Caring for Country: governance and practice

Landscapes, Soils & Surface Environments — Week 11 Workshop 1b

Raphael Viscarra Rossel, Lewis Walden

2026-04-28

Knowledge systems differ in assumptions, authority, and purpose.
Country is relational and place-based.
Indigenous knowledge is governed knowledge, not simply information available for extraction or reuse.

Indigenous knowledge — key characteristics

Place-based — knowledge comes from a specific Country, developed there over generations
Relational — connects people, land, water, and living things in a network of relationships
Dynamic — constantly renewed and reconfigured; responds and adapts to changing conditions
Holistic — social, ecological, spiritual, and cultural dimensions are not separated

Sharing the knowledge for caring for our Land ©Emma Burchill

Indigenous knowledge is governed through authority, responsibility, and cultural protocol.
Not all knowledge is public; rights to speak for Country depend on relationships, kinship, and responsibility.
Protocols guide how, when, with whom, and where knowledge can be shared.
Respectful use of knowledge requires free, prior, and informed consent.

Note: Based on CSIRO’s ‘CSIRO Our Knowledge, Our Way resources’ resources.

Visit the website and browse for a few minutes to see the range of materials available.

Protocols help avoid tokenism, extraction, and decontextualisation.
They remind students that publicly available resources are not the same as unrestricted access to all knowledge.
They also model the cultural capability expected in the curriculum framework.

Indigenous knowledge systems shape roles and responsibilities in relation to land, water, and living things.
Caring for Country supports abundant and diverse plant and animal life.
Fire, water, and seasonal harvesting are examples of Indigenous knowledge in practice.

Note

Healthy life on Country depends on these knowledge systems remaining strong.

Fire: cultural burning creates habitat mosaics, manages fuel, and supports biodiversity.
Water: seasonal knowledge helps guide the reading and care of freshwater systems.
Soil and vegetation: are read together; plant indicators can signal soil condition, and harvesting helps maintain diversity.

Together, these practices reflect long-term knowledge of how landscapes function.

Culture is not separate from caring for Country; it carries law, responsibility, and authority.
Language, song, ceremony, and story are also ways of sharing ecological knowledge.
Intergenerational transfer of knowledge is essential to keeping land management practices strong.
When cultural connections are weakened, caring for Country is also affected.

Do not generalise from one speaker, one community, or one Country to all First Nations contexts.
Do not ask whether Indigenous knowledge is “true” only if validated by Western science.
Ask instead: what is being observed, what responsibilities are expressed, and how might respectful collaboration work in practice?
Recognise that Indigenous knowledge is not just information but a way of relating to Country and community.

Choose one earlier unit topic: soil, vegetation, carbon, erosion, hydrology…
On paper or a shared slide, make a quick 3-column table:
- What does Western science in this unit focus on?
- What might Indigenous knowledge pay attention to?
- What would a respectful scientist need to know before using that knowledge in practice?
Then, share key insight with the class and discuss.

Unit topic	Western science focus	Indigenous knowledge focus	What respectful practice requires
Water	Flow, storage, water quality, catchment processes, connectivity	Seasonal indicators, cultural meaning of water places, relationships between water, Country, and community, local signs of change	Work with local Traditional Owners, follow protocols, do not assume knowledge is public, and engage early rather than after decisions are made