Ecological Management and Restoration's special issue on Indigenous Land and Sea Management is now available online for free download.

The ground-breaking special issue, edited by Emilie Ens and Tein McDonald, highlights Indigenous contributions to Australian natural and cultural resource management, and presents work and ideas from a diverse range of Indigenous and non-Indigenous practitioners, researchers and collaborators who work in central and northern Australia in a range of environments, from local to regional scales. Articles showcase a range of projects from the centre and the north including: Indigenous and non-Indigenous partnerships for enhanced two-way management of remote country, the conservation of threatened rock wallabies, collaborative planning processes, species surveys, and Indigenous perceptions of introduced camels and ecology.

Most articles draw on Indigenous knowledge and the Western disciplines of anthropology, social science and ecology. Many also cover planning, management and policy issues, making them largely cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary. The issue, therefore, presents a unique compilation of examples and ideas on how mainstream Australian NCRM can be developed to be more inclusive and respectful of Indigenous Australians, their worldview and preferred methods through recognition of the valuable contributions they have made and can continue to make to the holistic and innovative management of country.

Many of the papers in this issue highlight the importance of Indigenous connection to country and the ramifications for Indigenous well-being and cultural survival. The profound nature of such connection is not to be underestimated given that culture in Australian Indigenous societies is so tightly interwoven with particular species, places and natural processes; and actively managing such entities can help communities pass on knowledge, identity and culture upon which much community health and function depends.

The special issue was developed largely from conference papers given by Indigenous and non-Indigenous presenters at the 2010 Ecological Society of Australia conference symposium titled: Combining Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge for land management solutions. We thank the Sidney Myer Fund and the Myer Foundation, Territory NRM, ANU and the ESA for sponsoring this event and the attendance of the Indigenous participants.

The Nature Conservancy and the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities kindly sponsored the special issue.

The Special Issue is now available online for free download at:
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/emr.2012.13.issue-1/issuetoc

In addition, Ecological Management and Restoration has published many outstanding and inspiring summaries on Indigenous ecosystem management topics on the journal's project summaries website: 
http://site.emrprojectsummaries.org/category/indigenous-land-sea-management/