Black and white answers: Aboriginal knowledge and Western science combine to help NT's native mammals

Abstract

[Extract] I'm at an outstation on the edge of the Arnhem Land plateau drinking what must be my 13th cup of tea for the day. Several local Aboriginal women and about 30 camp dogs are watching as I show them the selection of stuffed mammals I've brought from Darwin, where I work as a research associate for the Australian National University (ANU). We're up to tree-rats - a group of large, tree-dwelling rodents endemic to northern Australia. From the back of my Toyota I bring out a kordberr, or goldenbacked tree-rat - a species whose numbers have declined dramatically over the past century, and which hasn't been recorded in the NT since 1969.