Fire and fauna: investigating Aboriginal land management in the Northern Swan Coastal Plain, Western Australia

Carly Monks

Research output: ThesisDoctoral Thesis

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Abstract

Aboriginal people across Australia have long used fire as a means of land management. However, archaeological evidence of this and other land management practices is difficult to identify. Using zooarchaeological evidence from three caves in the Northern Swan Coastal Plain, southwestern Australia, this thesis explores landscape-scale Holocene environmental change and its relationship with Aboriginal subsistence. Changes in Aboriginal diet and environment are associated with increasing abundances of animal species that benefit from mosaic habitats. Given late Holocene climates were stable, marked changes in habitat c.1000 years ago are interpreted as resulting from the increased use of fire for land management.
Original languageEnglish
QualificationDoctor of Philosophy
Awarding Institution
  • The University of Western Australia
Supervisors/Advisors
  • Dortch, Joe, Supervisor
  • Balme, Jane, Supervisor
Thesis sponsors
Award date31 May 2018
DOIs
Publication statusUnpublished - 2018

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