Indigenous People's land and sea management - restoring both nature and culture

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (Indigenous Peoples) are increasingly being recognised for their contributions to ecological restoration. Indigenous cultural and identity is intrinsically linked to connections to Country (the local environment). Country's health is reflective of the relationships between people and the local environment. Through the practice of cultural lore and activities Indigenous peoples have developed Indigenous management regimes that heal and maintain healthy country.

Many Indigenous land managers are involved in reinstating Indigenous management practices over large tracts of Australian lands and waters from which they have been restricted or excluded for up to two centuries.

This return of Indigenous management practice to many places - often utilizing traditional ecological knowledge interacting with modern science - represents a profound form of ecological restoration and rehabilitation that is achieving cultural recovery as well as recovery of ecosystems.

Examples of returning appropriate fire regimes to the landscape:


Examples of Aboriginal marine, freshwater and wetland management


Examples of integrated ecosystem management