Indigenous Land Management

This subject is not offered in 2014.

100 hours

At least some background in indigenous cultures, biogeography, ecology and/or physical geography. Interested students who are unsure if they possess sufficient academic background are welcome to contact the coordinator for advice.

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

As Australian landscapes continue to degrade under current land management practices, land managers and stake-holders are looking toward alternative and more sustainable land management strategies, such as indigenous land management and traditional knowledge. This subject looks at how indigenous people in Australia manage their environment and how management practices vary across the Australian landscape. The subject will examine indigenous land management in Australia and abroad, and evaluate how traditional knowledge and beliefs guide approaches to land management. We will examine examples where indigenous land management has been reintroduced to landscapes in Australia and investigate the potential application of similar schemes across different parts of Australia. The subject will be taught as a 14-day intensive during the mid-semester break, comprising lectures and field observations in western Victoria and the Northern Territory. These two very different regions will be used to examine the relationship between environmental context, indigenous land management and post-colonial history. Lectures will provide the necessary conceptual framework with which to engage and understand the different environmental contexts and indigenous land management practices of these regions.

This subject will incur additional fees in the vicinity of $800 per student to cover travel.

At the completion of this subject, students will have achieved the following objectives

• An appreciation of the philosophies underpinning indigenous land management in Australia;
• An appreciation of the biogeographic diversity of Australia and the various ways in which this governs the way in which people manage the land;
• Familiarity with the key literature and current debates on indigenous land management;

• 1500 word literature review, 30%
• Group presentation, 30%
• 2000 word theoretical essay, 40%

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• ability to comprehend some of the current debates in the field;
• software skills, such as Word, PowerPoint, Excel and more specialised software;
• basic introduction to indigenous Australian cultures;
• basic introduction to Australian biogeography;
• oral presentation skills;
• group field and research activities.