Reimagining the relationship between Gondwanan forests and Aboriginal land management in Australia's “Wet Tropics”
Patrick Roberts,
Alice Buhrich,
Victor Caetano-Andrade,
Richard Cosgrove,
Andrew Fairbairn,
S. Anna Florin,
Nils Vanwezer,
Nicole Boivin,
Barry Hunter,
Desley Mosquito,
Gerry Turpin,
Åsa Ferrier
Affiliations
Patrick Roberts
Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Germany; School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Corresponding author
Alice Buhrich
College of Arts, Society and Education, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
Victor Caetano-Andrade
Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Germany
Richard Cosgrove
Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
Andrew Fairbairn
Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Germany; School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
S. Anna Florin
School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia
Nils Vanwezer
Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Germany
Nicole Boivin
Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, Germany; School of Social Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia
Barry Hunter
Djabugay Aboriginal Corporation, Kuranda, Australia
Desley Mosquito
Wabubadda Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC, Jirrbal Aboriginal People, Atherton, Australia
Gerry Turpin
Tropical Indigenous Ethnobotany Centre, Australian Tropical Herbarium, James Cook University, McGregor Road, Smithfield, QLD 4879, Australia; Queensland Herbarium, Department of Environment and Science, Mount Coot-tha Botanical Gardens, Mount Cooth-tha Road, Toowong, QLD 4066, Australia
Åsa Ferrier
Department of Archaeology and History, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia; Corresponding author
Summary: The “Wet Tropics” of Australia host a unique variety of plant lineages that trace their origins to the super-continent of Gondwanaland. While these “ancient” evolutionary records are rightly emphasized in current management of the region, multidisciplinary research and lobbying by Rainforest Aboriginal Peoples have also demonstrated the significance of the cultural heritage of the “Wet Tropics.” Here, we evaluate the existing archeological, paleoenvironmental, and historical evidence to demonstrate the diverse ways in which these forests are globally significant, not only for their ecological heritage but also for their preservation of traces of millennia of anthropogenic activities, including active burning and food tree manipulation. We argue that detailed paleoecological, ethnobotanical, and archeological studies, working within the framework of growing national and world heritage initiatives and active application of traditional knowledge, offer the best opportunities for sustainable management of these unique environments in the face of increasingly catastrophic climate change and bushfires.
