Feasibility of Small Scale Commercial Native Plant Harvests by Indigenous Communities A report for the RIRDC/Land & Water Australia/FWPRDC/MDBC Joint Venture Agroforestry Program by P. J. Whitehead, J. Gorman, A. D. Griffiths, G. Wightman, H. Massarella and J. Altman August 2006 RIRDC Publication No 04/149 RIRDC Project No UNT-6A © 2006 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved. ISBN 1 74151 057 0 ISSN 1440-6845 Small scale commercial native plant harvests by indigenous communities Publication No. 04/149 Project No. UNT-6A The information contained in this publication is intended for general use to assist public knowledge and discussion and to help improve the development of sustainable industries. The information should not be relied upon for the purpose of a particular matter. Specialist and/or appropriate legal advice should be obtained before any action or decision is taken on the basis of any material in this document. The Commonwealth of Australia, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, the authors or contributors do not assume liability of any kind whatsoever resulting from any person's use or reliance upon the content of this document. This publication is copyright. However, RIRDC encourages wide dissemination of its research, providing the Corporation is clearly acknowledged. For any other enquiries concerning reproduction, contact the Publications Manager on phone 02 6272 3186. Researcher Contact Details Peter Whitehead and Julian Gorman Key Centre for Tropical Wildlife Management Blg 18, Northern Territory University Darwin, Northern Territory 0909 Phone: 08 8946 6703 Fax: 08 8946 7088 Email: [email protected] In submitting this report, the researcher has agreed to RIRDC publishing this material in its edited form. RIRDC Contact Details Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 2, Pharmacy Guild House 15 National Circuit BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Phone: 02 6272 4539 Fax: 02 6272 5877 Email: [email protected]. Website: http://www.rirdc.gov.au Published in August 2006 ii Foreword The Indigenous people of Australia have a long and well-documented history of using native plants as an essential component of a vigorous customary economy. Despite this long association and knowledge, and more recently the ownership of large areas of land and their plant populations, few Indigenous people have engaged successfully in commerce based on use of native plants. The few exceptions mostly involve the fabrication of various artefacts and art production, where plant parts are a medium for the creative expression of culture, rather than being valued for their particular properties. However, there is increasing interest by Indigenous communities and government in exploring options for use of native plants for food, food additives, botanical medicines and many other purposes, to increase Indigenous well-being and self-reliance. This project explores some of those options with the aim of identifying opportunities that might be successfully exploited by Indigenous people in remote locations in northern Australia. Transplanting industries and practices from elsewhere will not necessarily provide workable solutions for these communities. Indigenous people in remote Australia face many challenges in developing viable resource-based industries, in particular the tyranny of distance, limited infrastructure, lack of capital and few opportunities to raise capital on land held under inalienable title. Education, training and technical support are also constrained. This project adopted a fundamentally different approach by engaging with Aboriginal people to find out what sort of opportunities they were interested in pursuing and the conditions necessary for them to benefit. This bottom-up approach mostly identified modest (often very modest) proposals for entry to the formal economy, but this feature was viewed positively by all of the Aboriginal groups who engaged with the project. They emphasised the need to succeed with small enterprises carried out and controlled by community members and to advance from there. This report investigates the basis for plant selection, and presents a number of case studies that explore the social, commercial and ecological implications of small scale selective harvest of native plants. It proposes some principles and practices to guide efforts to develop new Indigenous opportunities and enhance existing commercial uses. The report recommends: • assessment of the market value of products with authenticated connection with Indigenous harvest and processing • investigation of overseas markets for botanical medicines linked with Aboriginal practice • continued government support during enterprise development, to help overcome the difficulties of