NSWTR 2024 HR - Flipbook - Page 37
YEAR 5-6 SECTION
CULTURE+SPECIES SURVIVAL INTRODUCTION
CONSERVATION
ON COUNTRY
Ye
ar 5-6
We have a lot to learn from Australia’s 昀椀rst scientists.
s the traditional owners of the land, Indigenous
Australians are some of the world’s 昀椀rst – and most
legendary – scientists.
Aboriginal communities have been living, hunting
and farming on Country for 70,000 years. When it comes to
navigating species decline, their centuries-old observations are
changing the game for the next generation of land care experts.
A
CULTURE CONNECTIONS
SPECIES SURVIVAL – MORE THAN JUST SUSTAINABILITY
DID YOU KNOW?
The names of many of our iconic plants and
animals come from Aboriginal words, including:
Kookaburra: from the Wiradjuri word gugubarra
Kangaroo: from the Guugu Yimithirr word
gangurru
Bilby: from the Ullaroi word bilba
READ MORE
DOWNLOAD THE GURRAY APP ON THE APP
STORE, WHICH TRANSLATES ENGLISH WORDS
INTO SEVEN ABORIGINAL LANGUAGES.
BRADLEY MOGGRIDGE. CREDIT: SUPPLIED
As a proud Murri man, University of Canberra associate
professor and Kamilaroi water scientist Bradley Moggridge
spends time with Elders in the remote Kamilaroi region
of Australia listening to some of the world’s oldest
Indigenous water stories. And it’s no surprise that these
local mobs know how to best use our ancient waterways
– where they’re located, how far they run and the cultural
signi昀椀cance they have for local communities.
“Much of our [current] policy was developed through
colonial settler laws, without even considering traditional
knowledge. Now however, there seems to be a growing
recognition of the importance of embedding Indigenous
knowledge into managing our natural resources.”
“Water is always going to be a key topic for Australia, as it
is the driest inhabited continent on Earth, and here we have
thousands of generations of observation to take advantage
of.” – Kamilaroi water scientist Bradley Moggridge
READ MORE ABOUT BRADLEY’S WORK
AS A KAMILAROI WATER SCIENTIST ON THE
CAREERS WITH STEM WEBSITE.
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