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ABORIGINAL PRACTICES Indigenous Australians are believed to have arrived in Australia around 40,000 years ago. From their arrival, they have managed the land in a sustainable manner, ensuring that there would be resources for future generations and so that the environment would not be degraded. Indigenous Australians “lived by food gathering and hunting” (Encyclopædia Britannica CD-ROM, 2001) and had a Nomadic lifestyle, moving from place to place as availability of food varied. Most importantly, they took only what they needed and made sure that as little harm to the environment as possible would be done to fulfill their needs. For example, young animals were not usually killed, sufficient seeds were left to grow and when collecting eggs, some would be allowed to hatch. Aborigines ate a wide variety of food, ranging from Fruit s, Berries , plant Root s and Grubs , collected mainly by the women, and Possum s, Kangaroo s and other animals collected mainly by the men. Having so many food sources meant that collecting them would be Sustainable , as not one source would be over-exploited. The native population at the point of European settlement in 1788 is estimated to be from 300,000 to 1,000,000 (Encyclopædia Britannica CD-ROM, 2001). With a relatively small population in such a large landmass, there were plenty of food and water resources and any depletion would recover quickly. Controlled fires were used to encourage regrowth in plants and also to drive out hiding animals. Regrowth in grasses would lead to kangaroos coming to graze, thus giving them food. In addition, fires would clear up vegetation and make it easier to walk through it. The reason that Aborigines had such an attitude towards land use and satisfying their needs is based on their belief that land is not property to be owned by people. They had a strong spiritual bond with the land and considered themselves the custodians of it and that they belonged to the land. IMPACT OF EUROPEAN FARMING ON THE ENVIRONMENT In stark contrast, Europeans had a concept of Land Ownership and exploitation for gain. Europeans had a tradition of Agriculture in growing and harvesting crops, and rearing domesticated animals. This notion of maximising production and using the land for one’s own purposes was opposite to what the Aborigines practiced. European settlement had a dramatic effect on the Australian environment. They brought introduced animals such as Cattle , Sheep and Rabbit s to use for agriculture and for lifestyle purposes. This was not unlike the Aborigines, who made use of the dingoes for hunting and for warmth at night. However, Australia was not suited for these animals. There was quite a destructive impact, and by 1870, “the land and vegetation resource was devastated over a large percentage of the area by the combination of rabbit plagues, high stock numbers, severe economic depression and prolonged drought” (Wickman, 1998). Moreover, cattle and sheep have hard hooves, which compacted the soil and lead to Soil Degradation . Overgrazing was common, as well as Land Clearing to make way for agriculture. The removal of trees destroyed the Soil Structure , and lead to a lot of Erosion . Nearly all of European farming was unsustainable and caused problems like rising Water Table s and Soil Salinity , killing many plants. Erosion caused the fertile top layer of the soil to be washed away, leaving unfertile soil lacking in Nutrient s that was not suitable for cultivation. This loss of plant cover and degradation of soil eventually lead to Desertification . Introduced domestic animals like cattle and sheep would compete with native animals like kangaroos for food, crowding out native animals. Fertiliser s used in farms ran into Waterways , polluting them and affecting habitats of marine life. Europeans have introduced many pests into Australia, like foxes, rabbits and cane toads, which are a problem to this day. In modern Australian agriculture, many sustainable practices are used, such as crop/paddock rotation to allow soils to recover. This is similar, in principal, to Aboriginal nomadic habits. In the past, European practices did not take into account the long-term effects on the environment, while Aboriginal practices were sustainable for the future. REFERENCES Brown, L., Hindmarsh, R., Mcgregor, R., 2001. Dynamic Agriculture Book Three (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill Book Company, Sydney. Encyclopædia Britannica CD-ROM, “Australia: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing”, 2001. Encyclopædia Britannica CD-ROM, “Australian Aborigine”, 2001. NSW HSC online, “Aboriginal land use”, 2005, http://hsc.csu.edu.au/agriculture/production/aboriginal_land/aborigl.html Wickman, S., “Land degradation issues and management concerns for Aboriginal communities of central Australia”, 1998, http://www.regional.org.au/au/asa/1998/plenary/wickman.htm. |
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