First Nations communities are at the forefront of human induced changes to climate and already experience negative impacts on health, energy, food and water security. This is compromising communities’ connection to culture and country that are fundamental determinants of health and wellbeing. There is growing recognition of the importance and value of bringing together Western and First Nations’ knowledges to inform climate change mitigation and adaptation. Led by Aboriginal communities in Warumungu (NT), Whadjuk Noongar (WA) and Bundjalung Country (NSW), the Healing Country project seeks to respectfully weave together traditional knowledge with environmental and health data into digital story-data maps. The project using participatory community-based mapping processes to capture community stories, traditional knowledge and quantitative data to examine health and social issues associated with environmental exposures. Upholding principles of Indigenous Data Sovereignty, the project will bring together community and relevant stakeholders to co-design and implement climate change adaptation strategies embedded within a monitoring and evaluation framework.
Our Investigators
Associate Professor Veronica Matthews
Professor Ross Bailie
Dr Jo Longman
Associate Professor Geoff Morgan
Kris Vine
Collaborators
Professor Kerrie Mengersen, Queensland University of Technology
Dr Bradley Farrant, Telethon Kids Institute
Professor Sotiris Vardoulakis, Australian National University
Dr Ivan Hanigan, Curtin University
Dr Supriya Matthew, Menzies School of Health Research
Associate Professor Michelle Dickson, University of Sydney
Dr Shanthi Ramanathan, Hunter Medical Research Institute
Associate Professor Glenn Pearson, Telethon Kids Institute
Jasper Garay, University of Sydney
Jeff Standen, NSW Health
Dr Simon Quilty, Australian National University
Associate Professor Linda Ford, Charles Darwin University
Jessica Spencer, NSW Health
Oliver Costello, Jagun Alliance
Partner organisations
This project is funded by the Australian Research Council and supported by the University of Sydney, Queensland University of Technology, Australian National University, Telethon Kids Institute, Menzies School of Health Research, Hunter Medical Research Institute, NSW Health, Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation and Wilya Janta Housing Collaboration.
Status/timing
The project commenced in July 2022 and is funded to June 2026.
What does the Project focus on?
The Healing Country project weaves together traditional knowledge with environmental and health data into community-owned digital story-data maps. Utilising participatory mapping processes, local communities will highlight their stories of changes to country, layered with quantitative data to identify priority health issues. The project will implement and evaluate community co-designed adaptation strategies to address community priorities. We aim to:
respectfully gather traditional knowledges and community experiences to document from a local perspective, environmental changes that have and are occurring, and the impact this has on Aboriginal community wellbeing.
co-develop interactive story-data maps that combine community knowledges and stories with environmental and health data for broader knowledge exchange.
using these multiple information sources, bring together relevant system stakeholders and community to co-design and implement mitigation and adaptation strategies embedded within an evaluation and monitoring framework (local community resilience plans).
What type of project/study?
This co-design project uses mixed methods in a participatory research approach.
What do we expect to achieve with this project when complete?
At a local level, the project seeks to address a global challenge: empowering communities to respond to the risks posed by climate and other environmental change, simultaneously strengthening social and cultural determinants and addressing health inequity. We aim to add new generalisable knowledge about Aboriginal-led systems change processes to address environmental and health risks that embed Indigenous knowledge, leadership and participation in planning for positive change. For each local community site, the project will deliver tangibles to community members including employing community-based researchers, developing online story-data maps of traditional knowledge with relevant environmental and health data, and co-designed Community Climate Action Plans addressing local mitigation and adaptation strategies to adjust to the impacts of changing environments on community health and wellbeing.
