Co-management and Indigenous protected areas in Australia: achievements and ways forward

Caring for country through participatory art: creating a boundary object for communicating Indigenous knowledge and values

“…Traditional Owner access to country may have been limited historically by colonisation and loss of resource control. But this does not negate their vital connection to country which is the very reason behind the passionate involvement of Traditional Owner in resource management (Ross et al 2009). They consider that engaging in country to harvest foods and materials is essential to keeping culture alive, remaining healthy as people, and transmitting knowledge to younger generations (Zurba et al 2012).…”

Organizational drivers that strengthen adaptive capacity in the coastal zone of Australia

“…Interviewees suggested that communication involves ongoing conversations with stakeholders and politicians to get resources (financial and human) to deal with recognized problems. By coordinating communication and collaboration, leaders also ensure that the decision-making process is inclusive, fair and enforced impartially (Bauman and Smyth, 2007;Folke et al, 2005;Ross et al, 2009). Leaders should also institutionalize collaboration between actors in both long-term planning and day-to-day activities as a way of improving adaptive capacity.…”

“…Definition of roles and responsibilities. Roles and responsibilities of decision-making authorities should be clearly defined to support adaptive capacity (Davidson et al, 2013;Espinosa-Romero et al, 2011;Jones, 2013;Jones et al, 2013b;Mitchell and Parkins, 2011;Roberts and Jones, 2013;Ross et al, 2009). When government, communities and industry clearly understand their roles and responsibilities, leaders are in a better position to act and/or coordinate activities with other actors (Clarke et al, 2013).…”

Indigenous Wetland Burning: Conserving Natural and Cultural Resources in Australia’s World Heritage-listed Kakadu National Park

“…Despite nearly two centuries of European colonization, large areas of northern Australia remain in Aboriginal ownership or have recently been returned to indigenous management and control (Ross et al 2009). A high priority for Aboriginal people is to record and revitalize their indigenous knowledge and practices to meet stewardship obligations and to ensure they are available for younger generations of Aboriginal land and sea managers.…”

“…Driven by concerns about the failure of western science and management to address ecosystem degradation and species loss, people are looking to the deep ecological understandings and management practices that have guided indigenous use of natural resources for millennia for alternative ways of sustainably managing the earth's natural resources (De Walt 1993;Bart 2006;Berkes and Davidson-Hunt 2006). Equitable partnerships between indigenous and non-indigenous researchers and managers are revealing a way of looking after the world that emphasizes human obligations to natural resource management and promotes holistic thinking about the role and impact of humans in the environment (Ross et al 2009). This new recognition of traditional knowledge, coupled with greater control by indigenous peoples over their land and sea estates, holds great promise for better management of the world's natural resources.…”