Research Report
Maureen Fuary
Department of Anthropology, Archaeology and Sociology,
School of Arts and Social Sciences, James Cook University
ISBN 9781921359323
Published September 2009
MTSRF Project 4.9.1 -
Indigenous landscapes of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area
Summary
This report is the sole work of the author Dr Maureen Fuary. The
research and report writing was undertaken after an earlier draft
report on the topic had been submitted by Glass and White (2007).
The research involved an extensive search, evaluation and critique
of the published and unpublished literature on models of research
in the international, national, regional and local domains. A
special focus was trained on models of engagement between
researcher and the research group, including participatory and
collaborative models of research in the social and geographical/
environmental sciences. The report provides an overview and
discussion of these forms of research and makes recommendations
about developing some 'best practice' models for researching
resource use in the Wet Tropics.
Central to any research being undertaken on resource use in the
Wet Tropics is the engagement of the appropriate Indigenous people.
This engagement or active involvement in the research might range
from people brokering the research project itself to being involved
as full partners at every stage. There are a number of
possibilities within these two ends of the spectrum. The nature and
degree of research involvement will always depend on a number of
factors, including: the research project itself; the desire of
people to be involved in each project; and the skills base of all
involved parties at the time.
Crucial to developing 'best practice' in research is the
development of appropriate research protocols and agreements.
Protocols need to be sufficiently adaptive instruments which can be
modified to reflect the contingencies of each research project.
However, at base level they could be comprised of key principles
which would remain non-negotiable. This could include the
requirement that there be:
-
Clear guidelines about the project and its purpose;
-
Clear agreement to proceed;
-
Mutual respect and mutual responsibilities of the researcher and
the Aboriginal owners of the Wet Tropics;
-
Cooperative and equitable approaches to research which
demonstrate respect for Rainforest Aboriginal people's intellectual
and cultural property;
-
Cooperative and equitable approaches to research which
demonstrate respect for the intellectual property of researchers
(be they Aboriginal or non-Aboriginal);
-
Benefit-sharing;
-
Clear agreement about the ownership and future uses of the
research findings and data;
-
Research which actively works towards 'bringing in' Indigenous
or Traditional Knowledge with other forms of knowledge, namely the
sciences or the social sciences;
-
Foregrounding of rainforest Aboriginal people's rights and
interests in the Wet Tropics, enabling their active involvement in
the management of the World Heritage Area;
-
An ongoing process of engagement;
-
A commitment by all parties to disseminate research results in
an appropriate way;
-
The involvement of Aboriginal people from the very beginning of
a project;
-
A commitment of both parties to negotiate on equal terms;
-
The ability for both parties to follow through with agreed
outcomes;
-
Processes to ensure that the right people to speak for country
are consulted;
-
Negotiations in an open and honest way;
-
A commitment of both parties to work through difficulties
together when they arise; and
-
A clause to excuse either one or all parties from elements of
the agreement should issues of conscience arise to which either
party feels compelled to respond.
In particular the respective protocols and research agreements
developed by Drs Melissa Nursey-Bray (2006) and Karen Martin (2006)
offer us examples of how best practice models of research protocols
might be developed. This is especially the case if the findings of
the Indigenous Facilitation and Mediation Project (IFaMP) on the
need for high level skills in negotiation and conflict resolution
(Bauman 2006, 2007) are factored in to the process.
A related issue concerns the advantages of forging and
maintaining strong institutional links and dialogue with bodies
such as the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Studies (AIATSIS), museums, public libraries and archives.
Such links would assist in the ongoing refinement of research
protocols, models and management of projects, as well as developing
a knowledge base on the location of materials about Aboriginal
resource use in the Wet Tropics.
