This project seeks to proactively manage incursion threats through the development of new Indigenous and local knowledge-based approaches to biosecurity management. This requires drawing together key issues such as leadership, governance, business development and training to build sustainable enterprises and enhance the management of harmful plant pests and diseases.

What is the biosecurity problem?

The management of harmful plant pests and diseases requires recognition of Australia’s proximity to south-east Asia and the Indigenous peoples of Northern Australia whose role in biosecurity has a long-standing connection through culture and tradition to the land and sea.

The management of biosecurity by national and regional governments and other agencies is more recent and intersects with the practices of local communities to varying degrees. Approaches that develop effective responses to biosecurity threats, particularly across vast, sparsely populated areas are essentially connected to respectful partnerships with local communities, their knowledge and their members.

There is a significant opportunity to proactively work with local communities both in northern Australia and south-east Asia to develop and implement novel threat mitigation strategies that bridge diverse knowledge systems and their underlying perspectives. 

The main outputs of this project are to:

• develop and implement a joint Indonesian/Australian coordinating framework for plant biosecurity risk mitigation (current running title: The Australia Indonesia Plant Biosecurity Response Framework)
• validate the elements of leadership, governance, enterprise, policy and community knowledge to build a CRCNPB community management model
• integrate the key components of the model identified through the community based research
• implement and evaluate the CRCNPB community management model in northern Australia and eastern Indonesia, and
• establish a joint Australia/Indonesia research award framework  

Who will be the end-users of this research?

The new Indigenous and local knowledge-based approaches to biosecurity management are intended for use by government, non government organisations and international agencies to assist in proactively managing incursion threats through the development of community approaches as a partnership between countries.

The training framework component will support the engagement of Indigenous people, Registered Training Organisations, employment agencies, national and state/territory agencies to build economically and socially sustainable enterprise partnerships that will enhance the management of biosecurity.

The joint research award framework will contribute to skills development in south-east Asia through pathways to postgraduate study. This will enhance capacity for local knowledge to contribute to the management of biosecurity. The framework also provides a driver for the development of partnerships between local communities and government agencies to enhance policy development and community involvement in biosecurity management.