Sustainability

Land Use:

The history and sustainability of our land go hand in hand. Sustainability is defined in this diagram:

Image: (Verify Sustainability, 2008)

Maintaining balance and equilibrium between environment, society and economics throughout the development and growth of Australia as a population has involved many trials and changes. Australian land has undergone two cultural contrasts of human lifestyle. The teaching and understanding of the effects of history  is vital to the sustainable future of this country.

The Aborigines lived off the land through a nomadic lifestyle, following food and seasonal patterns. Their culture places significant value between the people and the land – claiming harmony and oneness with nature and land. “As hunter-gatherers, they lived off the land with a precise and intimate knowledge of its resources and seasonal patterns” (Macintyre, 2009, p.11). Researchers propose that the Aboriginals sustained a “highly successful equilibrium of population and resources” (Macintyre, 2009, p.11).

Image: Aboriginal hunting (Aboriginal Culture and Art Centre, n.d.)

The introduction of European lifestyle through the settlement introduced farming and agriculture to Australian land. Agriculture replaced hunter-gathering. “Agriculture enabled greater productivity, sustained higher population densities, gave rise to towns and the amenities of urban life” (Macintyre, 2009, p. 11).

Image: Land clearing (Sydney Catchment Authority, n.d.)

The introduction of agricultural farming has had its environmental challenges, due to the diverse environmental differences between Britain and Australia. Some Australian farmland is slowly undergoing agricultural degeneration. Farmers are facing challenges such as salinity and soil erosion (Australian Government, 2011).

 “Even though over sixty per cent of Australians live in the capital cities, as a nation Australia still recognises its close affinity to the unique landscape of the countryside and to those who live on the land” (Australian Government, 2011). It is a part of Australian identity and therefore it needs to be preserved for future generations.

The increasing population, suburbanisation and urbanisation of Australia are having a toll on sustainable living and on sustainable agricultural practices. It is unlikely that Australia would revert to traditional Indigenous methods of living just to maintain environmental sustainability, but how long can agricultural farming be sustained in the future? “Making decisions about sustainability to help shape a better future requires an understanding of how the past relates to the present, and needs to be informed by historical trends and experiences” (Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority, n.d.). As the children in our schools are the future of this nation, they must understand the importance of sustainable viability of Australia so they can direct the future of this nation in a sustainable way.

References:

Aboriginal  Australia Art and Culture Centre. (n.d.). Untitled [image of Aboriginal food hunting]. Retrieved 7 June 2013 from http://aboriginalart.com.au/culture/arrernte3.html

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2010). Geographic distribution of the population. Retrieved 7 June 2013 from http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/CEBE696C34C36C6ECA25773700169C5E?opendocument

Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.). Cross curriculum priorities. Retrieved 6 June 2013 from http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/History/Cross-Curriculum-Priorities

Australian Government. (2011). Australian farms and farming communities. Retrieved 7 June 2013 from http://australia.gov.au/about-australia/australian-story/austn-farms-and-farming-communities

Macintyre, S. (2009). A concise history of Australia (3^rd ed.). Port Melbourne, Victoria: Cambridge University Press.

Sydney Catchment Authority. (n.d.) Land clearing. [photograph]. Retrieved 7 June 2013 from  http://hsc.sca.nsw.gov.au/chemistry/water_contamination/possible_sources/examples/text_page

Verify Technologies Limited. (2008). Sustainability: The solution matrix. Retrieved 7 June 2013 from http://www.verifysustainability.com/Pie%20Diagram/PieDiagram_Open_Page.aspx