Central Land Council

Rose Report One

Introduction

This report is based on a review of land management issues on Aboriginal land in Central Australia. The review forms part of a Cross Cultural Land Management Project being undertaken by the Central Land Council (CLC) and funded through the National Landcare Program (NLP) under the Public Participation, Education and Training sub-program. The report identifies the major land management issues on Aboriginal land as perceived by non-Aboriginals, and examines the range of influences on these issues. The report also focuses on the availability of information and resources for Aboriginal people to deal with environmental issues on their land and on land in which they have an interest. The information contained in this report is derived from published and unpublished material from the Land Council and other Aboriginal organisations, government and non-government bodies and community groups involved in Aboriginal land management. As such this report does not represent the views of Aboriginal people and is intended primarily to provide an overview of environmental issues and the institutional framework within which land management decisions on Aboriginal land are made. This report represents the first stage of the project, the overall aim of which is to identify Aboriginal perceptions of land management issues in order to formulate programs which facilitate the spread of land management extension information and resources to Aboriginal people.

Background

Since the passage of the Aboriginal Land Rights (NT) Act 1976 Aboriginal people have gained title to a considerable part of their traditional lands. At present approximately 47% of the NT is held under Aboriginal freehold title, with other forms of title operating in the NT summarised in Appendix 1. In the CLC region (Map 1), which covers an area of 776,000 km2, Aboriginal land encompasses a variety of land uses. Pastoralism, mining, national parks, tourism, conservation, residential, traditional ceremonial, hunting and gathering activities all occur on this land. Most of the Aboriginal land in the CLC region (approx. 220,000 km2) supports little intensive land use. Aboriginal communities and outstations within this area represent regions of localised land use pressure. Pastoralism and mining have impacted on some areas, with some small scale culturally based tourism enterprises in the early stages of development. All of this land is of course of traditional significance for Aboriginal people who periodically access areas for ceremonial activities and hunting and gathering in association with traditional land management practices such as burning and maintaining sites.

A significant area of Aboriginal land in the CLC region (approx. 46,000 km2) is, or has been, used for pastoral activities of varying intensity. Approximately 155,000 km2 is under Exploration Licence Agreement with 854 sq. km. under Mining Production Agreement. There is also 1325 km2 in Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park which is managed by the Australian Nature Conservation Agency (ANCA) in cooperation with the Aboriginal traditional owners of the area (Anangu). Prior to European settlement Aboriginal people living in central Australia used their land for hunting and gathering and religious and ceremonial activities seen to be essential to the well being of Aboriginal society and the health and productivity of the land. Major influences on these land use activities were climate, the underlying landforms and the resulting distributions of flora and fauna. The resource use and management practices which Aboriginal people developed under these constraints, for example the use of fire, were a major influence on the environment encountered by Europeans when they first came to central Australia. With the coming of European settlers to central Australia the traditional life of Aboriginal people was disrupted and in many areas Aboriginal land management practices were replaced by a European land use regime.

The main driving force behind the settlement of central Australia was the desire to access new land for pastoralism. Aboriginal involvement with pastoralism began very early with Aboriginal stockmen and station workers providing the labour for the new industry. This new land use was initially constrained by natural topographical features and environmental parameters, however, further pastoral development covered the most productive lands and divided the large properties into smaller leases on the basis of arbitrarily defined boundaries. Today most Aboriginal land is land that was not able to be utilised by the pastoral industry. This has come about because the Aboriginal Land Rights (NT) Act 1976 has initially given Aboriginal people the opportunity to gain title to unalienated lands.

Increasingly, however, Aboriginal people are also regaining ownership of land which has been used by the pastoral industry. Some of these properties have the capability to continue operating as pastoral ventures but there is often a legacy of intense land use, and the need for rehabilitation and careful management to remain within the land's potential. Increasingly Aboriginal people are becoming involved in different forms of land use. European land use practices such as pastoralism, mining and more recently tourism are seen by some as options for the use of Aboriginal land.

Given the considerable social and economic problems Aboriginal people are faced with, the development of a range of Aboriginal owned and controlled business ventures is seen as a desirable process. There is, however, a need for the environmental and social consequences of such developments to be assessed and for ongoing monitoring of environmental and social effects to be an integral part of such developments. Considerable areas within the CLC region have not been exposed to intensive land use and are of high conservation value. Increasing interest in these areas from tourism and conservation lobbies present further challenges for Aboriginal people as they become involved in different land use ventures such as cultural tours or harvesting feral camels.

There is concern that Aboriginal people may be significantly disadvantaged by not having access to the skills and resources available to the wider community to manage their land under this variety of land uses and to minimise the long term environmental problems which may arise. This concern comes from government departments, conservation groups, land management support agencies as well as the Aboriginal land councils who have a statutory responsibility to provide advice and support for the management of Aboriginal land. Workshops involving representatives from these organisations have highlighted the need for increased effort to enable Aboriginal land managers to access information and extension services already provided to mainstream land managers.

Report Objectives

To examine the environmental issues associated with the main forms of land use on Aboriginal land. To examine the extent and impact of current land management practices on Aboriginal land. To identify the sources of funding, resources and support available to Aboriginal land managers, and to highlight areas where these services could be improved. To identify priorities for the provision of land management support and the development of land management information exchange programs.

Report Structure and Rationale

Chapter 2 provides information on the environment, climate and landforms of the study region. An appreciation of the influence of the central Australian landforms, soil types and the state of the vegetation is fundamental to further discussion of land management issues. The climate and ecology of central Australia to a large extent determine land management and resource use strategies. Chapter 2 also examines the literature on traditional interaction of Aboriginal people with the central Australian environment and the influences of Aboriginal land management practices on the flora and fauna of the centre. Chapters 3 to 6 examine the issues associated with land used for pastoralism, national parks, conservation areas and tourism, mining, community living areas and outstations. The extent of these land uses are examined from the perspective of the environmental issues they raise and the needs of Aboriginal people. There is a subsidiary focus on the social and cultural issues which arise in relation to these land uses. Chapter 7 focuses on the land management funding and support services available to Aboriginal people through Aboriginal organisations and Commonwealth and Territory programs and agencies. Chapter 8 presents a summary and conclusions providing an overview of Aboriginal land management issues in central Australia.