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Collaborative research partnerships inform monitoring and management of aquatic ecosystems by Indigenous rangers

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Abstract

Aquatic ecosystems are critical to the long-term viability and vibrancy of communities and economies across northern Australia. In a region that supports significant cultural and ecological water values, partnerships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders can benefit aquatic ecosystem management. We present, as a case study from the Kimberley region of Western Australia, a collaborative research program that successfully documented Indigenous and Western Scientific knowledge of remote wetlands, using a variety of field-based activities, questionnaires, interviews and workshops. The sharing of knowledge between Indigenous and non-Indigenous research partners facilitated a comprehensive understanding of ecosystem values, threats, processes, management priorities and aspirations. These formed the basis of a management plan and monitoring tools, designed to build the capacity of an Indigenous ranger group to engage in research, monitoring and management of wetlands. The project provides a useful example of the benefits of collaborations in the context of remote-area management where local communities are responsible for environmental management and monitoring, such as is the case in northern Australia and presumably other areas of the world.

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Notes

  1. We use the term Indigenous, which refers collectively to Australia’s First Peoples, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

  2. ‘Country’ is a term many Indigenous Australians use to refer to their traditional land and sea estates (see Weir 2012).

  3. We adopt a broad definition of Indigenous knowledge (IK) as defined by the Kimberley Land Council as “traditional knowledge” (see KLC Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge Policy (KLC IP & TK Policy) www.klc.org.au). The terms IK and TK can be used interchangeably. This paper uses the term Indigenous knowledge (IK) and also Nyul Nyul knowledge, to specifically refer to the IK of the Nyul Nyul participants.

  4. Nyul Nyul people have applied for native title through the Bindunbur claim (see www.dpc.wa.gov.au). Beagle Bay, with a population of around 350, is where many Nyul Nyul people live and the Nyul Nyul Rangers are based.

  5. The term “Traditional Owner” (TO) is defined by the KLC as “those Kimberley Aboriginal people who have, in accordance with their Aboriginal tradition, a social, ancestral, economic and spiritual affiliation with, and responsibilities for, all or any part of the lands and waters in the Kimberley, and Aboriginal Cultural and Intellectual Property, as recognised by their Native Title Claim Group or Native Title Holding Group” (see KLC IP & TK Policy).

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded through the Northern Australia Hub of the Australian Government’s National Environmental Research Program (NERP) and the Hermon Slade Foundation. We are grateful for access to Aboriginal lands granted by Nyul Nyul people, and for assistance and extensive local knowledge provided by the broader Nyul Nyul Ranger Group, Traditional Owners and community members. We are also grateful to the Nyul Nyul Ranger coordinator Mark Rothery for providing valuable support for the project and David Tunbridge for assistance in the field. The Nyul Nyul Rangers are facilitated by the KLC with support from the Indigenous Land Corporation and funding from the Australian Government. Ethics approvals for the project were provided by the UWA Human Research Ethics Committee (Reference RA/4/1/5959), UWA Animal Ethics Committee (Reference RA/3/100/1127) and the KLC's Research Ethics and Access Committee (REAC).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, The University of Western Australia, P.O. Box 5771, Albany, WA, 6330, Australia

    Rebecca J. Dobbs, Michelle L. Walker, Neil E. Pettit, Bradley J. Pusey, Paul G. Close, Fiona Tingle & Peter M. Davies

  2. North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance Limited, Charles Darwin University, PO Box 486, Darwin, NT, 0815, Australia

    Christy L. Davies & Micha V. Jackson

  3. Nyul Nyul Rangers, Beagle Bay Community, Broome, WA, 6725, Australia

    Yoshi Akune, Ninjana Walsham, Brendan Smith, Albert Wiggan & Preston Cox

  4. Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, 4111, Australia

    Douglas P. Ward

  5. Australian Institute for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, GPO Box 553, Canberra City, ACT, 2601, Australia

    Rod Kennett

Authors
  1. Rebecca J. Dobbs
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  2. Christy L. Davies
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  3. Michelle L. Walker
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  4. Neil E. Pettit
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  5. Bradley J. Pusey
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  6. Paul G. Close
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  7. Yoshi Akune
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  8. Ninjana Walsham
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  9. Brendan Smith
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  10. Albert Wiggan
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  11. Preston Cox
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  12. Douglas P. Ward
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  13. Fiona Tingle
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  14. Rod Kennett
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  15. Micha V. Jackson
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  16. Peter M. Davies
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Correspondence to Rebecca J. Dobbs.

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Dobbs, R.J., Davies, C.L., Walker, M.L. et al. Collaborative research partnerships inform monitoring and management of aquatic ecosystems by Indigenous rangers. Rev Fish Biol Fisheries 26, 711–725 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-015-9401-2

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