‘Clean Him Up…Make Him Look Like He Was Before’: Australian Aboriginal Management of Wetlands with Implications for Conservation, Restoration and Multiple Evidence Base Negotiations

Pyke, Michelle L.; Close, Paul; Dobbs, R. J.; Toussaint, Sandy; Smith, Brendan; Cox, Zynal; Cox, D.; George, Kevin; McCarthy, Phillip; Angus, Bernadette; Riley, Elaine; Clifton, Julian

doi:10.1007/s13157-021-01410-z

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Recognizing and applying Indigenous values to invasive species management decisions is essential to for inclusive conservation that protects ecosystems and safeguards Indigenous Peoples' rights and futures (Reo & Ogden 2018;Pyke et al 2021). Wetlands are increasingly impacted by invasive species and are also places of significance for Indigenous peoples and conservation (Robinson et al 2005;Hunter et al 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Collaborative partnerships between Indigenous peoples and conservation agencies have shifted conservation paradigms and practices to include Indigenous rights and cultural dimensions (Bach & Larson 2017;Austin et al 2019). Although there is a range of international and national policy instruments, standards and targets that acknowledge Indigenous people's values and knowledge as a key platform for managing biodiversity and ecosystems, translation of these commitments into conservation priorities and practice remains inconsistent (Hunter et al 2010;Pyke et al 2021). There is a critical need to ensure Indigenous-led and holistic drive conservation activities to empower Indigenous values and rights, and the knowledge and practices in the places that sustain them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2010; Pyke et al . 2021). There is a critical need to ensure Indigenous‐led and holistic approaches drive conservation activities to empower Indigenous values and rights, and the knowledge and practices in the places that sustain them.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This research has confirmed that the impact of environmental changes on important place‐kin relationships is complex and requires Indigenous‐led approaches to direct wetland research and management, including activities related to invasive species impacts (Pyke et al . 2021). Yet cross‐cultural conservation of wetlands and invasive species is challenging because dynamic and complex biophysical and socio‐economic interdependences have been difficult for conservation managers to understand and translate into practice (Ens et al .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Understanding Indigenous values and priorities for wetlands to guide weed management actions: Lessons from the Nardab floodplain in northern Australia’s Kakadu National Park

Bangalang¹,

Nadji²,

Nayinggul³

et al. 2022

Eco Management Restoration

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Understanding Indigenous values and priorities for wetlands to guide weed management actions: Lessons from the Nardab floodplain in northern Australia’s Kakadu National Park

Bangalang¹,

Nadji²,

Nayinggul³

et al. 2022

Eco Management Restoration

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show abstract

“…There are examples of cross‐cultural principles applied to studies of ecological communities such as wetlands (Pyke et al . 2021); however, there are few examples where these communities are listed as threatened. Where a threatened species or community is culturally significant, the threatened listing represents a significant overlap of importance by the two knowledge systems (Indigenous and scientific) – what is important to Aboriginal people is also important to Western scientists and wider society.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Integrating scientific and Aboriginal knowledge, practice and priorities to conserve an endangered rainforest ecosystem in the Kimberley region, northern Australia

Lindsay¹,

Beames²

2022

Eco Management Restoration

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Summary Australia’s diverse plants and animals evolved for tens of thousands of years with Aboriginal biocultural knowledge, land management and cultural practice. The interdependency of this biocultural knowledge and land management practice is still ecologically relevant today but is only recently being acknowledged in mainstream scientific conservation management processes and research. We present an example of cross‐cultural collaborative management of the endangered monsoon vine thickets of the Dampier Peninsula, West Kimberley, northern Australia. These vine thickets occur as a network of over 80 patches in the lee of coastal dunes on the Peninsula, and are ecologically rich (containing 25% of Peninsula plant species) and culturally important for Peninsula Aboriginal groups for food, medicine, camping, cultural ceremonies and law. Adversely affected by land‐clearing, weeds and wildfires, the vine thickets were listed as nationally endangered in 2013. The overlapping significance of the vine thickets by scientific and Aboriginal knowledge systems resulted in the formation of the Monsoon Vine Thicket Project in 2008 that aimed to document and conserve the ecosystem and its associated culture. The project has grown successfully over 13 years and has been guided by cross‐cultural collaboration principles of respect for: cultural knowledge, practices and priorities; cultural knowledge holders; and long‐term partnerships. The project has resulted in considerable outcomes in weed and fire management; seed collection, propagation and revegetation; community education; and the documentation, transfer and practice of Aboriginal biocultural knowledge. The greatest challenge for the project has been to better prioritise cultural activities, with examples provided of how this can increase benefits to both ecological conservation and cultural maintenance. The project’s strength was its cross‐cultural approach and resultant respectful and trusting relationships that allowed for project flexibility and adaptation and for the collaborative partners to learn and develop capacity. The integration of cultural and scientific knowledge and practice resulted in greater conservation outcomes for monsoon vine thickets of the Dampier Peninsula, and we believe is an important cross‐cultural model for ecosystem management elsewhere in Australia.

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Peopled landscapes: Questions of coexistence in invasive plant management and rewilding

Atchison,

Pickerill,

Arnold

et al. 2024

People and Nature

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The concept of ‘peopled landscapes’ is based on the notion that it is not possible, nor socially or politically desirable, to remove people from the environment in the era of the Anthropocene. As such, it is necessary to document and develop ways to coexist and flourish. This review examines emergent scholarship about peopled landscapes and biodiversity conservation by considering invasive plant management and rewilding as social processes. While invasive plant management and rewilding are often understood as separate, thinking through social scientific research and examples from Australia and the UK, we demonstrate how both forms of human action in landscapes can be more usefully understood as social relations with nature involving social change and social action. Drawing attention to agency, practices and capacity, we show how diverse forms of human and nonhuman actions are recognised, attributed or acknowledged in biodiversity conservation in peopled landscapes. In practice, centring the idea of peopled landscapes (rather than conceiving of the environment as where the impact of people is minimised) shows how invasive plant management and rewilding can be understood as related responses to environmental problems. Flourishing and coexistence in peopled landscapes require recognition of the diverse human and nonhuman agencies that shape the politics of acceptable action, and illustrate the inseparability of environmental and social justice. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

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‘Clean Him Up…Make Him Look Like He Was Before’: Australian Aboriginal Management of Wetlands with Implications for Conservation, Restoration and Multiple Evidence Base Negotiations

Cited by 11 publications

References 69 publications

Understanding Indigenous values and priorities for wetlands to guide weed management actions: Lessons from the Nardab floodplain in northern Australia’s Kakadu National Park

Understanding Indigenous values and priorities for wetlands to guide weed management actions: Lessons from the Nardab floodplain in northern Australia’s Kakadu National Park

Integrating scientific and Aboriginal knowledge, practice and priorities to conserve an endangered rainforest ecosystem in the Kimberley region, northern Australia

Peopled landscapes: Questions of coexistence in invasive plant management and rewilding

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