An online spatial database of Australian Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge for contemporary natural and cultural resource management

Petina L Pert; Emilie J Ens; John Locke; Philip A Clarke; Joanne M Packer; Gerry Turpin

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.073

An online spatial database of Australian Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge for contemporary natural and cultural resource management

Sci Total Environ. 2015 Nov 15:534:110-21. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.073. Epub 2015 Feb 11.

Authors

Petina L Pert¹, Emilie J Ens², John Locke³, Philip A Clarke⁴, Joanne M Packer⁵, Gerry Turpin⁶

Affiliations

¹ CSIRO Land and Water Flagship, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia; Division of Tropical Environments and Societies, Centre for Tropical Environmental Sustainability Science, James Cook University - Cairns Campus, Smithfield, Qld 4878, Australia. Electronic address: petina.pert@csiro.au.
² Department of Environment and Geography, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia.
³ Biocultural Consulting Pty Ltd, Maroochydore, Qld 4000, Australia.
⁴ School of Environment, Griffith University, Nathan, Qld 4111, Australia.
⁵ National Institute of Complementary Medicine, University of Western Sydney, NSW 2751, Australia.
⁶ Tropical Indigenous Ethnobotany Centre, Cairns, Qld 4970, Australia; Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation, and the Arts, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia.

PMID: 25682266
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.01.073

Abstract

With growing international calls for the enhanced involvement of Indigenous peoples and their biocultural knowledge in managing conservation and the sustainable use of physical environment, it is timely to review the available literature and develop cross-cultural approaches to the management of biocultural resources. Online spatial databases are becoming common tools for educating land managers about Indigenous Biocultural Knowledge (IBK), specifically to raise a broad awareness of issues, identify knowledge gaps and opportunities, and to promote collaboration. Here we describe a novel approach to the application of internet and spatial analysis tools that provide an overview of publically available documented Australian IBK (AIBK) and outline the processes used to develop the online resource. By funding an AIBK working group, the Australian Centre for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (ACEAS) provided a unique opportunity to bring together cross-cultural, cross-disciplinary and trans-organizational contributors who developed these resources. Without such an intentionally collaborative process, this unique tool would not have been developed. The tool developed through this process is derived from a spatial and temporal literature review, case studies and a compilation of methods, as well as other relevant AIBK papers. The online resource illustrates the depth and breadth of documented IBK and identifies opportunities for further work, partnerships and investment for the benefit of not only Indigenous Australians, but all Australians. The database currently includes links to over 1500 publically available IBK documents, of which 568 are geo-referenced and were mapped. It is anticipated that as awareness of the online resource grows, more documents will be provided through the website to build the database. It is envisaged that this will become a well-used tool, integral to future natural and cultural resource management and maintenance.

Keywords: Biocultural diversity; Indigenous biocultural knowledge; Literature review cross-cultural ecology; Socio-ecological systems; Sustainable development; Temporal mapping spatial mapping; Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Australia
Conservation of Natural Resources / methods*
Databases, Factual*
Humans
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander*