In celebration of the shortlisted papers for the Rachel Carson Prize 2024 for Early Career Researchers, we’re delighted to introduce you to some of our shortlisted individuals and papers.
Monica Fahey.
Read Monica’s shortlisted paper: ‘Araucaria bidwillii genomics suggest Indigenous Peoples broadened translocation practices in response to settler colonialism‘.
About the paper:
What is your shortlisted paper about, and what are you seeking to answer with your research?
Our research sought to understand how Indigenous Peoples in Australia impacted the distribution and abundance of resource plants during the Holocene. For instance, it is unclear whether plant translocations were widely practiced by First Nations groups prior to European colonization. Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii) is a culturally significant conifer tree for several Indigenous groups in eastern Australia. Sharing the edible nuts and attending ‘Bunya gatherings’ in southern Queensland is an important way for these groups to maintain kinship and cultural connections that date back thousands of years, often transporting the nuts long distances. This raised the question of whether First Nations Peoples facilitated the dispersal of Bunya through these ancient traditions.
We took Bunya leaf DNA samples to reconstruct the shared ancestry between trees and infer the historical movement of Bunya across the landscape. We explored both anthropogenic and animal dispersal mechanisms and interpreted the genetic data in reference to historical records on the use of Bunya by Indigenous Peoples and European settlers and Biocultural Knowledge held by Indigenous Custodians. We found genetic and Biocultural evidence that indicates Indigenous groups in southeast Queensland increased the translocation of Bunya after European colonization, to maintain cultural connectivity with each other and the species.
Were you surprised by anything when working on it? Did you have any challenges to overcome?
Bunya Pine is particularly valued by First Nations Peoples for the way it connects so many different people, clans and language groups across the Australian continent. And so one of the biggest challenges was ensuring that we had a good representation of the First Nations groups and families that have a connection with Bunya within our study region. This is particularly challenging in a colonial context such as Australia, where many Traditional Custodians do not have formally recognised land rights and Biocultural knowledge has been impacted by colonial dispossession. The more people we talked to, the more we were introduced to! Since the publication of the article, I continue to meet new people who have connections to Bunya.
What is the next step in this field going to be?
The next step is to work with Traditional Custodians to develop biocultural restoration strategies that aim to restore culturally important species along with the cultural practices associated with the species. This would involve (a) combining biocultural knowledge with genomic data to rediscover past Indigenous custodial practices and how these shaped the distribution and genetic diversity of species. (b) the incorporation or adaptation of these practices to manage current and future threats to culturally important species.
What are the broader impacts or implications of your research?
Our research re-iterates claims by Indigenous groups and studies from around the world that demonstrate many ecosystems that appear ‘wild’ were actively managed by Indigenous Peoples prior to colonial displacement. It also highlights that First Nations groups in Australia have species-specific protocols related to the movement of culturally important plants across the landscape. To honour and revive Indigenous stewardship, restoration practitioners ought to work with Traditional Custodians to ensure these protocols are followed in the design of assisted migration programs for culturally important species.
About the author:
How did you get involved in ecology?
I have always been fascinated by plants and felt a strong connection with the bush from a young age. At school I was mostly uninterested in science, until I enrolled in Earth and Environmental Science where we learned about fields such as geology and palaeoecology that sought to uncover the history of the earth. I loved the way that ancient processes such as continental shifts or changes in climate regime could leave behind physical remains that we can piece together and interpret. After enrolling in biology at university, I discovered that historical environmental processes could also leave signatures in the DNA of affected species. This pathway led me to pursue the evolutionary ecology of plants.
What is your current position?
Scientific Officer (Biocultural Plant Dynamics Research) in the Research Centre for Ecosystem Resilience, Botanic Gardens of Sydney.
Have you continued the research your paper is about?
Yes, I am collaborating on a number of projects that either seek to investigate the historical influence of First Nations groups on the distribution and genetic diversity of edible species and/or provide genomic guidelines for the restoration or conservation of culturally important plants.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone in your field?
Establish a relationship with potential First Nations research partners before embarking on a project and start with something small and simple. This will allow time to develop a mutually beneficial partnership and deliver the agreed outcomes.
Relational Thinking 