Indigenous fire and land management – impact and sustainability: The development of a Future Research Strategy around opportunities and challenges for sustainable partnerships in emergency management

Indigenous fire and land management – impact and sustainability: The development of a Future Research Strategy around opportunities and challenges for sustainable partnerships in emergency management Report

Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC

• Author(s): James, Glenn, Burton, Danny, Campion, Otto, Hunter, Barry, Morrison, Jimmy, Gondarra, Ted, Bayung, James
• Published: 2021

Link to resource Report broken link

Abstract: This research was conducted as a series of community-based discussions and workshops in the Northern Territory and north Queensland1. NAILSMA provided resources, logistics, backgrounding and other support to local Indigenous researchers and facilitators who ran the meetings on country. This was a Participatory Action Research (PAR) method, consistent with preceding research on community resilience and partnerships by ARPNet and NAILSMA under the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC project Developing effective partnerships in remote north Australian communities: Indigenous research and leadership in Ramingining and Galiwin’ku2. Inherent in this approach are direct benefits to Indigenous researchers and their communities from the process and from longer term outcomes influenced by their research and advocacy with EM agency leaders. The work found that gaps are evident within communities, within EM agencies and between them. Summary of the findings includes: • General lack of basic engagement by agencies – for example, not knowing who to talk to and how to start doing things differently. Limitations of local capability – governance, dedicated equipment and infrastructure, knowledge of EM systems and agency operations, restrictive laws etc. • Very little knowledge of social capital and other assets available in communities – local knowledge, equipment skills, communications, cross-cultural training, new generation recruitment, networks of obligation and care, nuanced knowledge of country and its seasons, use of fire. • Naivety from agencies about Indigenous culture and knowledge systems. • Lack of understanding about the costs and benefits of adopting new support and partnership models, tailored to regionally unique needs. • Lack of understanding of the impact across government agencies, particularly the lack of coordination of their functions, engagement and policy settings – often even within agencies. • Lack of clarity about resilience building at community level. • Poor recognition or knowledge of the impacts of climate change on different areas, and in relation to future planning • How land tenure effects Indigenous fire and land management activities • Performance criteria and stewardship of agency/community collaborations (cultural and EMA criteria) are undeveloped.

• Urls: https://www.bnhcrc.com.au/sites/default/files/managed/downloads/indigenous_fire_and_land_management_black_summer_final_report.pdf
• Publisher Location: Melbourne