Local Aboriginal Land Councils as Environmental Managers: Practices and Opportunities

The NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 created a network of Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) to receive returned lands and establish Aboriginal enterprises that bolstered economic security for Aboriginal people. The restituted Aboriginal land estate has enabled Aboriginal communities to purs...

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Main Author: Heidi Norman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UTS ePRESS 2025-07-01
Series:Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:http://10.32.0.11:8080/index.php/mcs/article/view/9585
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author Heidi Norman
author_facet Heidi Norman
author_sort Heidi Norman
collection DOAJ
description The NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 created a network of Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) to receive returned lands and establish Aboriginal enterprises that bolstered economic security for Aboriginal people. The restituted Aboriginal land estate has enabled Aboriginal communities to pursue ways to be back on Country, protect sites, and regenerate landscapes but their land is often overlaid with environmental and biodiversity covenants. While engaged in a larger study of the benefits of NSW Aboriginal land rights, a research team led by the author, Heidi Norman (2025), explored the ways LALCs conduct environmental management on their restituted lands, as well as public and private lands. LALCs are more than willing to care for their Country. Although they face barriers, LALCs have developed innovative environmental enterprises to carry out wide ranging work to regenerate Country and protect and care for cultural heritage and environmentally sensitive sites. This paper presents the results of a survey of LALC environmental enterprises. It discusses limitations and challenges and enabling policies that could support LALCs in NSW to expand their work.
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series Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal
spelling doaj-art-53cc65e34fc94f07a824c3fc8ade286e2025-08-20T03:34:38ZengUTS ePRESSCosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal1837-53912025-07-0117210.5130/ccs.v17.i2.9585Local Aboriginal Land Councils as Environmental Managers: Practices and OpportunitiesHeidi Norman0{'en_US': 'UNSW'} The NSW Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 created a network of Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) to receive returned lands and establish Aboriginal enterprises that bolstered economic security for Aboriginal people. The restituted Aboriginal land estate has enabled Aboriginal communities to pursue ways to be back on Country, protect sites, and regenerate landscapes but their land is often overlaid with environmental and biodiversity covenants. While engaged in a larger study of the benefits of NSW Aboriginal land rights, a research team led by the author, Heidi Norman (2025), explored the ways LALCs conduct environmental management on their restituted lands, as well as public and private lands. LALCs are more than willing to care for their Country. Although they face barriers, LALCs have developed innovative environmental enterprises to carry out wide ranging work to regenerate Country and protect and care for cultural heritage and environmentally sensitive sites. This paper presents the results of a survey of LALC environmental enterprises. It discusses limitations and challenges and enabling policies that could support LALCs in NSW to expand their work. http://10.32.0.11:8080/index.php/mcs/article/view/9585Land RightsIndigenous KnowledgeCultural BurningIndigenous RangersAboriginal Cultural Heritage
spellingShingle Heidi Norman
Local Aboriginal Land Councils as Environmental Managers: Practices and Opportunities
Cosmopolitan Civil Societies: An Interdisciplinary Journal
Land Rights
Indigenous Knowledge
Cultural Burning
Indigenous Rangers
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
title Local Aboriginal Land Councils as Environmental Managers: Practices and Opportunities
title_full Local Aboriginal Land Councils as Environmental Managers: Practices and Opportunities
title_fullStr Local Aboriginal Land Councils as Environmental Managers: Practices and Opportunities
title_full_unstemmed Local Aboriginal Land Councils as Environmental Managers: Practices and Opportunities
title_short Local Aboriginal Land Councils as Environmental Managers: Practices and Opportunities
title_sort local aboriginal land councils as environmental managers practices and opportunities
topic Land Rights
Indigenous Knowledge
Cultural Burning
Indigenous Rangers
Aboriginal Cultural Heritage
url http://10.32.0.11:8080/index.php/mcs/article/view/9585
work_keys_str_mv AT heidinorman localaboriginallandcouncilsasenvironmentalmanagerspracticesandopportunities