There is a growing awareness across the community of the practical wisdom of the traditional Aboriginal practices to manage the landscape.
Traditional land management strategies implemented for millennia by the Aboriginal custodians of Australia have been a major factor in the development of the landscape we all know and love.
But today we are faced with the challenges of maintaining the landscape and catering for the needs of all parts of the community.
Implementing better land management strategies will help us better manage the natural environment and sustain it for future generations.
There is scope to reduce the impact of more frequent and intense wildfires and the devastation caused to urban areas, the natural environment, and farms.
Reintroducing some of the traditional management techniques can potentially go some way to reducing this risk.
Traditional land management strategies can play an important role in preservation and maintenance of wildlife and their habitat in the natural ecosystem, parks, reserves and indigenous culture and heritage.
Therefore, there is an urgent need for effective training to help the conservation and ecosystem management industry develop the skills and knowledge to implement these management strategies.
Having on-ground work skills in level entry land management to build capacity and undertake ranger work projects will play an important role in natural resource management.
Training for the land management and agricultural sector can open new career pathways and professional development.
It has never been easier for people to participate in study and formalise skills as now with the increase of diverse programs and more options to access funding.
Tocal College has been developing and delivering training for Aboriginal Land Management (ALM) groups in the NSW Hunter region for over five years.
Introduction To Land Management is a newly developed course designed for people wanting work with local Aboriginal Land Councils and other organisations as part of the green team and or ranger work groups.
The program is designed to equip people with the entry level skills they will need to enter the workforce in land management and set them on a pathway to develop and formalise further skills.
The long-term goal is to build capacity of Aboriginal Land Management (ALM) team members to carry out ground works, meet industry standards and deliver funded and commercial projects.
This will provide improved employment opportunities for local Aboriginal communities through improved ALM programs as part of a longer-term vision to encourage caring for country and maintain culture and heritage.
The program is delivered through Tocal College with the assistance of appropriate technical and cultural knowledge holders.
This program would not be possible without the support of Local Aboriginal Land Councils (LALCs) and the Elders and knowledge holders of country.
The major focus of the program is learning about how to protect cultural places, learning about land management and how to maintain cultural places according to community guidelines and cultural protocols.
The course aims to develop skills in preparing and carrying out work required to maintain the cultural place, report damage or vandalism to place and apply WHS practices.
Specific skills covered to enable participants to be safe and productive in the workplace include WHS, fence design and construction, servicing and maintaining small powered equipment and chainsaw operation.
Tocal College offers the Introduction To Land Management program to specific groups in consultation with LALCs across all areas of NSW as a face-to-face program at various locations.
This makes training accessible to people in rural and regional areas.
