Investigating how contemporary restorative ecology adapts and builds on the traditionalecological knowledges of First Nations Australians
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This elaboration provides students with the opportunity to explore First Nations Australians’ in-depth ecological understandings and closes connection with the environment. Students learn how collaborative land management programs have generated new thinking and solutions to environmental challenges through restoration ecology.
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Over thousands of years Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been living in close connection with their environment and have gained a deep understanding of the interdependence of plant, animal and human communities in these ecosystems. This rich body of traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) is expressed in a large variety of ‘caring for country’ practices, such as ‘firestick farming’ and sustainable harvesting practices. It rests on sophisticated knowledge from multiple scientific fields, such as: meteorological knowledge for the timing of seasons and the judgement of moisture conditions; botanical knowledge to understand the life cycles of plants, how certain plant species respond to fire, and how tolerant they are of fire intensity; and zoological knowledge to understand the population dynamics of certain targeted species and the species-specific knowledge underpinning sustainable harvesting practices.
European colonisation has led to the discontinuation of these traditional ecological practices in many regions of Australia. Combined with the negative environmental impacts of industrial activities and cattle farming, such as increased soil erosion or saltwater ingress into coastal wetland areas and the introduction of invasive plant and animal species, many ecosystems have experienced dramatic deterioration during past decades, usually accompanied by a significant loss of biodiversity.
Global efforts to counteract these negative impacts, which are felt in many sensitive ecosystems around the world, sparked the emergence of ‘restoration ecology’ in the 1980s as a separate branch of the environmental sciences. TEK has been recognised as an invaluable contributor to scientific knowledge in this field. Ever-increasing numbers of restoration projects in Australia are undertaken in collaboration with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and rely heavily on the knowledge and expertise of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ranger groups. Such restoration projects include rescue efforts for threatened plant and animal species, reintroduction of locally extinct species, prevention of saltwater ingress into coastal wetland areas, eradication of invasive weeds, biological control of feral predators, wildfire management through the reestablishment of traditional fire management regimes, habitat protection, monitoring endangered bird populations, and many other environmental protection and restoration efforts.
By investigating restoration projects students gain an understanding of the scientific principles that govern the health of Australia’s vital ecosystems and have opportunities to learn about and appreciate the sophisticated ecological knowledge held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Students learn how the collaboration of these two important knowledge bases generates new thinking and solutions to environmental challenges. As a result, new career opportunities are emerging in the field of restoration ecology.