Syllabus bites: Traditional knowledge and sustainable ecosystems

Sustainable ecosystems

What is a sustainable ecosystem?

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms and its environment in which there are numerous dynamic interactions. A sustainable ecosystem has the capacity to survive and support itself into the future. Ongoing survival is ensured by a high level of complex interactivity and biodiversity. It is generally accepted that before European arrival, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people lived and used their natural ecosystems in a sustainable way.

Billabong management

In this video, Ben Flick discusses how the Aboriginal people of the western catchment used billabongs in a sustainable way.

Australian ecosystems changed over time as a result of traditional management and climate change. Some organisms, such as the megafauna, became extinct, but generally the complex interactions and level of biodiversity did not greatly alter for over 60 000 years.

Student task

Conduct research using reliable and valid resources to explain an example of how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s knowledge and cultural practices have contributed to the conservation and management of sustainable ecosystems.

Identify conservation issues and management strategies resulting from traditional knowledge or cultural practices that relate to a particular area of an ecosystem.

Include an annotated bibliography1.

Share a written summary of your findings with your class and make a brief (2 minute) oral presentation explaining your key findings.

Use information gathered from other students to assess the value of the contribution of traditional knowledge and cultural practices of both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to conserving and managing sustainable ecosystems.

Links

  1. http://www.lc.unsw.edu.au/onlib/annotated_bib.html