Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/28873
Title: Indigenous Knowledge and Seasonal Calendar Inform Adaptive Savanna Burning in Northern Australia
Contributor(s): McKemey, Michelle  (author)orcid ; Ens, Emilie (author); Costello, Oliver (author); Reid, Nick  (author)orcid 
Corporate Author: Yugul Mangi Rangers: Australia
Publication Date: 2020-01-30
Open Access: Yes
DOI: 10.3390/su12030995
Handle Link: https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/28873
Abstract: Indigenous fire management is experiencing a resurgence worldwide. Northern Australia is the world leader in Indigenous savanna burning, delivering social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits. In 2016, a greenhouse gas abatement fire program commenced in the savannas of south-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, managed by the Indigenous Yugul Mangi rangers. We undertook participatory action research and semi-structured interviews with rangers and Elders during 2016 and 2019 to investigate Indigenous knowledge and obtain local feedback about fire management. Results indicated that Indigenous rangers effectively use cross-cultural science (including local and Traditional Ecological Knowledge alongside western science) to manage fire. Fire management is a key driver in the production of bush tucker (wild food) resources and impacts other cultural and ecological values. A need for increased education and awareness about Indigenous burning was consistently emphasized. To address this, the project participants developed the Yugul Mangi Faiya En Sisen Kelenda (Yugul Mangi Fire and Seasons Calendar) that drew on Indigenous knowledge of seasonal biocultural indicators to guide the rangers’ fire management planning. The calendar has potential for application in fire management planning, intergenerational transfer of Indigenous knowledge and locally driven adaptive fire management.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Source of Publication: Sustainability, 12(3), p. 1-18
Publisher: MDPI AG
Place of Publication: Switzerland
ISSN: 2071-1050
Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: 050201 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Environmental Knowledge
050202 Conservation and Biodiversity
050209 Natural Resource Management
Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: 410401 Conservation and biodiversity
410406 Natural resource management
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: 961308 Remnant Vegetation and Protected Conservation Areas at Regional or Larger Scales
950302 Conserving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Heritage
960501 Ecosystem Assessment and Management at Regional or Larger Scales
Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: 180403 Assessment and management of Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Languages: N77 Ngalakgan
N128 Wubuy / Nunggubuyu
N112 Marra
N90 Ngandi
N92 Alawa
N104 Ritharr?u
N106 Wägilak
N120 Warndarrang
N73 Rembarrnga
P1 Kriol
N85 Yugul
Peer Reviewed: Yes
HERDC Category Description: C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal
Appears in Collections:Journal Article

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