Cultural land management in southeastern Australia - Black Summer final report

The Cultural land management research in southeast Australia project aimed to develop foundations for Indigenous-led and co-designed research programs to support cultural land management into the future. The project explored how to empower and enable Indigenous-led cultural fire and land management practices to improve landscape management and community resilience in southeast Australia.

To these ends, the project team convened a Project Steering Group (PSG) of cultural land management experts and advisors currently engaged in cultural fire management operations or research in New South Wales and Victoria. It also convened a Government Advisory Group and a Research Advisory Group to assist with advice where appropriate. As well as meetings of these Groups, the other key project activity was the conducting of several workshops in select sites to progress regional conversations regarding the potential for Indigenous-led cultural fire and land management research.

Overall, on the basis of these activities, this project concludes that research projects and institutes relating to land and fire management need to proceed from core understandings that:

• There is a widespread need for a holistic and integrative approach that recognises that all research and research outcomes impact Country and Indigenous communities. Indigenous communities are both rights-holders in relation to Country, and critical stakeholders in relation to creating resilient, healthy Country and people.
• Cultural land management is an essential part of creating well-prepared and resilient communities and landscapes anywhere in Australia.
• Research institutes, such as the Bushfire and Natural Hazard Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) or new Natural Hazards Research Australia, need to develop an Indigenous research strategy that is underpinned by foundational commitments to meaningfully support cultural land management practices. This strategy must include practical actions that can be taken immediately to empower Indigenous leadership and enhance Indigenous engagement and inclusion.  Priority should be given to embedding these commitments and actions through institutional structures and resourcing decisions.

Further, this project report makes 10 recommendations for action by Natural Hazards Research Australia and research partners to support cultural land management and Indigenous-led and co-designed research programs into the future:

1. Formal acknowledgement by research organisations of the equivalent value of Indigenous knowledge, practice, and science to Western understandings/knowledge systems. Respect and Recognition of knowledge-holders and cultural land management practice
2. Recognise the holistic and highly diverse context of Indigenous ways of being and Caring for Country
3. Make clear commitments to supporting Indigenous people to get on Country and engage in cultural stewardship practices to build the resilience of Country and people 
4. Establish an Indigenous Research Strategy with dedicated research streams/project areas for cultural stewardship research within Natural Hazards Research Australia’s research agenda that supports Indigenous-led research pathways.
5. Create avenues to recognise Traditional Owners as research partners/end-users of research funded by Natural Hazards Research Australia
6. Include Indigenous voice and representation in governance structures of institutions and land management agencies
7. Establish meaningful and ongoing pathways for Traditional Owner inclusion and consultation, to ensure research agendas and processes reflect Traditional Owner aspirations and priorities
8. Development of a framework of broad research principles/protocols and processes to guide more ethical and collaborative cultural land management research
9. Embed multiple aspects of capacity building into research frameworks and processes
10. Support opportunities for developing Indigenous governance, collaboration, and knowledge sharing

These recommendations are further explained in the Key Findings and Recommendations section below.

We propose a staged approach to utilising this project and these recommendations, to be guided by the project team and an interim Indigenous Research Committee (IRC) consisting of Project Steering Group members:

1. present the key findings and recommendations to the Natural Hazards Research Australia executive as the basis for developing an Indigenous research strategy
2. establish Terms of Reference for the Indigenous Research Committee (IRC)
3. work with the Natural Hazards Research Australia to identify priority recommendations and research projects for implementation in the short, moderate, and longer terms
4. work with the Natural Hazards Research Australia to identify the resource requirements to implement the recommendations and research projects
5. co-develop with Indigenous partners and Natural Hazards Research Australia representatives, a cultural land and fire management research agenda and priorities.

1.     Formal acknowledgement by research organisations of the equivalent value of Indigenous knowledge, practice, and science to Western understandings/knowledge systems. Respect and Recognition of knowledge-holders and cultural land management practice

2.     Recognise the holistic and highly diverse context of Indigenous ways of being and Caring for Country

3.     Make clear commitments to supporting Indigenous people to get on Country and engage in cultural stewardship practices to build the resilience of Country and people 

4.     Establish an Indigenous Research Strategy with dedicated research streams/project areas for cultural stewardship research within Natural Hazards Research Australia’s research agenda that supports Indigenous-led research pathways.

5.     Create avenues to recognise Traditional Owners as research partners/end-users of research funded by Natural Hazards Research Australia

6.     Include Indigenous voice and representation in governance structures of institutions and land management agencies

7.     Establish meaningful and ongoing pathways for Traditional Owner inclusion and consultation, to ensure research agendas and processes reflect Traditional Owner aspirations and priorities

8.     Development of a framework of broad research principles/protocols and processes to guide more ethical and collaborative cultural land management research

9.     Embed multiple aspects of capacity building into research frameworks and processes

10.  Support opportunities for developing Indigenous governance, collaboration, and knowledge sharing

These recommendations are further explained in the Key Findings and Recommendations section below.

We propose a staged approach to utilising this project and these recommendations, to be guided by the project team and an interim Indigenous Research Committee (IRC) consisting of Project Steering Group members:

1.     present the key findings and recommendations to the Natural Hazards Research Australia executive as the basis for developing an Indigenous research strategy

2.     establish Terms of Reference for the Indigenous Research Committee (IRC)

3.     work with the Natural Hazards Research Australia to identify priority recommendations and research projects for implementation in the short, moderate, and longer terms

4.     work with the Natural Hazards Research Australia to identify the resource requirements to implement the recommendations and research projects

5.     co-develop with Indigenous partners and Natural Hazards Research Australia representatives, a cultural land and fire management research agenda and priorities.