{"id":634,"date":"2026-10-08T13:25:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-08T02:25:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/?page_id=634"},"modified":"2026-10-17T12:26:31","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T01:26:31","slug":"indigenous-led-restoration","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/restoration-standards\/examples-and-case-studies-supporting-the-australian-standards\/indigenous-led-restoration\/","title":{"rendered":"5. Indigenous-led Restoration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Indigenous People’s land and sea management – restoring both nature and culture<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (Indigenous Peoples) are increasingly being recognised for their contributions to ecological restoration. Indigenous cultural and identity is intrinsically linked to connections to Country (the local environment).<\/p>\n

Country’s health is reflective of the relationships between people and the local environment. Through the practice of cultural lore and activities Indigenous peoples have developed Indigenous management regimes that heal and maintain healthy country.<\/p>\n

Many Indigenous land managers are involved in reinstating Indigenous management practices over large tracts of Australian lands and waters from which they have been restricted or excluded for up to two centuries.<\/p>\n

This return of Indigenous management practice to many places – often utilising traditional ecological knowledge interacting with modern science – represents a profound form of ecological restoration and rehabilitation that is achieving cultural recovery as well as recovery of ecosystems.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

General information: Working with Indigenous Australians for conservation
\n<\/strong>www.natureaustralia.org.au\/what-we-do\/our-priorities\/climate-change\/climate-change-stories\/working-with-indigenous-australians-for-conservation\/<\/a><\/p>\n


\n1. Indigenous Protected Areas movement<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There are nearly 100 IPAs across Australia, covering over 113 million hectares and making up more than 55% of the country’s National Reserve System. https:\/\/www.dcceew.gov.au\/environment\/land\/indigenous-protected-areas#toc_0<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Conversation article:<\/strong> https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-indigenous-protected-areas-became-a-vital-way-to-protect-nature-in-australia-288394<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2. <\/strong>Examples of integrated ecosystem management and cultural restoration<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

2a. Martu Living Deserts<\/strong>, Western Australia
\n<\/strong>https:\/\/www.natureaustralia.org.au\/what-we-do\/our-priorities\/land-and-freshwater\/land-freshwater-stories\/martu-living-deserts\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2b. Nowanup: Healing country, healing people<\/strong>, Western Australia
\nhttps:\/\/emrprojects.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/06\/nowanup-healing-country-healing-people\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

2c. Restoring McDonald\u2019s Swamp<\/strong>, northern Victoria
\nhttps:\/\/emrprojects.wordpress.com\/2022\/06\/24\/biological-and-cultural-restoration-at-mcdonalds-swamp-in-northern-victoria-australia\/<\/a><\/p>\n


\n2d. NAILSMA land and sea restoration<\/strong>, northern Australia
\n<\/strong>https:\/\/nailsma.org.au\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Image – Minyumai IPA, New South Wales –<\/strong>
\nRestoring cleared and grazed paddocks using a Facilitated Natural Regeneration approach (fire and weeding)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3. Examples of returning appropriate fire regimes to the landscape<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

3a. West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement (WALFA) Program<\/strong>, Northern Territory
\n<\/strong>https:\/\/carbonmarketinstitute.org\/projects\/west-arnhem-land-fire-abatement-walfa-project\/<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

3b. Western Arnhem Land Fire Abatement (WALFA)<\/strong> project<\/strong>, Northern Territory
\nhttps:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/emr.12201<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3c. Northern Australian fire management and carbon abatement programmes <\/strong>www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/j.1442-8903.2011.00624.x\/abstract<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3d. Fire Abatement Carbon Project, Fish River<\/strong>, Northern Territory
\nhttps:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/279951384_Payment_for_ecosystem_services_in_practice_-_savanna_burning_and_carbon_abatement_at_Fish_River_northern_Australia\u00a0<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3e. Kimberley Ecofire<\/strong>, Western Australia
\n<\/strong>https:\/\/www.australianwildlife.org\/what-we-do\/restoring-healthy-fire-patterns<\/a><\/p>\n


\n3f. Right way science<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/emr.12532<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3g. Managing balds with fire, <\/strong>Bunya Mountains, Queensland
\n<\/strong>https:\/\/emrprojects.wordpress.com\/2012\/01\/26\/natural-and-cultural-resource-management-the-aspirations-of-the-traditional-custodians-of-the-bunya-mountains\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3h. Use of fire at Minyumai IPA<\/strong>, New South Wales
\n<\/strong>https:\/\/emrprojects.wordpress.com\/2023\/11\/03\/facilitated-natural-regeneration-in-the-middle-clearing-setaria-plots-of-minyumai-indigenous-protected-area-the-gap-nsw\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

3i. Burning for pasture, Lachlan Valley<\/strong>, New South Wales
\n<\/strong>https:\/\/emrprojects.wordpress.com\/2012\/01\/26\/burning-for-pasture-biodiversity-and-culture\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4. Examples of marine, freshwater and wetland management<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

4a. Ghost nets<\/strong>, Northern Territory
\nhttps:\/\/emrprojects.wordpress.com\/2019\/10\/20\/addressing-ghost-nets-in-australia-and-beyond-update-of-emr-feature\/<\/a><\/p>\n

ALSO SEE<\/p>\n

https:\/\/oceanearthfoundation.org.au\/ghostnets-australia\/<\/a><\/p>\n

AND<\/p>\n

https:\/\/australianmarineparks.gov.au\/management\/partnerships\/ghost-nets-and-marine-debris-initiative\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4b. Lake Condah Indigenous Protected Area<\/strong>, Victoria
\n<\/strong>https:\/\/www.countryneedspeople.org.au\/ipa_in_focus_budj_bim_indigenous_protected_area<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4c. Barkindji Maraura Elders Environment Team<\/strong>, New South Wales
\n<\/strong>http:\/\/www.finterest.com.au\/fish-habitats\/barkindji-river-rangers-doing-great-things-for-fish\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

4d. Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations <\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/www.mldrin.org.au\/about-us\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Indigenous People’s land and sea management – restoring both nature and culture   Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples (Indigenous Peoples) are increasingly being recognised for their contributions to ecological […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":118,"featured_media":0,"parent":619,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-634","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/118"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":709,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/634\/revisions\/709"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chapter.ser.org\/australasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}