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Indigenous Land and Sea Management Programs (ILSMPs) enhance the wellbeing of Indigenous Australians

This resource is available in English only.

 

Indigenous land and sea management programs (ILSMPs) are essential to Indigenous self-determination because of the inextricable connection of Indigenous peoples to the land. This connection necessitates being a steward for the land and the relationship between the land and all living things. This work shows the positive impacts of Indigenous land and sea management programs on the well-being of the Indigenous communities involved.  

To investigate the impacts of Indigenous land and sea management programs on Indigenous communities, Larson and co-authors used a “participatory wellbeing approach” to develop a list of 26 important factors that contribute to overall wellbeing. The authors engaged with 190 people belonging to four communities of Australian Aboriginal or Torres-Strait Islanders from two areas of Australia to lead the refinement of the list of important factors. The work focuses on issues of importance to the people within the communities affected, not what is considered important by non-Indigenous people, non-community members, or government programs. 

A wellbeing impact evaluation determined the factors most positively affected by introduction of Indigenous land and sea management programs fit in the domain of “Country and Culture”. Fewer impacts were found for factors in domains of “Community and Society” and “Individual and Economy.” Autonomy over their connection to the land was a critical factor for participants.  

The results of this work have implications for policy development with respect to land use as well as policy and programs to promote and support Indigenous people's role in land and sea management. The results also highlight implications related to maintaining connection to cultural and traditional knowledge, addressing substance abuse issues within Indigenous communities, and building community spirit. 

 

Use this resource to: 

  • Inform participatory processes to identify important factors with the people directly affected by an issue or situation 
  • Assess programs or policies in relation to the impacts on important or critical factors 
  • Develop policy through participatory investigation of critical factors 

Reference 

Larson, S., Stoeckl, N., Jarvis, D., Addison, J., Grainger, D., Lui, F.W., Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation, Bunuba Dawangarri Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC, Ewamian Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC & Yanunijarra Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC. (2020). Indigenous Land and Sea Management Programs (ILSMPs) Enhance the Wellbeing of Indigenous Australians. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17:125, 15. doi:10.3390/ijerph17010125 

Tags: Community engagement, Environmental health, Indigenous health, Document, Journal Article