Some Indigenous groups are looking to become more economically independent through involvement in the native foods industry.

Indigenous livelihoods in the rangelands and savannas

CSIRO’s research on Indigenous livelihoods in the rangelands and savannas aims to help address issues of socio-economic disadvantage, exclusion, cultural difference and sustainability.

• 17 January 2008 | Updated 14 October 2011

• Overview
• Research capabilities
• Project examples

Overview

There is potentially a high compatibility between Indigenous people’s aspirations to manage country effectively, maintain sustainable livelihoods, and the public policy drive to improve Indigenous well-being and maintain healthy landscapes.

There is a widespread recognition that many Indigenous communities could be better engaged in natural resource management given their strong attachment to the land and role in its stewardship.

To examine this issue, CSIRO has researchers working to:

• identify the research needs and priorities of Indigenous peoples and policy-makers
• develop analytical and methodological approaches that will address:
  • socio-economic disadvantage and exclusion
  • Indigenous cultural priorities
  • sustainability issues.

Research capabilities

CSIRO is developing ways to address challenges faced by Indigenous communities, primarily in remote regions.

We are investing in people with the skills needed to undertake this work, with new research positions and projects established to build partnerships with Indigenous organisations, governments and public and private sector agencies.

These partnerships aim to develop successful Indigenous industries that support communities and maintain a healthy environment.

Project examples

The Northern Territory Government would like to increase the involvement of local Indigenous communities in planning and decision making.

CSIRO in Darwin is assisting with this goal by undertaking research to identify and incorporate the values held by Aboriginal people into government planning for natural resource management (NRM).

Indigenous partnerships and NRM

To further this research, we have established partnerships with Indigenous organisations, such as the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA), to develop and increase local capacities to contribute to river management.

Another project involves evaluating a number of current NRM models developed and applied in the Northern Territory, including the Aboriginal Ranger program supported by the Northern Land Council.
 
A project established in recent years is partnering CSIRO in Darwin with local Indigenous communities to solve problems of infestations by invasive ant species with positive results.

Fire management

As a core partner in the Bushfire Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) CSIRO is also researching the ecological impacts of fire in the savannas within the CRC's northern 'Australian Burning for Biodiversity' project.

We are working with a family of traditional owners in Kakadu National Park to examine the cultural and environmental benefits of Aboriginal fire management as it is re-applied to floodplain areas of the the South Alligator River (Boggy Plain and Yellow Water).

Livelihoods inLand™

CSIRO research and the Desert Knowledge CRC in Alice Springs, Northern Territory are investigating how to assist landholders develop sustainable livelihoods in arid regions of Australia.

Aboriginal and other landowners in central Australia provide a service to Australians through the sound management of natural and cultural resources on their lands, including:

• controlling environmental weeds
• protecting populations of threatened species
• small scale burning to reduce threats to biodiversity from major wildfires
• monitoring environmental conditions in remote areas
• keeping unique local and traditional knowledge of plants and animals strong to benefit current and future generations.

Unfortunately, there is little demand for this style of work and very few jobs for those keen and skilled to work in environmental management in the arid zone.

A goal of the Livelihoods inLand™ research by CSIRO and other Desert Knowledge CRC partners is to create a better match between:

• demand from government and industry for environmental outcomes
• the services that desert landowners can and want to supply.

Wild native foods

Many Aboriginal communities and family groups would like to become more economically independent through involvement in the bush tucker or native foods industry. This industry - still in the early stages of development - is based on traditional culture and knowledge about edible Australian flora.

CSIRO is researching ways to improve opportunities for indigenous communities that are able to harvest wild produce.

Current activities in include:

• studying the wild harvest of bush raisins and wattle seeds
• gaining information about the environmental, social, cultural and economic sustainability of bush food harvesting and micro-enterprises in Central Australia.

Native food horticulture

Some Indigenous communities can’t directly harvest wild bush food, yet are interested in becoming involved with an Australian native foods industry.

A CSIRO research project in Adelaide, South Australia employed an Aboriginal project officer and cooperated with several Indigenous organisations.

This project is trialled several species of native food plants in different locations across south-eastern Australia, with the aim of finding the best sites for growing and cultivating native food plants.

Read more about CSIRO’s involvement with Livelihoods inLand™.