Braiding Indigenous oral histories and habitat mapping to understand urchin barrens in southern New South Wales

Kyah Chewying; Mitchell Gibbs; Rachel Przeslawksi; Kerrylee Rogers

doi:10.1071/MF24117

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Braiding Indigenous oral histories and habitat mapping to understand urchin barrens in southern New South Wales

Kyah Chewying

^A ^B ^* , Walbunja Traditional Owners ^C , Mitchell Gibbs ^D , Rachel Przeslawksi

^A ^B ^E and Kerrylee Rogers

^A ^B

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.

^B Environmental Futures, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.

^C Batemans Bay Local Aboriginal Land Council, Batemans Bay, NSW 2536, Australia.

^D The University of Sydney, School of Geosciences, Eastern Avenue, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.

^E NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Fisheries Research, 4 Woollamia Road, Huskisson NSW 2540, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: klc541@uowmail.edu.au

Handling Editor: Laura Parker

Marine and Freshwater Research 76, MF24117 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF24117

Submitted: 5 June 2024 Accepted: 19 March 2025 Published: 9 April 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

The sea urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) is linked to urchin barrens and potential kelp forest depletion along New South Wales (NSW) southern coast. Whereas previous studies employed scientific methods to evaluate barrens, Indigenous Traditional Knowledges offer valuable insights into urchin population dynamics.

Aims

This study aimed to ‘braid’ Traditional Knowledges with Western science to better understand urchin barrens in the region.

Methods

Yarning circles with Walbunja Traditional Owners were conducted alongside habitat mapping using image segmentation of remotely sensed imagery.

Key results

Traditional Knowledges highlighted long-term declines in culturally significant species, including snapper (Pagrus auratus), lobster (Jasus edwardsii), groper (Achoerodus viridis), abalone (Haliotis rubra) and cuttlefish (Sepia apama). Habitat mapping showed dynamic vegetation cover, although differentiating kelp from other vegetation posed challenges. Urchin barrens were present across all study sites as part of a habitat mosaic typical of NSW rocky reefs.

Conclusions

This research demonstrated the value of braiding Traditional Knowledges with Western methods to enhance understanding of kelp and urchin dynamics.

Implications

The results of the yarning circles suggest that utilising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives in future studies would improve ecological insights and inform sustainable marine management strategies. Further, the habitat mapping has highlighted the need for higher resolution aerial imagery.

Keywords: braiding, Centrostephanus rodgersii, habitat extent, kelp gardens, macroalgae, remote sensing, traditional knowledge, yarning circles.

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