Document Type
Journal Article
Publication Title
Marine and Freshwater Research
Publisher
CSIRO
School
Centre for People, Place and Planet
RAS ID
52344
Abstract
A wetland policy perspective based on social ecological systems accepts that wetlands are part of landwaterscapes, that people are part of wetland ecosystems, and that the health of wetlands and the health of people are interdependent, evidence of the close, reciprocal and indivisible relationships between nature and culture. These relationships are storied and place-based, associated with place attachment, and are representations of relational values. They are most easily located wherever and whenever Indigenous and local peoples’ knowledge and interests are at play in wetland settings. Legal and administrative processes that recognise Chthonic law and rights for wetlands will elevate relational values and provide the governance arrangements for their inclusion in wetland (and other ecosystem) management. Co-designing with Indigenous and local communities in developing wetland policies and operationalising practices will allow for wetland stories to be shared, respectfully cared for, and built into educational curricula and ecosystem valuation models. (Warning: this article contains the name of deceased Aboriginal person.)
DOI
10.1071/MF22018
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Comments
Horwitz, P. (2022). Wetlands as social ecological systems, and relationality in the policy domain. Marine and Freshwater Research, 74(3), 281-285.
https://doi.org/10.1071/MF22018