Can recreational cliff users share custodianship of vertical landscapes with traditional owners?
Details:
11:30 – 12:20 pm
5th of December
Room: 4N 154 & 156
Glyn Thomas
Many National Parks Authorities in Australia are adopting an approach that shares management responsibilities with First Nation people as the traditional custodians/owners of the land (Ross et al., 2009). Sometimes, the cultural perspectives of these First Nation groups regarding how cliffs should be managed is different to the perspectives of some outdoor recreation groups. For example, there have been numerous cliff-closures across Australia based on concerns Traditional Custodians have expressed about rockclimbing and scrambling impacts (Gunn et al, 2020). This can create resentment amongst some outdoor recreators, and the debates that occur on social media are not always helpful, as they can exacerbate negative perceptions of recreational cliff users (Tombleson & Wolf, 2022). To better understand the motivations and practices of recreational cliff users, in late 2023 we created an online survey which received 235 responses from climbers across Australia. The results of the research may help to guide discussions and development of management plans where recreational cliff-users share custodianship for vertical landscapes with traditional owners. However, as explained by (Hunt, 2018, p. 86) this may require “total transformation of existing relations between Indigenous peoples and settlers toward something as yet unimagined.” The implications for outdoor education and its role in shaping the perspectives of future outdoor recreation participants will also discussed.
About the Presenter
Glyn has worked as an outdoor educator since 1991 across a range of contexts. His research and teaching interests lie in facilitation and experiential education pedagogy. His recent research has focused on near-peer teaching and the motivations for participation in outdoor recreation activities like rockclimbing, mountain biking, and bushwalking. He is a keen climber and golfer and his enthusiasm exceeds his abilities in both pursuits.
