NAILSMA Website online

Dugong and turtle knowledge handbook | Indigenous interests in tropical rivers | NAILSMA Youth Forum Report, 2006 | NAILSMA Biosecurity Report |

NAILSMA (the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Managers Alliance) has a new website at www.nailsma.org.au . It features information on:

• NAILSMA itself, how it was formed and how it operates
• programs and projects such as the NHT Turtle and Dugong Management Project
• Details of forums held at Menngen and Bizant
• How to get study assistance
• Details of publications like Kantri Laif (available on the web and downloadable); discussion papers and reports
• Media Releases and News

New reports downloadable from the NAILSMA website are:

Dugong and turtle knowledge handbook

The Dugong and Turtle Knowledge Handbook is part of a program coordinated by NAILSMA to support Indigenous groups, communities and organisations across northern Australian in managing dugong and marine turtles, including continued sustainable hunting.

It comprises three sections:

• Part 1 is an introduction to the scope of Indigenous knowledge and values relating to dugong and marine turtles in Australia and provides examples from selected Indigenous groups across the north. Information presented is limited to Indigenous knowledge and values that are already in the public domain, e.g. in publications and on websites.
• Part 2 contains an introduction to the methods used by scientists to study dugongs and marine turtles.
• Part 2a and Part 2b include summaries of information derived from scientific research on dugongs and the six species of marine turtles living in Australian waters. Much of this information is derived from recently published technical literature reviews on dugongs and marine turtles.
• Part 3 contains an overview of legislation, policy, conservation status and management initiatives relating to dugongs and marine turtles in Australia.

Go to: www.nailsma.org.au/publications/knowledge_handbook.html

Indigenous interests in tropical rivers

The report was requested by Land and Water Australia (LWA) as a scoping study to provide information to the new Tropical Rivers Program.

The report aims to provide an overview of the key river management and research issues of concern to Indigenous people in the tropical rivers program area. This area covers the northern regions of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia. When LWA talks about a river they include groundwater and surface water, and all the parts of a river, including the river mouth.

The authors of the report (Sue Jackson and Patrick O’Leary of CSIRO) interviewed representatives of Indigenous land management agencies as well as Indigenous people from the region. The authors also read reports that had been written about Indigenous interests in rivers.

The scoping report provides a survey of the issues of greatest interest to Indigenous people. It also identifies areas for further research and makes recommendations to improve the relevance of tropical rivers research to Indigenous communities. It also discusses the importance of partnerships and between researchers and Indigenous people, suggesting a number of ways that LWA can contribute to improvements in this area.

Go to: www.nailsma.org.au/publications/indigenous_tropical_rivers.html

NAILSMA Youth Forum Report, 2006

This first NAILSMA Youth Forum was held at the Darwin Airport Resort, Northern Territory from 9–10 March, 2006.

Participants attended from the Torres Strait, Cape York, Gulf of Carpentaria, Central Australia, Top End and the Kimberley.

The forum brought future leaders between the ages of 16-36 that are:

• currently involved or interested in natural and cultural resource management.
• on country, looking after country.
• involved in land and sea projects.
• involved in youth projects.
• Or studying in land and sea management areas.

During the two-day forum, youth participated in leadership discussions and new skills workshops, brushing up on skills including liaising with the media, public speaking and report writing just name a few.

Participants also gave individual presentations to the group about land and sea management activities/projects they are involved in back home.

Go to: www.nailsma.org.au/publications/youth_forum_report.html

NAILSMA Biosecurity Report

Australia is currently free from numerous diseases, pests and weeds that are endemic in many countries around the world. However, increased illegal fishing and unauthorised land incursions taking place in northern Australia, and the change in regional distribution of pathogens and vectors due to global climate change, all pose serious biosecurity threats to Australia.

This report examines the threat of further distribution of existing diseases such as dengue fever, Ross River fever, Japanese encephalitis, malaria and Leishmaniasis. It also looks at the potential of illegal fishers introducing highly pathogenic avian influenza to Australia, via the chickens that they carry onboard their vessels.

The location of remote Indigenous communities within northern Australia and Indigenous land and sea management practices place Indigenous peoples in a crucial position that enables them to detect illegal foreign fishers, and identify notifiable diseases and invasive alien species at an early stage.

Therefore, a successful, integrated approach to maintain Australia’s biosecurity requires Indigenous communities to be centrally involved in biosecurity strategies in northern Australia.

Go to: www.nailsma.org.au/publications/biosecurity.html