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Roles and Responsibilities (continued)

Indigenous people and biodiversity

The involvement of Australia's Indigenous peoples in understanding and managing biodiversity is crucial, for three reasons. First, there is widespread recognition of the past, present and future custodianship of Australia's biodiversity by Indigenous peoples, and of their rights and responsibilities toward it under both customary and western law. Second, traditional and ongoing Indigenous knowledge is increasingly accepted as a valid and necessary information input to biodiversity management, alongside scientific information. Third, with some 15% of the continent under Indigenous ownership and/or management in 1996, often in remote environments that represent a management challenge, achieving protection of biodiversity without strong participation by local communities would be impossible.

An important aspect of Indigenous involvement in biodiversity is the recognition, continuity and use of traditional ecological or ethnobiological knowledge. The NSCABD recognised that an important means of protecting and managing biodiversity would be the discovery, documentation and continuity of the knowledge of Australia's Indigenous peoples who have maintained this biodiversity for many thousands of years before European occupation. One of the key objectives of the Strategy was to recognise and ensure the continuity of the contribution of the ethnobiological knowledge of Australia's Indigenous peoples to the conservation of Australia's biodiversity. A further recommendation in Action 4.1.8 (ANZECC 1996) was to:

Recognise the value of the knowledge and practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and incorporate this knowledge and those practices in biodiversity research and conservation programs by:

(a) encourage the recording (with the approval and involvement of the Indigenous peoples concerned) of the knowledge and practices of Indigenous peoples;

(b) assess the potential of this knowledge and these practices for nutritional and medicinal uses, wildlife and protected area management and other purposes; and

(c) apply the knowledge and practices in ways that ensure equitable sharing of the benefits arising from their use.

However, the review of the Strategy's implementation (ANZECC 2001) found the outcome of Objective 1.8 was 'not achieved'. In particular, the authors of this review noted that:

To date, cooperative ethnobiological programs are limited and do not appear well-coordinated Australia-wide. Concerns have been raised about the lack of protection that would be given to the intellectual property rights of Indigenous peoples were they to offer information. There is a need to respect the knowledge of Indigenous peoples as an expression of a way of life and cultural identity as well as a tool for biodiversity conservation.

The Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation in its report on Achieving economic independence (2000, p. 6) recommended that:

(2E) State and national parks review their management and employment practices to ensure there is genuine opportunity for Indeigenous participation in planning and employment which acknowledges Indigenous community obligations and uses traditional knowledge and skills.

Use of Indigenous knowledge is mostly occurring in protected areas managed either by nature conservation agencies, Indigenous organisations or in joint management arrangements. The Commonwealth in 1999 established an inquiry into use of biological resources in Commonwealth areas (Voumard 2000) and Williams (1998) provided a review of the importance of traditional knowledge, and of its status as crucial intellectual property. There is a discernible transition from treating Indigenous heritage as comprising 'sites' and 'relics' only, toward appreciation of the Indigenous legal, social and management importance of total landscapes and a wide suite of biota. English and Brown (2000) described previous approaches as involving a division between cultural and natural heritage that is only now being appreciated as inadequate and not representing Indigenous custom, knowledge or law.

Governments in Australia have increased employment of Indigenous peoples in protected area management, established Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs), entered into joint management arrangements for protected areas and created registers of Indigenous historic and cultural sites.

Commonwealth government policies and programs [BD Indicators 13.3, 24.8 and 25.2]

Joint management

The Commonwealth government has entered into partnerships with Indigenous peoples in nature conservation through joint management arrangements with Indigenous traditional owners of Kakadu, Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Booderee National Parks. The traditional owners lease back the parks to the Commonwealth. Both Kakadu and Uluru-Kata Tjuta are World Heritage Areas. Booderee National Park contains the only Indigenous-owned botanical gardens in Australia.

