Local environmental knowledge and perspectives on change : a case study in the Tumut region of New South Wales

Abstract

This thesis demonstrates the value of bringing together local environmental knowledge and perspectives on change with professional knowledge. Since the first pastoralists displaced Aboriginal land owners in the Tumut region, the country has been shaped by successive waves of occupation and land use. Each time a new land use industry was imposed on the country, the knowledge base of previous occupants was devalued, and the country once again managed without a knowledge of its history. I explore the characteristics of local environmental knowledge in order to understand how it may be tapped by new land managers. In doing so, I analyse the subjective nature of local people’s memories as well as the information resource which they contain. By drawing on local knowledge, and contextualising it with reference to scientific and historical sources, it is possible to construct a more detailed picture of how a particular region has changed over time. The environmental impact of various land uses can be better understood and the social impact also becomes clearer. Show more