A recently completed research project has showcased great potential for the development of sustainable native forestry activities in the Northern Territory, led by Traditional Owner communities. Source: Timberbiz
FWPA facilitated this important work by providing funding to match the investment made by project partners including the University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC), Gumatj Corporation, Northern Territory and Queensland governments, and other regional organisations.
Together, the partners worked to boost the forestry capacity of Traditional Owner (Yolngu) communities in the East Arnhem region.
FWPA Research and Development Manager Dr Chris Lafferty said there is a growing interest in the commercial potential of northern Australia’s vast Indigenous owned and managed forest estate, and strong aspirations among Indigenous communities for self-determination and economic independence.
“Industries such as sustainably managed native forestry are critical to fulfilling these aspirations because they align with Indigenous notions of value and continue to care for Country,” Lafferty said.
“This FWPA-supported project saw professionally trained foresters engage with Indigenous communities to enhance Traditional Owner knowledge of modern best practice sustainable forest management principles.”
“The foresters also committed to learning about Traditional Owner forest management knowledge and practices, and investigating how the differing concepts and approaches could be integrated to achieve an optimal balance of production, environmental and cultural conservation outcomes.”
Another key project focus was creating business development opportunities for timber products manufactured in the region and driving stakeholder engagement around the potential of sustainable native forestry to support Indigenous livelihoods and regional economic development.
Northern Territory (NT) Government Project Manager Dallas Anson said the Traditional Owner training was delivered to enhance commercial forestry skills, and knowledge of western science forest management principles.
“The training was undertaken by 35 Traditional Owners and covered everything from forest resource assessment to harvesting operations, sawmilling, and value-adding processes for forestry products,” Anson said.
“In total, 1,647 hours of paid training was conducted through the project, injecting almost $48,000 into the Homelands of East Arnhem Land.”
The researchers used learnings from this element of the project and engagement with Traditional Owners on their own forest management knowledge and practices to develop a proposal for a forestry training program designed to drive the future development of the regional forestry workforce.
In addition to the training, inventory activities were conducted by the team to provide a clearer picture of the productivity and product mix of the East Arnhem native forest resource, and a harvesting and marketing pilot program was developed to identify, manufacture, and market-test value-added timber products.
The pilot program included the establishment of a demonstration site in the remote community of Birany Birany. This included, at the request of the community, the construction of several wooden shelters using the locally harvested Darwin stringybark (Eucalyptus tetrodonta) timber.
Naturally durable, solid roundwood products – prototype stringybark bollards – were also manufactured from small-diameter logs harvested at the site. A market assessment identified strong interest in the bollards, and Traditional Owners were linked with prospective purchasers, collaborative business partners and investors.
The development of a best-practice Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) process to help determine the commercial forestry interests, needs and desires of other Indigenous communities in the future was another key outcome of the project.
UniSC Associate Professor (Adjunct) Mark Annandale said the work provides a pathway to further develop financially and environmentally sustainable Indigenous-led commercial forestry in East Arnhem.
“The project generated interest in forestry from Traditional Owners and other stakeholders by creating an understanding of its potential to support ongoing Indigenous livelihoods and regional development,” Annandale said.
UniSC Project Manager Dr John Meadows said the project team is now working to develop a follow-on project to further test the commercial viability of Indigenous community forestry in East Arnhem.
“The mixed activities and income streams associated with sustainable, small-scale native forestry, including payments for ecosystem services, have the potential to create long-term forest livelihoods, while promoting and supporting local culture, language, and integrational knowledge transfer,” Meadows said.
The next-step project will also provide a model that could be refined for application in other areas of northern Australia.
This important project was a collaboration between FWPA and researchers at UniSC, the NT Government Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade (DITT), and the Queensland Government Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (QDAF) along with regional partners Gumatj Corporation, the Northern Land Council, National Indigenous Australians Agency, Arnhem Land Progress Association and Developing East Arnhem Limited.
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