Management arrangements with these parks provide for access and equity in Indigenous employment and training. For example, Indigenous employment is 30% of the workforce for Kakadu, 33% for Uluru-Kata Tjuta and 52% for Booderee. Boards of management for these parks provide for a majority Indigenous representation and an Indigenous chairperson (e.g. The Kakadu Management Board consists of 10 Indigenous members and four non-Indigenous members). Board meetings at Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park are translated into Pitjantjatjara. At some parks, non-Indigenous staff undertake training in local Indigenous languages. These languages are also used for some Plans of Management (Uluru-Kata Tjuta Board of Management and Parks Australia 2000).

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission have proposed a strategy to develop a framework for Indigenous co-management of the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Plans of management are in the process of being developed for specific issues in the Hope Vale and Mossman regions.

Other Commonwealth programs

The IPAP was initiated to encourage Indigenous involvement in the establishment and management of IPAs recognising the close links and compatibility between Indigenous culture and biodiversity (see The Indigenous Protected Area Program). Table 70 provides a number of statistics about the IPAP, including the number of projects that have been supported per IBRA region:

• An Indigenous Advisory committee has been established under the EPBC Act. This committee will advise on Indigenous knowledge and practices in conservation and sustainable land management practices.
• An inquiry to examine access to biological resources was conducted in early 2000 to advise on a scheme that could be implemented to provide for the control and access to biological resources in Commonwealth areas (Voumard 2000). The inquiry focused on ensuring equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of Indigenous knowledge and practices and also addressed issues of intellectual property rights.
• In July 2000, Environment Australia announced a newly developed Indigenous Career Development and Recruitment Strategy to build on the 65 Indigenous staff already employed.
• The Contract Employment Program for Aborigines in Natural and Cultural Resource Management and the Aboriginal Rural Resource Initiative were both wound up.

Table 70: IBRA Regions (version 4) and IPAP (Indigenous Protected Areas Program) projects

IBRA region	IBRA region size (ha)	% IBRA as Protected Area (1997)	Priority for National Reserve System	IPAP Project	IPAP Area (proposed or actual) (ha)	Year declared as IPA
Cape York Peninsula	11 590 399	13.72	Low	Pula and Deliverance	53	-
Central Ranges	9 706 061	0	Moderate	Central Ranges	NAA	-
Central Ranges	9 706 061	0	Moderate	Watarru and Walalkara	1 980 000	2000
Dampierland	8 945 678	0.84	High	Dampier Peninsula	NA	-
Furneaux	240 654	26.63	Moderate	Tasmanian LM	1 650	-
Furneaux	1 892 251	5.65	Moderate	Wilsons Promontory	NA	-
Gibson Desert	15 553 049	12	Moderate	Central Ranges	NA	-
Great Sandy Desert	39 459 921	2.33	Moderate	Great Sandy Desert	271 700	-
Great Sandy Desert	39 459 921	2.33	Moderate	Paraku	NA	-
Great Victoria Desert	42 375 084	16.44	Low	Anangu Pitjantjatjara Lands	1 000 000	-
Jarrah Forest	4 601 333	3.94	Low	Manguri	NA	-
Mount Isa Inlier	6 658 586	2.69	Moderate	Lake Moondarra	NA	-
Murray-Darling Depression	19 748 019	12.44	Moderate	MutawintjiB	-	1998
Nullarbor	19 500 428	18.59	Low	Yalata	456 300	1999
South East Coastal Plain	1 892 251	5.65	Moderate	Deen Maar	453	1999
Simpson-Strzelecki Dunes	27 787 605	27.87	Low	Witjira	-	-
South Eastern Queensland	6 860 424	4.03	High	Guanaba	100	-
Stony Plains	18 159 145	4.82	High	Finniss Springs	171 270	-
Stony Plains	18 159 145	4.82	High	Nantawarrina	58 000	1998
Stony Plains	18 159 145	4.82	High	Witjira	NA	-
Tanami	31 665 582	0.43	Moderate	Purta	390 000	-
Tasmanian Midlands	769 751	2.02	High	Risdon and Oyster Coves	141	1999
Top End Coast	6 931 917	15.8	Moderate	Amorrduk	-	-
Top End Coast	6 931 917	15.8	Moderate	Dhimmuru	20 000	-
Warren	1 044 781	26.16	Low	D'Entrecasteaux	-	-
West and South West	1 839 898	70.62	Low	West Coast Tasmania	-	-
Woolnorth	966 686	7.26	High	Preminghana	524	1999

^A Not available;
^B Joint Management Area.

