakadu National Park, Wasur National Park (Irian Jaya) and Tonda Wildlife Management Area (Papua New Guinea).