Is there ethnographic evidence of Bunya Pine dispersal by Aboriginal people in eastern Australia.

Globally, the influence of Indigenous people on biodiversity is a growing area of interest, and the links between biological and cultural diversity are increasingly being understood, leading to global directives for biocultural conservation pursuits. This research explored the likelihood of Aboriginal dispersal of Bunya Pine on the east coast of Australia prior to and since European colonisation. The research combined first-hand interviews with Aboriginal knowledge holders with investigations of the historical literature to explore possible cultural links between the disjunct populations and cultural associations with the populations themselves. The project also navigated the complex array of biocultural protocols that were relevant to this research and guides other researchers on how they too can navigate this often complex space as both an “insider” and “outsider” of the cultural groups. The project crossed 19 Australian Aboriginal language groups and retraces the possible pre-colonial dispersal of Bunya Pine using ethnographic and historical knowledge. The focus of this thesis centred on field and desktop research of Bunya Pine and Chapter 2 presents original ethnographic research into the cultural associations of Aboriginal groups whose Country supported Bunya populations. Overall, this research provides clear evidence of the biocultural influence on vegetation patterns and highlights the importance of respecting Indigenous knowledge and protocols in ecological research.