Source: Centre for Environment Management 1999.

State and Territory-based policies and programs [BD Indicators 13.3, 24.8 and 25.2]

Australian Capital Territory

• The ACT does not specifically mention Indigenous involvement in biodiversity or conservation management in its latest Nature Conservation Strategy 1998 or the Annual Report of the ACT Environment Advisory Council 1999.

New South Wales

• In 1998, Mutawintji National Park and Historic Site and Coturaundee Nature Reserve were transferred to the Mutawintji Local Aboriginal Land Council and leased back to NPWS under a joint management arrangement (see Mutawintji National Park). The IPA program funded some of the activities that helped to establish this management structure under its cooperative management component.
• Lake Mungo National Park, Mount Yarrowyck Nature Reserve, Mount Grenfell Historic Site and NSW Jervis Bay National Park have also been transferred back to their traditional owners for co-management with the NPWS. As part of the Eden Regional Forest Agreement process, Biamanga National Park is also under joint management.
• In 1998-99, NPWS allocated $350 000 to 55 discrete Indigenous heritage conservation projects.
• The NPWS employs the highest number of Indigenous people of all the Australian conservation agencies and provisions continue to be developed for employing and training Indigenous peoples as NPWS officers. The NPWS also maintains detailed and readily available statistics on Indigenous employment in the Service.

Northern Territory

• The influence of Indigenous preferences, beliefs and practices are more apparent in the Northern Territory PWC annual reporting than for any of the other conservation agencies and there is provision for the Commission Board to have not less than three Indigenous members.
• The Commission does not have other readily available statistics on such aspects as Indigenous employment in the Commission.
• The PWC works with traditional owners in the establishment of IPAs and in cooperative land management and planning, such as with the Indigenous landowners of the Amorrduk clan areas with a view to later establishment of an IPA.
• Traditional knowledge has been very important in the development and implementation of fire mitigation programs, using both traditional and other (e.g. aerial survey) methods.
• The Commission also encourages involvement from Indigenous people in the development of park information relating to Indigenous culture and history. A report on Aboriginal Cultural Interpretation Guidelines for the Northern Territory has been produced .
• In 1998-99, the Aboriginal Employment and Career Development Strategy commenced.

Queensland

• The Queensland Government is developing legislation at present under the Commonwealth's Native Title Act 1993 that may have some bearing on the way in which Indigenous affairs are approached by government departments. This is of particular importance to the QPWS as more than 140 of Queensland's national parks are subject to claims under the Native Title Act 1993, as at July 1999.
• In the QPWS, officers from individual regions engage in consultation on management expectations with Indigenous groups. Management expectations were developed in consultation with Indigenous people in Mount Moffatt (Carnarvon), Currawinya, Chesterton Range, Hell Hole Gorge and Moreton Bay and Islands in the Southern Region, Gumoo Woojabuddee Marine Park, Blackdown Tableland, Simpson Desert, Diamantina, Keppel Bay and Cape Hillsborough in the Central Region and Lawn Hill, Lizard Island, Cape Melville, Flinders Island, Lakefield, Cliff Islands and Mungkan Kandju in the Northern Region.
• Discussions have been initiated in 1999 for cooperative management with Ghungalu, Iman and Wadja claimant groups for Blackdown Tableland National Park.
• The QPWS trains Indigenous people in turtle biology.
• In 1998-99, a review was carried out of Indigenous involvement in the management of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, with a view to fostering more effective involvement. A report on the Review of Aboriginal Involvement in the Management of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area was released in 1999 with many of the review recommendations able to be implemented immediately.
• In early 2001, the Wet Tropics Management Authority was in the process of appointing the High Level Negotiator recommended in the review. Discussions are still continuing, however, over issues such as native title and World Heritage management, traditional resource use and harvesting practices.

