Traditional ecological knowledge is being used in powerful combination with Western science to enhance the biodiversity and cultural values of wetlands in Kakadu National Park in Australia's Northern Territory.
As part of the northern Australian ‘Burning for Biodiversity’ project, CSIRO and the Bushfire CRC are working with a family of traditional owners in Kakadu National Park to examine the biodiversity and cultural benefits of Aboriginal fire management as it is re-applied to floodplains associated with the South Alligator River.
Initial work was conducted at Boggy Plain and has now been extended to the iconic Yellow Water wetlands further south in the Park.
Background
Prior to European settlement, Aboriginal Australians successfully lived with landscape fire for tens of thousands of years.
Aboriginal traditional knowledge relating to fire management remains strong throughout much of northern Australia, and the opportunity still exists to re-apply such knowledge to landscape management.
Why burn wetlands?
For most of last century, Kakadu’s wetlands were home to large herds of feral Asian water buffalo.
When buffalo were removed from the Park in the 1980s, the native grass Mudja (Hymenachne acutigluma) spread unchecked and has now taken over many wetlands in Kakadu. Mudja chokes out other wetland plants, reducing the variety of habitats, preventing water birds from feeding, and limiting access for hunting and food gathering by Aboriginal people.
Aboriginal people use fire to control the density of Mudja. It is thought that the water buffalo controlled Mudja in much the same way that Aboriginal fire management did before European settlement.
Who does the burning?
Burning improves the cultural values of wetlands for Aboriginal people through increased availability of food resources.
The burning is done by CSIRO’s Ms Sandra McGregor and Mr Peter Christophersen, and by Ms McGregor’s family led by her mother, senior traditional owner Ms Violet Lawson.
The involvement of Ms McGregor and Mr Christophersen’s children ensures the passing down of traditional ecological knowledge from one generation to the next.
When are wetlands burnt?
Burning of the wetlands normally begins in September, and continues until heavy wet season rains arrive, usually in December.
The wetlands are dominated by grass before burning takes place. Wetlands may look lush and green, but underneath the dense and predominant wetland grass Mudja, there is a layer of dead grass that can carry a fire. The first fires burn the drier bases of Mudja causing the green grass to fall over and die. Subsequent fires burn the fallen dead grass, and may smoulder for weeks.
Before wetland fires are lit, the surrounding woodlands and paperbark forests are burnt progressively over the Dry Season from about May to August. This is to make sure that the wetland fires later in the year don’t escape into the surrounding landscape.
What effect does burning have on wetlands?
Results show that the re-application of traditional fire management dramatically enhances the diversity of both plants and animals, thus significantly improving the natural and cultural values of wetlands.
Areas that were once densely covered in Mudja now support a great variety of habitats, with more water lilies, larger areas of open water, and more types of plants such as wild rice and spike rushes.
Burning has transformed the wetlands from a dense monoculture of grass to a mosaic of habitats that is rich in biodiversity. As a result of these changes, the number of turtles, Magpie Geese and other water birds living in the wetlands associated with the South Alligator River has increased dramatically.
Recording traditional wetland burning knowledge
Aboriginal Australians hold a wealth of ecological knowledge that could profitably be applied to contemporary land management. Unfortunately this has rarely happened and a large amount of Indigenous knowledge is being lost as elders pass away before the knowledge can be recorded or passed on.
In collaboration with Mr Christophersen and Ms McGregor, CSIRO is using Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) modelling for capturing traditional ecological knowledge and applying it to fire management in Kakadu’s wetlands.
The Bayesian approach can use more qualitative information than the quantitative data of conventional process-based models. The approach also provides an intuitive means of exploring system dynamics.
The wetland burning project in Kakadu has facilitated the transfer of traditional knowledge to younger generations.
Image by Mr Peter Chrisophersen. Once a model is developed, it will deliver a tool for recording traditional ecological knowledge, applying it to wetland management, and providing an interactive educational experience for a diverse audience, from traditional owners to tourists.
Outcomes
Outcomes from the project include:
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transformation of wetlands from a dense monoculture of grass to a mosaic of habitats that is rich in biodiversity
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improved cultural values of wetlands for Aboriginal people through increased availability of food resources.
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demonstrated value of applying traditional ecological knowledge in partnership with Western science.
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transfer of traditional knowledge to younger generations.
The project is an outstanding example of joint management in a World Heritage National Park, and serves as an internationally significant model for the effective engagement of Indigenous people in natural resource management.
Partners
Collaborators include:
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