Bloody but unbowed: How international and national legal norms and frameworks can improve recognition and inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge in Australian environmental decision-making By Judith A. Preston BA LLB(Macq) MEL(USyD) Dip.Legal Practice A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of the degree Doctor of Philosophy – Law School of Law Western Sydney University, Australia Date Submitted: 4 November 2019 Bloody but unbowed: How international and national legal norms and frameworks can improve recognition and inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledge in Australian environmental decision-making. By Judith A. Preston BA LLB(Macq) MEL(USyD) Dip.Legal Practice 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD............................................................................................................................ 8 STATEMENT OF CANDIDATE ......................................................................................... 12 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................ 13 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................. 17 ABBREVIATIONS ................................................................................................................ 19 CHAPTER 1- INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 17 1.1 Thesis research questions .......................................................................................... 23 1.2 Hypothesis and socio-legal context of the thesis ...................................................... 24 1.3 Towards global tipping points ................................................................................... 25 1.4 Thesis Approach ........................................................................................................ 29 1.5 Definitions of Indigenous Knowledges – embracing traditional community and local knowledge of Indigenous communities ..................................................................... 31 1.6 Indigenous Knowledges and its custodians ............................................................... 33 1.7 Language decline and biocultural diversity - the canary in the coalmine? ............... 36 1.8 Literature review ....................................................................................................... 39 1.9 Research methodology .............................................................................................. 46 1.10 Thesis framework ...................................................................................................... 50 1.11 Thesis limitations ....................................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER 2- DEFINITIONS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE, THEIR KNOWLEDGES AND RELATIONSHIP TO COUNTRY ............................................................................. 57 2.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................... 57 2.1 Indigenous people and definitions............................................................................. 58 2.2 What’s in a name? The perils of definition ............................................................... 60 2.3 International Definitions ........................................................................................... 64 2 2.4 Indigenous Self-definition ......................................................................................... 70 2.5 Other Challenges with Definitions ............................................................................ 71 2.6 Recognition and identification of Indigenous people statistically ............................ 74 2.7 What is knowledge and why is it important for environmental decision-making and natural resources management? ................................................................................. 76 2.8 Extended Knowledges ............................................................................................... 80 2.9 What are Indigenous knowledges? ............................................................................ 80 2.10 Loss of Indigenous language and its link to loss of Indigenous knowledge ........... 84 2.11 Language - an important biocultural diversity indicator ......................................... 86 2.12 Loss of Ecological Language and Knowledges ...................................................... 90 2.13 Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 92 CHAPTER 3 – STEWARDSHIP OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGES .................................................................................................................... 94 3.0 What is Environmental decision-making? ................................................................ 94 3.1 Public participation in the Environmental Decision-making process ....................... 98 3.2 Public participation approaches .............................................................................. 988 3.3 How do Indigenous Knowledges and its custodians contribute to Environmental decision -making in Australia? ........................................................................................... 102 3.3.1 Haasts Bluff - Northern Territory .......................................................................... 105 3.3.2 Wallis Lake -New South Wales ............................................................................ 105 3.3.3. How do Indigenous Knowledges systems relate to management of resources? ..... 106 3.4 How do Indigenous Knowledges systems relate to biodiversity protection and Natural Resource Management? ........................................................................................ 108 3.5 The development of the concept of biodiversity exposes its losses globally .......... 110 3.6 Sustainable Development is conceived as a solution to human over-consumption and waste of Earth’s resources ....................................................................................... 112 3.7 Loss of Biocultural Diversity .................................................................................. 113 3.8 The concept of Sustainable Development develops ................................................ 115 3 3.9 Sustainable Development and Culture .................................................................... 115 3.10 Environmental Decision-Making and Sustianable Development ........................... 115 3.11 Legal implementation of Sustainable Development in Australia............................ 124 3.12 Indigenous Knowledges and Sustainable Development ......................................... 128 3.13 Conclusion …………………...……………………………..…………………….130 CHAPTER 4- INCORPORATION OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGES INTO NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT IN AUSTRALIA ....................................... 132 4.0 Introduction ............................................................................................................. 132 4.1 What is Natural Resource Management ? ............................................................... 133 4.2 Public Participation Models in Natural Resource Management ............................ 136 4.2.1 Definitions of Co-Management ........................................................................... 137 4.2.2 Australian Co-Management Experience ............................................................ 1398 4.3 World Views Colliding: Difference in approach to conservation values ........... 143 4.3.1. Case Study 1 – “Two-way” collaborative governance model – the Southern Tanami Indigenous Protected Area .................................................................... 148 4.3.2 Best Practice for Co-Management Projects ......................................................... 151 4.3.3 Case Study 2 – Crossing Cultural Boundaries for a water governance project in the Queensland Wet Tropics ............................................................................... 151 4.4 Indigenous Protected Areas – Agreements between the Indigenous community and the Federal Government ............................................................................... 155 4.4.1 Jawoyn Indigenous Protected Area (Northern Territory) .................................... 163 4.4.2 Paruku wetlands Indigenous Protected Area (Western Australia) ...................... 164 4.4.3 Budj Bim/Lake Condah Indigenous Protected Area (Victoria)........................... 165 4.5 “The two-way approach” – Southern Tanami Indigenous Protected Area – Northern Territory .............................................................................................................. 167 4.5.1 The Southern Tanami Decision-Making and Management Structures ............ 169 4.5.2 Decision-making Structures ............................................................................. 171 4 4.5.2.1 Sea Country – Dhimurru Sea Country Indigenous Protected Area ............. 17169 4.5.2.2 Dhimurru Indigenous Protected Area Management Plan ................................. 171 4.6 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 173 CHAPTER 5 - THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................