New stewardship of Country

Abstract

The Royal Societies of Australia webinar series recognises that we need a new approach to our land and seascape stewardship if we are to recover from past degradation and prosper in the future. We have to work with history – the Aboriginal foundation, our modern production systems and our laws and institutions. We can succeed if we adopt a custodial approach to land and sea – ‘caring for country’ – as our highest priority, so we safeguard the effective functioning of our ecosystems. We will need changes to our laws and institutions, and active intervention in our land and seascapes with public support, as we transform our society to reflect this new model of stewardship. There are many things we can do now as part of this transition, as individuals, governments, businesses, educators and land and sea managers.