Aboriginal Sustainability Practices

Let’s take a look at some of the Aboriginal sustainability practices that helped to shape and preserve our land for over 70,000 years *6.

Cool burns

Fire management is another Aboriginal sustainability practice that has been used by many rural communities throughout Australia.

Cool burning, otherwise known as fire-stick farming or cultural burning, is a traditional practice whereby slow, low-intensity blazes are intentionally ignited during the early dry season to reduce thick bush that serves as fuel for catastrophic wildfires.

Traditionally, Aboriginal fire practitioners follow the flames on foot, guiding their path until they self-extinguish. This process produces patchy or mosaic-patterned habitats that encourage vegetation regrowth.

Healthy Binthi Country vegetation regrowth. © BLHGAC.

Cool burns spare young trees, seeds and nutrients within the soil, also helping to restrain competitive exclusion by dominant plant species. Additionally, smaller animals are given an opportunity to thrive, thanks to the preservation of their habitats.

Traditionally burnt country – Binthi bubu (land). © BLHGAC.

Importantly, sustainable fire management demands a rich understanding of the local region, its climate and wildlife. To control a cool burn effectively, Aboriginal people draw on their Traditional Ecological Knowledge of flora, fauna, and natural processes. Such insights shed light on when, where, and how to light the blaze for a constructive and sustainable outcome.

This critical information has been passed down for generations and now helps to inform sustainable land management practices throughout many parts of Australia.

Learn more about Aboriginal fire management.

Fishing traps and dams

Pre colonisation, Aboriginal people managed water resources effectively through sustainable practices that satisfied every need without harming natural resources.

Nets were crafted for particular prey, while dams, channels, river weirs, and fishing traps made from mud, brush, stone or reeds were built on waterways – all small-scale devices with minimal impact on natural processes.

However, as Europeans constructed cities and farms throughout Australia, many Aboriginal communities were forced to relocate and could no longer manage water sources as before.

Instead, settlers acted on their own knowledge of European land and farming methods of farming, often disregarding the consequences for our Country *7. For instance, the introduced horse, sheep and cattle solidified the ground, leading to more water run-off and less soaking into the soil. To keep up with water demands for crops, wetlands were drained and rivers were modified for irrigation.

‘Wandi Walnga’ – Binthi’s brahminy kite spirit sacred lagoon threatened by horses, cattle and weeds. © BLHGAC.

Soon, clear waters teeming with aquatic life became murky and barren. Native species have since been forced to compete for habitats, particularly in hotter, drier areas. Furthermore, groundwater sources are at risk of contamination, mining and over-extraction *7.

These findings point to the importance of considering Aboriginal sustainability practices when developing contemporary water management plans *8.

Careful hunting and harvesting

The increasing demand for food, extensive land clearing and mounting waste is also taking a toll on our Country.

Now more than ever, we must harness Aboriginal knowledge of hunting and harvesting – Aboriginal sustainability practices surrounding food have enabled us to nourish our people, maintain productivity and nurture the land for 2,500 generations already.

Walahn gurra Matharr (Caring and sharing hunters, and lazy hunters). © Roy McIvor.

Our Traditional Ecological Knowledge has evolved over millennia of experiencing and understanding the cycles and patterns of the natural world – including breeding seasons, animal behaviours and the relationships between different species.

Banyjiin (dilly bag), used for carrying food or straining and leeching poisonous foods, such as black bean seeds, to make a traditional flour. © Roy McIvor.

In response, our considered hunting and harvesting methods ensure minimal disruption to this flow of nature *9.

For example, each season traditionally has a dedicated time to hunt animals, catch fish and harvest fruit, and another time to pick medicines and roots. Food sources are chosen according to availability, with great care given to leave enough behind to replenish resources. Above all, our ancestral hunter and gatherers would focus only on abundant areas, moving on after a certain time so as not to overhunt or overharvest them.

Wugay and Wayaarr (yam) are ready for harvesting when the leaves are dry and fall off. The top of the tubers are replanted so they can reshoot for the next season’s harvest. © Roy McIvor.

However, since colonisation and the subsequent displacement of Aboriginal communities, approximately 100 species of native Australian flora and fauna have become extinct due to land clearing for urbanisation and agriculture, more intense wildfires, and the introduction of predator species such as rabbits, foxes and black rats *10.

2022. The Abundance Project. Bramble Cay Melomys, Melomys rubicola or Bramble Cays mosaic-tailed rat, was officially declared extinct in 2019. This species was endemic to Bramble Cay, a small island in the Torres Strait, and is regarded as the first mammal to become extinct due to climate change. © Kristy Day.

While some regulations are helping to reduce this loss of biodiversity, there are still around 1,800 threatened species in Australia *11.

There are 1193 species listed on Wetlandinfo in Wildlife of McIvor, Morgan rivers and coastal creeks (which includes Binthi Traditional lands). See the Threatened Species List on Appendix 2, page 67, of our Binthi Warra Healthy Country Plan. The table shows 27 species are listed as critically endangered (1), endangered (5), near threatened (7), and vulnerable (14) under the Nature Conservation Act 1992, with their corresponding Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 listing.

Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999, 9 species are listed as vulnerable, critically endangered (1), endangered (1), and extinct (1).

These figures highlight the need for leaders and policymakers across Australia to prioritise our natural environment before it’s too late – a shift that can be informed and facilitated by Aboriginal sustainability practices.