Page 321, Nursey-Bray: Incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge in Northern Australia FISHING FOR ANSWERS THE INCORPORATION OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE IN NORTHERN AUSTRALIA: DEVELOPING CROSS CULTURAL LITERACY

In northern Australia, traditional indigenous hunting of turtle and dugong species continues to be a vital part of cultural practice, yet daily attracts media controversy. Both turtle and dugong species have experienced documented declines in the last two decades. A community hunting planning and management initiative in Hopevale community, (now in the process of implementation) was established in 1999 to address some of these concerns and improve the sustainability of hunting practice. This initiative includes the imposition of a locally-decided quota for turtle and dugong take, and a restricted hunting season. This paper argues that the successful implementation of such initiatives necessitates the incorporation of entire cultural perspectives in a two way management process, and the development of multicultural literacy and tool boxes to facilitate effective coand collaborative natural resource management regimes. Reconciliation of these dynamics is discussed in terms of the ways that local cultural institutions inhibit and/or enhance opportunities for sustainable management and harvest. The stronger the community input and implementation of local knowledge in such contexts, the more effective species management will be.