Michelle Mckemey

Melaleuca Environmental Consultancy Services

Lamont (2022) reassessed our data (McKemey et al. 2021b) related to the population dynamics of Grevillea scortechinii subsp. sarmentosa, in response to different types of fire. The original data were collected through our ongoing cross-cultural research and presented in our paper, 'Indigenous cultural burning had less impact than wildfire on the th...

Contemporary Indigenous cultural fire management facilitates opportunities for Indigenous peoples to connect to and manage their Country, as well as providing scope for research. Right‐way science is defined as collaborative process of bringing Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge and methods together to create ethical, productive and mutual...

A green paper is a preliminary report published to stimulate discussion, which details specific issues, and then points out possible courses of action in terms of policy and legislation. This green paper outlines principles for enhanced collaboration between land and emergency management agencies (‘agencies’) and First Nations peoples in southern A...

Indigenous self-determination, land rights and caring for Country programs are enabling Indigenous peoples across the world to re-establish customary roles in biodiversity conservation and cultural fire management. In Australia, Indigenous-controlled lands form the majority of the protected area estate, harbour almost 60% of listed threatened speci...

Indigenous knowledge emphasises the importance of cultural connections between humans and the biophysical world. In the face of threats to the maintenance and transfer of Indigenous knowledge, novel approaches such as seasonal calendars are emerging as tools to share knowledge and guide management of natural and cultural resources. The renewal of I...

Indigenous cultural fire management is being renewed in many parts of the world. This research considered how cross-cultural knowledge can support this renewal. Indigenous rangers and Western scientists worked together to co-produce fire and seasons calendars to inform cultural burning and adaptive management of Indigenous Protected Areas. Quantita...

Indigenous cultural fire management is being recognised and revived across Australia, primarily in the centre and across the north. To explore the benefits of contemporary cultural fire management in southeast Australia and barriers to its revival, we undertook a systematic analysis of the literature. Seventy documented applications of cultural fir...

In her work with Indigenous communities, ecologist Michelle McKemey sees many cultural and conservation benefits from traditional burning practices.

Indigenous fire management is experiencing a resurgence worldwide. Northern Australia is the world leader in Indigenous savanna burning, delivering social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits. In 2016, a greenhouse gas abatement fire program commenced in the savannas of south-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, managed by the I...

Many Aboriginal communities throughout Australia are undergoing a revival of ‘cultural burning’, reintroducing fire on to lands that have not been burnt using Aboriginal fire management methods for many years. The Banbai Aboriginal Nation are reintroducing cultural burning at Wattleridge Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) in northern NSW and undertaki...

Our research aims to describe the reintroduction of cultural burning at Wattleridge Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) in New South Wales Australia, owned by the Banbai Aboriginal Nation, and considers the ecological and cultural changes that occur when fire is reintroduced to a long unburnt ecosystem. Through participatory action research, semi-struc...

The 'Yugul Mangi Faiya En Sisen Kelenda' (Yugul Mangi Fire and Seasons Calendar) was developed by Indigenous Elders and Yugul Mangi Rangers in collaboration with non-Indigenous scientists, for the cross-cultural interpretation of savanna burning in the South East Arnhem Land (SEAL) Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), Northern Territory, Australia. The...

Globally, Indigenous cultural burning has been practiced for millennia, although colonization limited Indigenous people’s ability to access and manage their ancestral lands. Recently, recognition of Indigenous fire management has been increasing, leading to the re-emergence of cultural burning in Australia, the Americas, parts of Asia and Africa. W...

This case study examines the potential impacts of climate change and sea level rise on the South Alligator River system, one of Australia’s most valued, natural, and cultural landscapes. The South Alligator River is located within the Northern Territory’s Kakadu National Park which receives international recognition and is listed as a World Herita...