The Atlas of Living Australia (ALA), Australia's national online biodiversity database, has partnered with the Noongar Boodjar Language Centre (NBALC) for a number of years to promote Indigenous language and knowledge by including Noongar names for plants and animals in the ALA. Names are included in the ALA species page for each plant and animal. Indigenous ecological knowledge is built into the Noongar Plant and Animal online Encyclopedia, hosted in the ALA.
An integral part of the project is a strict consent process that has been developed and refined over several years. For any projects undertaken, the design includes seeking rolling consent from Knowledge Holders who review all data collected, add or edit as needed, and give or deny consent for knowledge to be shared publicly through the ALA. Consent can be removed at any time. Knowledge that can’t be shared publicly is held by the Noongar Boodjar Aboriginal Language Corporation, which understands the rights and interests of the communities. Protection of these rights and inclusion of Community interests are written into the project methodology as part of the project co-design.
In this presentation the consent process will be outlined and we will discuss the benefits of having clear protocols to follow. Several successful projects that have used this process will be described.