Caring for Country & Place

Aug 20

2 min read

Caring for Country recognises that land, waters, species, people, culture and responsibility are connected. In Australia, the phrase has specific importance in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander contexts and should not be reduced to a generic label for environmental volunteering.

Traditional Owners and community partners planting native vegetation along a shaded Australian creek bank, working together on practical land and water restoration. — Traditional Owners work alongside invited community partners to restore a healthy creek bank, combining practical land and water care with native planting in a respectful, community-led setting.

What This Index Covers

This index links to authorised public resources, community-led programs and practical stewardship approaches that respect cultural authority, local knowledge, ecological processes and long-term responsibility. It includes place-based care without claiming access to restricted knowledge.

Browse Resources

Browse the resource areas currently organised under this index. Links can be added as reviewed articles and records are published.

Traditional Owner-led programs - Public information provided by relevant organisations and communities.

Place-based stewardship - Long-term care shaped by local ecology, history and responsibility.

Cultural burning and land care - Only authorised public resources with clear geographic and cultural context.

Water and coastal care - Community-led work connecting catchments, wetlands, sea Country and species.

Partnerships - Examples with clear authority, roles, benefit and accountability.

Learning and protocols - Resources about respectful engagement, consent and attribution.

Read First

Before using these resources for identification, growing, harvesting, conservation, community work or other practical decisions, read:

Caring for Country Is Not a Generic Marketing Term

Work Through the Correct Traditional Owner Authority

Restricted Knowledge, Cultural Safety and Attribution

Coverage and Evidence

This index does not grant permission to undertake cultural practices, use language, collect knowledge or represent a community. Content must come from authorised public sources or direct consent. Names, boundaries and representative bodies require local verification. When authority or permission is unclear, do not publish the material.

The Earth's Resource Map and Learn library are being built progressively. Indexed means that a topic or resource can be connected to its identity, source and broad context; it does not mean that every claim has been verified or localised. Evidence is assessed claim by claim. Where information is missing, uncertain, restricted or location-dependent, that limitation should remain visible.

Last Reviewed

19 August 2026

This date records review of this index-page copy and its resource structure. Individual articles, records, laws, project details and evidence may have different publication and review dates.