An Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Management Plan (ACHMP) is an agreed-upon strategy to manage cultural heritage, negotiated between relevant Traditional Owners and proponents (e.g. mining companies). During these negotiations, Traditional Owners can advocate for sites of high cultural significance that should be avoided.

Through this process, proponents need to ensure their proposed activity/ies will be managed to avoid or minimise the risk of harm caused to Aboriginal cultural heritage. An ACHMP needs to be developed early in the planning stage of a mining/development project, in conjunction with relevant Traditional Owners, to work out where mining and infrastructure can happen without damage (or, at least, with minimal damage).

ACHMPs can designate areas where no mining or other works will be carried out or they can designate less-damaging ways of carrying out works, thereby protecting important places. While elements of ACHMPs that protect Aboriginal cultural heritage might not be the least expensive option for developers, they are a means for how different interests can be balanced and still progressed.