TY - JOUR
T1 - Land cover and fire accounts to support Indigenous land management
T2 - A pilot study of Yawuru Country
AU - Normyle, Anna
AU - Doran, Bruce
AU - Vardon, Michael
AU - Mathews, Dean
AU - Melbourne, Julie
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2022/7/1
Y1 - 2022/7/1
N2 - Ecosystem accounting is emerging as a promising tool for environmental management by offering consistent information about ecosystem change over time. Via a United Nations process, ecosystem accounting has been standardised in the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA). However, there are currently no examples of ecosystem accounts developed specifically to support Indigenous people's management of land or sea. More than 40% (3 million square kilometres) of Australia's land and sea territory has Indigenous Title. If Indigenous managers are to use ecosystem accounting, then it is essential for them to be involved in its development. We assessed how ecosystem accounts can be developed and applied in a manner that supports the management objectives of Indigenous owners and managers. Working collaboratively with the Yawuru Traditional Owners of the land and sea country around Broome, Western Australia, we constructed and assessed experimental ecosystem accounts for land cover and fire for the period 2000–2020. Three key benefits of ecosystem accounts for supporting the priorities of Yawuru managers were identified: (1) flexibility in the units used for the analysis; (2) the extended time scale of the accounts; and (3) the emphasis on consistent capturing and reporting of data. We also identified the need for further work to incorporate cultural knowledge and values within the broader SEEA, with implications for the recognition of Indigenous people, knowledge and values within accounting systems globally.
AB - Ecosystem accounting is emerging as a promising tool for environmental management by offering consistent information about ecosystem change over time. Via a United Nations process, ecosystem accounting has been standardised in the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA). However, there are currently no examples of ecosystem accounts developed specifically to support Indigenous people's management of land or sea. More than 40% (3 million square kilometres) of Australia's land and sea territory has Indigenous Title. If Indigenous managers are to use ecosystem accounting, then it is essential for them to be involved in its development. We assessed how ecosystem accounts can be developed and applied in a manner that supports the management objectives of Indigenous owners and managers. Working collaboratively with the Yawuru Traditional Owners of the land and sea country around Broome, Western Australia, we constructed and assessed experimental ecosystem accounts for land cover and fire for the period 2000–2020. Three key benefits of ecosystem accounts for supporting the priorities of Yawuru managers were identified: (1) flexibility in the units used for the analysis; (2) the extended time scale of the accounts; and (3) the emphasis on consistent capturing and reporting of data. We also identified the need for further work to incorporate cultural knowledge and values within the broader SEEA, with implications for the recognition of Indigenous people, knowledge and values within accounting systems globally.
KW - Cultural and environmental management
KW - Ecosystem accounting
KW - Indigenous
KW - Natural capital
KW - Remote sensing
KW - SEEA
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85127803838&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115003
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115003
M3 - Article
SN - 0301-4797
VL - 313
JO - Journal of Environmental Management
JF - Journal of Environmental Management
M1 - 115003
ER -