Cultural Knowledge & Custodianship

Aug 20

2 min read

Recognise culturally held knowledge through consent-based, appropriately attributed and community-led contributions.

Shanti Plants - The Earth Provides

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults and young people planting native vegetation together beside a healthy waterway in an Australian bushland setting. — Traditional Owners lead younger community members in a practical caring-for-Country activity beside a healthy waterway, sharing knowledge through hands-on native planting and collaborative land stewardship.

Cultural knowledge is held within relationships between people, Country, waters, species, law, language and responsibility. Some knowledge may be public, while other knowledge is restricted, seasonal, gendered, ceremonial, family-held or not available for publication. Access to information does not transfer ownership or permission to reuse it.

What This Index Covers

This index covers public, authorised resources about custodianship, caring for Country, cultural plant knowledge, language, community-led research and Indigenous data governance. It prioritises sources and contributions controlled or approved by the relevant knowledge holders.

Browse Resources

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

Community-led resources - Material published or authorised by relevant Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations.

Custodians and knowledge holders - Profiles included only with clear permission and preferred attribution.

Caring for Country - Public examples connecting cultural authority and practical land and water care.

Language and names - Using approved spelling, context and source.

Research and data governance - Respecting Indigenous control over collection, access and reuse.

Permissions and corrections - Providing ways to restrict, amend or remove material.

Read First

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

Publicly Visible Does Not Mean Free to Reuse

Free, Prior and Informed Consent

Indigenous Data Sovereignty, Attribution and Removal

Coverage and Evidence

No cultural knowledge should be added solely because it appears online or in an old publication. Confirm authority, consent, intended audience, attribution, access conditions and whether benefit returns to the community. Do not disclose sacred, secret, sensitive or location-specific information. Knowledge holders must be able to correct, restrict or remove content, and their decision takes priority over completeness.

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.