remote locations • better matching of government regulation to the scale of native plant use. For those promoting enterprise development, it is important to consult with the community ‘on country’, to protect Indigenous intellectual property, to recognise that small enterprises may best suit traditional cultural and social needs and environmental constraints (e.g. risk of overharvesting), and enterprises with the best comparative advantage are likely to be those that are actively linked to culture, and are therefore less prone to being overtaken by non-Indigenous imitations. This project was funded by the Natural Heritage Trust through the Joint Venture Program (JVAP). The JVAP is supported by three R&D agencies— Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC), Land & Water Australia, and Forest and Wood Products Research and Development Corporation (FWPRDC). The R&D Corporations are funded principally by the Australian Government. This report, a new addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 1500 research publications, forms part of our Agroforestry and Farm Forestry R&D program, which aims to integrate sustainable and productive agroforestry within Australian farming systems. Most of our publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online through our website at www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/Index.htm. Peter O’Brien Managing Director Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation iii Acknowledgments Many people assisted in a wide variety of ways. We thank everyone for their help. In particular, we would like to recognise the contribution of Patricia Marrfurra and Lorraine Williams who have played important roles throughout the project. Organisations and staff who contributed time and logistic support include: Merrepen Arts Centre, Nauiyu Community, Daly River Patricia Marrfurra, Biddy Lindsay, Frances Miljat, Rita Pirak, Albert Muyung, Jeffrey Long, Molly Akanburru, Mercia Wawul, Gracie Kumbi, Amanda Grossett, and Meng Hoeschle. Northern Land Council Jo Moloney, Robin Knox, and Rosemary Cadden. Jawoyn Association, Katherine Robert Lee, Mick Pierce, and Nick DeCandillo. Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation, Maningrida Ray Hall, Charles Godjuwa, Valda Bokmukagar, Catherine Archer, and Leila Nimbadja. Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory Dave Lawson, Joe Morrison and Greg Leach. Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation Nick Smith, Lyall Kawangka, and Adelaide Baird. Street Ryan & Associates Mike Harrison. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Commission, Darwin Michelle Adams. Centre for Indigenous Natural and Cultural Resource Management, Northern Territory University MaryAnn Bin-Sallik, and Lorraine Williams. Acacia Larrakia Aboriginal Community Linda Fejo, Anita Fejo, Dorethea Fejo, and Dinah Barra. Kakadu National Park, Environment Australia Linda Fejo. Greening Australia NT Lesley Alford, and Rita Tingey. Territory Health Services Ken O'Brien and Barbara Klessa. NT Area Consultative Committee, Darwin Rod Murray Wardaman Aboriginal Corporation, Katherine Jessie Brown, Lily Gin.gina, Queenie Morgan, Paddy Bennett, Micky Bennett, and Mick Pierce. iv Larrakia Nation Office, Darwin Donna Jackson, Tania Williams, William Quall, Roseine Alley, and Phillip Browne. Kybrook Farm, Pine Creek Daphne Huddlestone, and Ivy Huddlestone. Horticulture, Northern Territory University Chris Joll. Office of Aboriginal Development, Darwin Bill Ivory, Gerry McCue, and Carol McKenzie. Mawalan (1) Gamarrwa Nuwul Landcare, Yirrkala Banduk Marika, Rebecca Taylor, and Colin Lane. Laynhapuy Homelands Association, Yirrkala Waturr Gumana, Sally Wagg, Dhangatji Mununggurr, and Melngathu Wunungmurra. Wonga Djakamirr Rangers, Ramingining Homelands Resource Centre Allen Mace, and Allan Eustace. Northern Territory Employment and Training Authority which provided additional financial support for the Nauiyu workshop. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, Canberra Deb O’Connell, Roslyn Prinsley. Thanks are also due to the 128 consumers who completed a questionnaire relating to commercial plant sales and distributors who completed another relating to sales and supply of “bush food” products, including Marrawuddi Gallery, Jarraman Arts Aboriginal Corporation, Airport Retail Outlets, Mukmuk Trading, Nitmiluk Visitor Centre, Parap Fine Foods and Coles Palmerston. Two independent reviewers and Dr Rosemary Lott (RIRDC) provided feedback and editorial comment on the final report. v Abbreviations CBD Convention on Biological Diversity CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora EPBCA Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 KCTWM Key Centre for Tropical Wildlife Management NLC Northern