Incorporating Indigenous knowledge in the care of threatened species at

Project 6.2.1

KEY MESSAGES

• Scientists, Traditional • We have held planning • Over the past year, this Owners and Park staff and evaluation workshops project has supported are working together to to develop knowledge- a back-to-country manage the sharing protocols, priority workshop for local Orchid (Diuris byronensis) actions and measures Indigenous families, and its clay heath habitat of success to care for cultural burning in Arakwal National Park. these important areas. on the clay heath habitat and community engagement activities.

What is the problem being tackled?

The endangered Byron Bay Orchid (Diuris byronensis) is unique to Arakwal National Park. The orchid and its endangered clay heath habitat, which is an endangered ecological community, have important conservation and cultural values. Yet these values are threatened by wild fires, weeds, feral animals and the impact of thousands of tourists who visit this region throughout the year. Joint managers at Arakwal need to work together to ensure effective joint management of these important species and areas.

Indigenous burning of clay heath was recently carried out for the first time in 30 years. Photo: Arakwal Aboriginal Corporation.

Who is involved? Why is this important to the Bundjalung of Byron Bay People (Arakwal)? This project is a collaboration Local Traditional Owners are the Bundjalung of Byron Bay between Bundjalung people interested in the decisions and People (Arakwal) to look after of Byron Bay (Arakwal), outcomes achieved in this the things they think are most Arakwal joint Park Managers, protected area. It is important to important. This includes working a research team from think about how research and together to guide and assess CSIRO, the management of endangered efforts to care for important National Parks and Wildlife plants and animals can also help species in the area. Service and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The project is receiving funding from the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program.

Green List workshop participants. Photo: CSIRO

The IUCN Green List

Arakwal was the first protected showcasing local efforts area in the world to be IUCN to incorporate Indigenous Green Listed. Achieving Green List knowledge into achieving certification means the protected successful outcomes for area has good governance, country, Traditional Owners sound design and planning and and joint managers. effective management. Together This project is incorporating these factors support successful Indigenous knowledge into conservation outcomes. the IUCN Green List evaluation This year, Arakwal Traditional framework to identify ways Owners are working with the to improve the joint management research team to renew their of this important Indigenous Green Listing. This will include and protected area. Burning heathland in the National Park. Photo: Arakwal Aboriginal Corporation

What activities are happening? Expected benefits for Arakwal and The research team are working The CSIRO research team has other joint managers with Arakwal joint managers to facilitated a number of workshops across the world develop cross-cultural planning with joint managers of Arakwal and evaluation guidelines for National Park to decide on the This research will help joint the Byron Bay orchid and its most important activities that are managers at Arakwal to clay heath habitat. needed to care for the Byron Bay think about and incorporate orchid and its clay heath habitat. things that are important Bundjalung of Byron Bay for Indigenous Traditional Aboriginal Corporation (Arakwal) Agreed actions have been Owners when planning and have helped the science team incorporated into the Arakwal evaluating management to work with appropriate joint management operations plan of the Byron Bay orchid, Traditional Owners to talk to over the past year. Some of the new the clay heath habitat and and explain what the research actions include supporting return- Arakwal National Park. is about and what we will do to-country days for Indigenous with it. Knowledge-sharing families, the first clay heath The project is also supporting protocols have been developed burning activity for over 30 years, activities that promote to guide the collaboration. mammal surveys and collaborative knowledge-sharing within engagement with local neighbours Indigenous families and IUCN and the NSW National Parks so that joint management activities between Indigenous groups, and Wildlife Service are helping are supported by the broader between Arakwal joint partners to use the Green List community. managers and with useful framework to plan and assess western science. activities to care for the orchid, The research team have clay heath and the broader supported these efforts and We are also sharing protected area. The framework used the IUCN Green List as a key lessons from our will help partners to demonstrate framework to enable Arakwal collaborative efforts with successful activities, partnerships and park managers to judge the IUCN Green List team and outcomes. the success of their efforts. so other Indigenous groups around the world can learn and share their experiences.

A project workshop. Photo: Cathy Robinson Burning vegetation within the park is important to and environmental values. Photo: Arakwal Aboriginal Corporation.

When is the More information work happening?

The research started in 2017 If you want to talk about this project you can contact: and will be completed by 2020. Cathy Robinson Sue Walker Principal Research Scientist Manager, Tweed Byron Area CSIRO North Coast Branch 0437 170 024 NSW National Parks and [email protected] Wildlife Service [email protected]

This research project is being funded by the Threatened Species Recovery Hub of the Australian Government’s National Environmental Science Program.