Tomorrow’s Country: creating better pathways for cultural fire research
The Team: Dr Timothy Neale, Professor Euan Ritchie, Dr Will Smith, and Dr Tim Doherty
Over the past decade, there has been increased interest and attention paid to the long history of Aboriginal peoples’ fire management practices across Australia and how this knowledge may help address biodiversity and fire management challenges. In Victoria, this renewed interest has been paralleled by an increasing level of recognition and partnership between Traditional Owners and state government agencies engaged in land management. Despite enthusiasm surrounding these initiatives, their establishment and expansion is hindered by insufficient scientific evidence surrounding their benefits to Country and community. While evidence on these topics exists for northern Australia, many deem this to be of uncertain relevance – ecologically and socially speaking – to the Victorian and southeast Australian context. Our project will help ameliorate this lack of supporting research, which is necessary for the realisation of Traditional Owners’ fire management aspirations.
The Team: Dr Timothy Neale (lead CI, pictured), Professor Euan Ritchie, Dr Will Smith, and Dr Tim Doherty
A collaboration between the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Built Environment, the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning