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Core Project 1: Livelihoods inLand™

The DKCRC’s Livelihoods inLand™ research project DSC012522has been underway since 2006, building on earlier DKCRC projects such as Desert Fire, DustWatch, Anmatyerr Cultural Values of Water and biodiversity management incentives on Aboriginal lands. The research focuses on ways in which natural and cultural resource management can improve sustainable livelihoods for desert people. ‘Sustainable livelihoods’ are those that provide a living and support the health and well-being of people and communities.

Desert people want recognition for the role they play in looking after country, and more effective, longer-term allocations of resources for this work. They want livelihoods that motivate young people, provide income, recognise local and cultural priorities and build on their existing skills and aptitudes. Desert people’s engagement in natural and cultural resource management offers these local benefits and is an important pathway for sustaining ecosystem and cultural services that are critical to the resilience of Australia’s remotest regions.

Livelihoods inLand™ examines the opportunities for Aboriginal people living in remote locations to manage natural and cultural assets on behalf of Australians and create a livelihood around this activity.

Enid Gallagher works on a biodiversity assessment in the Tanami Desert_med

Desert people want jobs that give them livelihoods and allow them to manage their natural and cultural resources. Here, Enid Gallagher works on a biodiversity assessment in the Tanami Desert.

 Project outcomes

  • Systems for the engagement of people to deliver management of desert natural and cultural resources.
  • Develop guidelines for implementing these systems in local places with a focus on planning and evaluation.
  • Aboriginal people paid for their management activity based on appropriate valuation of the service they deliver to Australia.
  • Better natural and cultural resource management because of more appropriately skilled workers.

Project components

The project uses the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework as a tool to help understand the key factors that impact on sustainable livelihoods outcomes. Read more about the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework in this literature review.

The project’s research activities include:

    Project leader and partners

    Jocelyn Davies is a project leader for the DKCRC. Jocelyn manages a team of researchers, many of them based in Alice Springs, who are working on varied project activities to improve livelihoods inland.

    Partners engaged in the project are:

    Publications and Presentations

    For a list of Livelihoods inLands publications and presentations click here.

    Core Project Leader

    Dr Jocelyn Davies
    Core Project Leader DKCRC and Senior Research Scientist CSIRO
    DKCRC and CSIRO
    Tel: 08 8950 7152

    Mobile: 0419 857 561
    Fax: 08 8950 7187

    PO Box 2111
    Alice Springs, NT 871Australia


    2008/09 Highlights

    Click here for Core Project 1 highlights during the 2008/09 financial year.

    Lead Agency

    Health, Happiness from the deserts

    Click here for a media release about some of the key research done under the Livelihoods inLand core project.

    All Content © Desert Knowledge CRC 2009