Vocabulary
Cultural burning
Cultural burning is a land management practice used by First Nations peoples, where controlled, low-intensity fires are carefully applied to the landscape. This helps care for Country, promotes the growth of certain plants, and reduces the risk of dangerous bushfires. For example, Aboriginal groups use cultural burning to keep grasslands healthy and to protect food plants and animals.
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a community of living things, like plants and animals, and their environment, such as soil and water, all interacting together. For example, a floodplain is an ecosystem where water, plants, fish, and birds all rely on each other to survive.
Floodplain
A floodplain is a flat area of land next to a river or stream that sometimes gets covered with water during heavy rain or floods. For example, the wetlands in Kakadu are floodplains that provide habitat for turtles, waterfowl, and many plants.
Habitat
A habitat is the natural home where a plant or animal lives and grows. For example, the tall grassy wetlands are the habitat for magpie geese and turtles in northern Australia.
Sustainable land management
Sustainable land management means using the land in ways that protect it for the future, making sure plants, animals, and people can all thrive. For example, using traditional fire management to avoid large, damaging fires keeps landscapes healthy and productive for generations to come.