Centre for Sustainable Indigenous Communities

Background

An area of particular concern in Australia and in many countries worldwide is ensuring the sustainable management of the natural and cultural resources of Indigenous communities particularly given the threat of global climate change.

Indigenous communities in Australia and around the globe face enormous pressures in remaining viable in today’s world. Many Indigenous communities are located in remote areas and experience high living costs (for food, transport, access to services); poor health, housing and education; environmental degradation; the looming impacts of climate change; and sub-standard community infrastructure. In addition they face unrelenting pressures to forego their traditions and assimilate into mainstream society. The lack of financial and other support in addressing economic issues concerning community livelihoods are forcing community members to relocate to urban areas, leaving ghost towns in many regions. In many areas, Indigenous communities are struggling to retain their cultural identity and the landscape is being emptied of its people as national trends towards urbanisation gather pace. This has consequences for the people themselves and the environments over which they have been stewards, in many cases, for thousands of years.

Towards natural, cultural and economic sustainability of Indigenous communities

The Centre focuses on world-leading research to ensure the sustainable management of the natural and cultural resources of Indigenous communities, particularly Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. In engaging in this research, the Centre adopts a holistic, multi-disciplinary approach to assist Indigenous and local communities to find culturally relevant solutions that will enable them to remain on their traditional lands as fully functioning, socially and economically viable communities.

The Centre’s research program focuses on the following core research activities:

1. Indigenous people as water-keepers: sustainable wetland and riverine ecosystems;

2. Planning for and managing anticipated impacts of climate change on local communities;

3. Integrating Indigenous Knowledge with western science to create best practices for sustainable ecosystem management;

4. Economic sustainability and livelihood: Indigenous communities and sustainable resource and land use; and

5. Policy development to facilitate federal and state support for Indigenous roles in caring for country and protected area management.

Assessment and application of traditional knowledge, leading-edge technologies and innovative research will be required to create adaptive solutions. By engaging in a “bottom-up” community-driven approach, the Centre will enable communities, in consultation with relevant experts to examine holistically what it takes to remain viable in a globalised world in which engagement is essential to survival. A key element will be to ensure that the research is integrated with that of other agencies and research organisations to ensure a whole-of-agency approach to problems of community concern.

The Centre commences operation in July 2007 and will partner with Indigenous and non-Indigenous key stakeholders, including Indigenous councils and representative bodies, research institutions, government agencies and NRM bodies, as well as environmental NGOs and Philanthropic organisations, and last but not least, with industry partners.

Contact the Centre for Sustainable Indigenous Communities

Centre for Sustainable Indigenous Communities

Australian Tropical Forest Institute
James Cook University
PO Box 6811
CAIRNS QLD 4870

AUSTRALIA

Phone: +61-(0)7-4042 1246
Fax: +61-(0)7 4042 1247
Email: atfi@jcu.edu.au