PhD Scholar

The Role of Forestry in achieving Equality for Indigenous Australians

E-mail: sue.feary@anu.edu.au

Aboriginal people across much of Australia have had an association with forests that goes back for millennia. Traditional use of forests was for food, raw materials for artefacts and shelter and for medicines. There is an extensive ethnographic literature pertaining to management of forests through periodic burning although the extent to which it occurred is contested. Contemporary communities retain links with forests through co-management arrangements with conservation agencies and involvement with state forestry departments in undertaking pre-logging surveys for cultural heritage. In some parts of Australia traditional knowledge of forest ecosystems and customary practices can complement western scientifically based land management techniques.

A recent initiative of the Commonwealth government, was to develop a national Indigenous Forestry Strategy (NIFS) to identify programmes that have 'caring for country' components and are community, rather than individually based.

The focus of the strategy is to build on the desire of Aboriginal people to play a more active role in natural resource management, by facilitating partnerships between forestry industry enterprises and Indigenous communities. Opportunities for both wood eg plantations and non-wood e.g. bush tucker enterprises are examined.

In partnership with ANU, DAFF and ATSIC are also funding this PhD research. This research will critically evaluate the development and implementation of NIFS through several case studies where Indigenous communities and industry have established joint ventures that are or have the capacity to bring social, economic and environmental benefits to both communities and industry. Strategy implementation success will be measured through performance indicators developed in consultation with the joint partners.