The Karajarri Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) covers 2.4 million hectares of north-west Australia. Our project aims to support fire management, cultural knowledge and biodiversity over the inland pirra (pindan savannas) and marangurru (desert dunefields) of our IPA. We have established permanent monitoring sites in two areas, at sites with different fire histories. The Pukarri (Dreaming) story for one area talks about a huge desert wildfire that happened when Blue-tongue was disrespected by his tribe. After one year of monitoring, we found that sites burnt 1-2 years ago have more bare soil, and less leaf litter, grass, herbs, and large logs on the ground surface; long-unburnt sites (9+ years since fire) have the opposite pattern. Our trapping results show that mammals and reptiles were more abundant (and species richness was higher) at sites with less bare soil, and more leaf litter, grass and herbs. The reptile results were driven mainly by day-time, surface-dwelling species, which were more common when there was more cover. In contrast, the numbers of night-time, tree-climbing, and burrowing species did not depend on ground cover. The most commonly-caught reptile species were more abundant at long-unburnt sites. The rarest reptile species were also mostly found in long-unburnt sites. Mammals, and day-time, surface-living reptiles might need cover because it protects them from predators, and because it keeps the ground cooler. Our results tell us that fire management that keeps grass, herbs and leaf litter cover (and reduces bare soil) will keep more species, and more animals, in our desert.

Over millennia, Aboriginal people in Australia have dispersed propagules of numerous plant species through trading, seasonal migration or attending ceremony, for example. This has led to the hypothesis that many plant populations have established in “un-natural” locations as living cultural artefacts. Palaeo-ecological research has, to date, primarily focused on the vegetation impacts of pre-colonial cultures at the community and ecosystem levels. Yet molecular, linguistic and ethnographic techniques can be used to reconstruct the dispersal history of individual species and has previously illuminated the biogeography of crop domestication and trade. However, with non-domesticated species, it can be difficult to disentangle human influence from other “natural” factors such as climate change and animal or water dispersal.

In our project, we are developing a multidisciplinary approach to investigate the legacy of long-term use and management of large-fruited rainforest trees by Indigenous Australians. We will present initial research conducted under an ARC Discovery project that provides evidence for Aboriginal dispersal of Black Bean (Castanospermum austral) in the southern part of its range (Nth NSW) from Aboriginal songlines and genomic homogeneity across multiple catchments and a highly dissected landscape. We will also present preliminary findings of Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii) dispersal pathways and culturally significant sites that are being used to inform genetic analyses. Our research uniquely combines biocultural knowledge and genetic research in a culturally-sensitive way that properly acknowledges the intellectual contribution of traditional knowledge holders and strives to deliver locally meaningful cultural heritage management outcomes.

Victoria is moving toward Traditional Owners being equal partners in managing Country. This includes incorporating Aboriginal values and cultural knowledge and increasing participation in biodiversity planning and management, and improving access to biodiversity. To support the transition in how biodiversity is managed across Country, we have been bringing together Traditional Owners and other land managers from various agencies in a series of facilitated workshops, to foster a shared understanding of what makes a healthy ecosystem, by:

1. Identifying the desired country outcomes for this ecosystem, and the management practices that can be used to achieve these outcomes

2. Capturing understanding of how Country outcomes respond to environmental fluctuation and management interventions via a series of ecosystem management models.

In this talk we present findings from workshops focused on the low rainfall grassy ecosystems and dry forest ecosystems of Victoria. It is clear that access to Country and the management of biodiversity is intertwined with the health and wellbeing of Traditional Owners, in addition to ecological health outcomes. We show examples where our conceptual models highlight potential synergies and conflicts between biodiversity and cultural outcomes, and important knowledge gaps to help prioritise investment in research and learning. We also present some of the key barriers facing Traditional Owners in accessing Country to implement management.

Yugul Mangi Rangers have been caring for Country in South East Arnhem Land (SEAL) since the 1990s. In 2016, the SEAL Indigenous Protected Area (SEAL IPA) was declared and Yugul Mangi Rangers signed up to savanna burning through SEAL Fire Abatement (SEALFA). The rangers are using Indigenous knowledge and western science to manage fire for cultural and ecological outcomes. Since 2016, fire management has improved in SEAL IPA by reducing the total area that is burnt each year, shifting the seasonality of burning from late dry season to early dry season, increasing the patchiness of fires, increasing the area that is considered long unburnt and reducing the greenhouse gases released from burning (Ansell et al 2019). Yugul Mangi Rangers, SEAL Elders and ecologists have worked together to develop the Yugul Mangi Faiya En Sisen Kelenda (Yugul Mangi Fire and Seasons Calendar) which uses biocultural indicators to guide fire management. A total of forty biocultural indicators were identified and included in the calendar, alongside important bush tucker resources, weather conditions and savanna burning recommendations. This ‘two-way’ science aims to guide fire management which protects bush tucker, culturally significant areas and facilitates Traditional Owner engagement in savanna burning, whilst also delivering ecological outcomes of mosaic burning and reduced emissions of greenhouse gases. Beyond its aesthetic value as a popular cross-cultural interpretation, the calendar has potential for application in regional fire management planning, improved understanding of savanna burning and inter-general transfer of Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (McKemey et al 2019).

In Australia, conservation fencing is commonly used to protect existing populations of threatened fauna, to support the re-introduction of locally extant fauna or to introduce threatened fauna that may not have existed in the area but are known from the region. Fenced wildlife sanctuaries first emerged as a conservation tool in the 1980s and there are now currently 19 such sanctuaries operating on the Australian mainland. Through a process of strategic community consultations, Nyamba Buru Yawuru is currently exploring the idea of creating a fenced wildlife sanctuary on Yawuru country. An indigenous-led wildlife restoration project of this scale would be a nationally significant project for which there is no precedent in northern Australia. In addition to the conservation benefits, a predator-free wildlife enclosure may also provide economic opportunities through tourism, increased public education and community engagement, and enhancement of Yawuru cultural values. This poster explores the development of this project from an indigenous perspective and highlights the priority concerns of the Yawuru community.

Feral cats pose a considerable threat to Australian fauna, but effective and sustained control of their populations at appropriate geographic scales remains challenging. Recently, poison baits have been developed specifically for the lethal control of feral cats in Australia. However, the potential non-target effects of these baits on other predators and cascading effects on lower trophic levels are not well understood. Using remotely-triggered camera traps, we examined the impact of an application of 1080 Eradicat® baits on the occupancy of feral cats, dingoes and large macropodid species over the 2,410 km² Matuwa Indigenous Protected Area, in the semi-arid rangelands of Western Australia. We also examined the influence of habitat on the occupancy of these species. We found that the application of poison baits targeted to reduce feral cats did not negatively affect their occupancy but did so instead for dingoes. We also found a significant increase in macropodid occupancy following baiting which we believe is likely a behavioral response of macropodids to the reduction in dingo occupancy and activity. Dingo occupancy was significantly higher in woodlands than grasslands while feral cat occupancy was not affected by habitat type. To reduce the potential for unintended negative ecological consequences of broad-scale poison bait application to control feral cats, we recommend limiting the deployment of feral cat baiting to habitats where dingo occurrence is low or absent. We also recommend employing a rigorous, community-focused monitoring program to evaluate any impacts pest control operations may have on predators, prey, and their potential interactions.