Dr Mal Ridges was trained as an archaeologist focusing on spatial analysis. Since 2001 he has worked in the NSW government. Initially this focused on developing spatial products and analytical approaches for Aboriginal cultural heritage, which resulted in the Aboriginal Sites Decision Support tool (ASDST). The work evolved into exploring how Aboriginal people and culture are enabled in landscape management and planning. The basis of this was a concept of cultural science, which looks systematically at how Aboriginal culture is supported in environmental and heritage management. Research on these topics has covered fire management, heritage, climate change, threatened species, water and protected area management.
