Indigenous knowledge in conservation science and the process of a two‐way research collaboration

Abstract

AbstractEnvironmental research often occurs in short bursts with the duration of fieldwork often governed by the time constraints of a funding body. Collaborations between academic researchers and Indigenous People have occurred for many years and the exchange of information can create value and knowledge for both participants in the collaboration. Indigenous People play a vital role as knowledge keepers in environmental science and can, in some instances, provide a more secure repository of local knowledge and conservation practice than digital archives. In this essay, Indigenous Rangers on Larrakia country in Darwin, Australia, and a non‐Indigenous academic researcher describe how value‐creation was increased for both parties involved in a collaborative project on the migratory shorebird far eastern curlew (Numenius madagascariensis). We share our experiences of expectations, the development of methods, the codeveloped goals and complementary ways of thinking to manage threatened species at a local scale, the scale at which the local Larrakia People operate. Through our collaboration, we show that both parties within the collaboration can benefit and create value for a species of conservation concern that has not typically been considered culturally important.