As predation by feral cats is believed to be one of the main reasons native animals are disappearing from the deserts, cat control is regarded as an important land management tool. At Kiwirrkurra people love to eat feral cats, and many people are highly skilled at tracking and catching them. There are therefore multiple motivations to catch cats on the Kiwirrkurra Indigenous Protected Area which has led to a strong cat control program, and the removal and consumption of 130 feral cats from ninu (bilby) and tjalapa (great desert skink) habitat since 2014. All cats have been captured by following fresh tracks on foot until the cat is found and the average time between finding a fresh track and despatching the cat is 62 minutes. Stomach content analysis of 52 cats revealed a diet dominated by reptiles, primarily sand goanna, small skinks and military dragon. Track plot monitoring has shown that although cats continue to be detected within the cat hunting zone (which extends out to a 20km radius around the community), there is a 40% reduction in cat activity in the hunting zone compared to unmanaged areas. Camera monitoring at bilby and great desert skink burrows indicates low predation pressure at key threatened species sites.

Indigenous people are increasingly becoming involved in research collaborations with environmental scientists. Since 2004 Wagiman Traditional Owners have been collaborating on a study of cultural significance and environmental flow requirements of fish in the Guwardagun (Daly River) with a core group of researchers. In this talk, we reflect on lessons learnt and future collaborative activities required to ensure water management sustains the important cultural and ecological values of the river. Wagiman Traditional Owners became involved in this project to develop their ‘cultural ways of working’ through the research on country. Opportunities to continue the partnership has meant that what began as a 3-year project has run long enough to see a wide range of benefits from working together. This includes new scientific knowledge, greater recognition of Indigenous knowledge, capacity building and community development. The influence of the project extends beyond just the Wagiman people and researchers directly involved. In fact, even though it began as just a scientific research project, the broader contribution to the social and emotional well-being of the community has been a key to the continued interest in the ongoing partnership. Wagiman are now building on this research on environmental flows to try and address cultural requirements in water in government water allocation planning and management for the Guwardagun.

Many indigenous communities have developed climate forecast skills by observing how the physical environment impacts the behavioural ecology and phenology of plants and animals. Despite technological advances, contemporary forecasts remain underutilized by indigenous communities. Community access to both Indigenous and Scientific knowledge systems would enhance overall resilience to extreme events. Evidence suggests that the uptake of contemporary forecasts can be significantly improved when combined with Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK). Since 2012 Pacific National Meteorological Services (NMSs) have worked with indigenous experts to include ecological climate indicators into their climate products. Using a participatory approach across five Pacific countries, Niue, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu, we document the entire process associated with the incorporation of IEK into NMS products and services. This includes understanding legal and governance requirements; engaging with key knowledge stakeholders and developing sustainable partnerships; best-practice processes for the respectful collection, documentation and secure storage of IEK; development of monitoring networks to facilitate forecast combination; and improving forecast communication by co-producing traditional and contemporary climate products. The projects were indigenous run, built on in-country partnerships between the NMSs, communities, cultural organisations and government departments, and considered global, regional and national legal and policy constraints around the collection of IEK and protection of intellectual property. This approach allowed the NMSs to create products that were tailored to meet community needs. We provide guidance for ecologists in Australia, and elsewhere, interested in best practice approaches for successfully combining Indigenous and Scientific Knowledge Systems to improve ecological communication, understanding and resilience.

Protected areas under joint management require actions to manage significant species and their surrounding ecological and cultural values, but there are often limited resources to achieve all outcomes. We present an approach for prioritising actions in cross-cultural jointly managed protected areas. We apply our approach to care for the endangered Byron Bay Orchid Diuris byronensis and its surrounding heath habitat, in Arakwal National Park, NSW. The approach builds upon the Arakwal National Park Management Plan and adapts current IUCN conservation planning steps and Green List of Protected Areas evaluation principles: strong joint governance, collaborative design and planning, effective and appropriate management and successful cross-cultural conservation outcomes. We implemented the highest priority actions for improving ecological and cultural values of the Orchid and heath habitat at Arakwal National Park, including: Indigenous engagement and visitor/neighbour impacts, cultural burning and encroaching trees, and evaluated success. We developed best practice guidelines and a seasonal planning calendar to schedule actions and to communicate our approach to the local Indigenous community and global conservation networks.