South Australia

• The first IPA was declared at Nantawarrina in South Australia in 1998. In June 2000, this initiative received the United Nations Global 500 Award for outstanding environmental achievement. There are now a total of four IPAs in South Australia (see The Indigenous Protected Area Program).
• Joint management arrangements operate in Witjira National Park.
• A report on Sustainable Resource Management Strategy for Aboriginal Managed Lands in South Australia was prepared in 2000 to promote the sustainable management of Indigenous freehold and leasehold lands and to support the priorities of Indigenous people in nature management.

Tasmania

• As of early 2001, there were five IPAs declared in Tasmania at Oyster and Risdon Coves, Preminghana and Mt Chappell and Clarke Islands. These are all Indigenous owned lands declared and managed by the landowners as IPAs.
• With the exception of the IPAs, most Indigenous involvement in the Tasmanian National Parks and Public Land Management Group of the DPIWE is concerned with cultural heritage conservation rather than nature conservation.
• Indigenous sites are protected and managed in consultation with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Land Council.
• Issues in Indigenous heritage are included in ranger training programs.

Victoria

• In 1998-99, Parks Victoria established an internal Indigenous Cultural Liaison Group to provide advice on Indigenous cultural heritage matters and to help develop cross-cultural awareness and training.
• A Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the Mildura Aboriginal Corporation over the management of Lindsay Island in the Murray-Sunset National Park.
• Liaison continues with the Yorta Yorta and Goulburn Clans Group over the management of the Dharnya Centre in Barmah Forest.
• Parks Victoria trains employees in working with Indigenous communities and in protecting Indigenous cultural heritage sites. Surveys of Indigenous cultural sites are undertaken with some surveys (e.g. Gabo Island) used in the preparation of management plans. Assessments are also made of the effect of fire on major Indigenous sites.
• In 1998-99, the Dreaming Theatre in the Brambuk Aboriginal Living Cultural Centre in the Grampians National Park was opened. This provides a venue to educate visitors about links between Indigenous people and the land, among other things.

Western Australia

• In August 2000, CALM announced a Draft Policy on Aboriginal Involvement in Nature Conservation and Land Management.
• The draft policy covers topics such as liaison and consultation, cooperative management, nature conservation on Indigenous land, management planning, Indigenous representation on advisory committees, employment and training, and legislative amendments to recognise Indigenous interests in CALM managed lands.
• In addition, the Western Australian RFA addresses the introduction of amendments to the CALM Act 1984 to permit Indigenous peoples to undertake traditional and cultural activities including hunting, gathering and ceremonies on State forests and public land.
• CALM also maintains an Aboriginal Employment and Training Plan.

Indigenous employment in conservation agencies

Table 71 gives an indication of Indigenous employment in nature conservation in jurisdictions for which data were available for this report.

Table 71: State Conservation Agency employment of Indigenous peoples

State	Indigenous people employed 1998-99 (No.)	Indigenous employment as a proportion of total agency employment (%)
New South Wales (NPWS)	157	7.5
Queensland (Environment Protection Agency and QPWS)	NA	2.7
Tasmania (DPIWE)	18	1.1

Source: NSW NPWS 1999; Queensland Environment Protection Agency and Parks and Wildlife Service 1999; Tasmanian Department of Primary Industry, Water and Environment 1999.

Intellectual property rights

The establishment of intellectual property rights for Indigenous peoples is one area which would directly contribute to continuing and preserving the knowledge of Australia's Indigenous peoples. Further research is needed, however, on securing such rights and implementing workable practices. Some progress has been made on an ad hoc basis in the area of Australian bush foods (e.g. with the establishment of the Australian Native Bushfood Industry Committee). However, the issue of property rights could become much more important in terms of pharmaceutical products, where the monetary returns are much higher.

Addressing the issue of intellectual property rights for Indigenous Australians could have benefits not only for biodiversity conservation in Australia but also for Indigenous communities when their vast knowledge of native flora and fauna is used for commercial purposes. The Commonwealth government inquiry into access to biological resources (Voumard 2000) addressed issues of intellectual property rights for Indigenous peoples. As well, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission has established an Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property Taskforce.

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