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In early 2021 several tree stumps embedded in a remnant peat deposit were found in the intertidal zone of Wharton Beach, southwestern Australia by Esperance Tjaltjraak Rangers. Attempts were made to identify the tree using both dendrochronological and anthracological methods but were limited by the lack of reference information from tree species in the southwestern Australia. Radiocarbon dates from one stump indicates the tree lived for approximately 200 years, growing into the peaty sediments sometime before ca. 7340 cal yrs BP and died directly or indirectly as a result of marine transgression. The peat deposit is dated to 7608–7429 cal yrs BP but its exposed seaward edge was unconformably underlain by younger sand, dated by OSL to around 3550 years, which may have intruded as a result of a storm event. An OSL age of 12,600 years was obtained from the base of a laminated dune sequence behind the exposed peat deposit, and is significant given a similar age for a previously documented infant burial site in the area. Together these records provide a rare insight into the former wetland landscape and a cultural and scientific link to the drowned coastal plain. A need for more integrative research along this cultural corridor is clear but this preliminary study has demonstrated the value of combining Cultural Knowledge Systems and Western Science, for Tjaltjraak Healthy Country Program and analogous Aboriginal ‘caring for country’ programmes throughout Australia.

Protection of biodiversity, human assets, and cultural heritage pose significant challenges to contemporary planning of bushfire mitigation activities. Current mitigation approaches are not always appropriate, and mismanagement is a source of distress for Indigenous peoples. Increased understanding of Indigenous fire knowledge and increased Indigenous participation may provide insight into more appropriate and inclusive land management for fire mitigation. We analysed contemporary Noongar and Western fire practitioner approaches within an Indigenous fire knowledge (IFK) framework to explore knowledge and aspirations for small reserves in the Southwest Australian Floristic Region (SWAFR) global biodiversity hotspot. We recorded an extensive knowledge base, characterised by a highly nuanced approach to burning, held by the Noongar coauthors. We explore potential approaches to applying this knowledge to build collaborative fire mitigation strategies with mutually beneficial outcomes for biodiversity, cultural heritage, and human assets.

Purpose Endemic to Noongar Country of southwestern Australia, the charismatic and much-loved mistletoe, Nuytsia floribunda (Labill.) R.Br. ex G.Don (Munjee/Moodjar in Noongar language), was the subject of a 2010 review which explored aspects of its cultural importance and botanical attributes based largely on early colonial accounts and scientific findings. Our purpose was to apply cross-cultural methods to review and update findings reported by Hopper (2010). Methods We have recently explored this iconic species through a collaborative Elder-led, cross-cultural process, largely through oral accounts of contemporary Merningar Noongar knowledge holders. Results We record previously unpublished insights relating to Nuytsia floribunda, and longheld Noongar custom relating to its conservation, use and multi-faceted relationships with southwestern Australia’s First Nations peoples. We present Noongar- and Western science-derived knowledge relating to the physiology, ecology and evolution of this species. Conclusion The unique biology, ingenuity and physical prominence of Nuytsia floribunda has been recognised in Noongar lore for millennia. We suggest it as a valuable teacher and exemplar of prosperous survival in old, climatically-buffered, infertile landscapes and to this end, should be widely celebrated.

Aims and background Underground storage organs (USOs) have long featured prominently in human diets. They are reliable year-round resources, especially valuable in seasonal climates. We review a significant but scattered literature and oral recounts of USOs utilised by Noongar people of the Southwest Australian Floristic Region (SWAFR). USOs are important to First Nations cultures in other geophyte-rich regions with Mediterranean climate, with specialist knowledge employed, and productive parts of the landscape targeted for harvest, with likely ecological interactions and consequences. Methods We have gathered Noongar knowledge of USOs in the SWAFR to better understand the ecological role of Noongar-USO relationships that have existed for millennia. Results We estimate that 418 USO taxa across 25 families have Noongar names and/or uses. Additionally, three USO taxa in the SWAFR weed flora are consumed by Noongar people. We found parallels in employment of specific knowledge and targeted ecological disturbance with First Nations’ practice in other geophyte-rich floristic regions. We found that only in 20% of cases could we identify the original source of recorded USO knowledge to an acknowledged Noongar person. Conclusion This review identified that traditional Noongar access to USOs is taxonomically and geographically extensive, employing specific knowledge and technology to target and maintain resource rich locations. However, we also found a general practice of ‘extractive’ documentation of Noongar plant knowledge. We identify negative implications of such practice for Noongar people and SWAFR conservation outcomes and assert ways to avoid this going forward, reviving Noongar agency to care for traditional Country.