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Convergence of culture, ecology, and ethics: Management of feral swamp buffalo in northern Australia
Citation
Albrecht, G and McMahon, CR and Bowman, DMJS and Bradshaw, CJA, Convergence of culture, ecology, and ethics: Management of feral swamp buffalo in northern Australia, Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 22, (4) pp. 361-378. ISSN 1187-7863 (2009) [Refereed Article]
Copyright Statement
Copyright 2009 Springer
DOI: doi:10.1007/s10806-009-9158-5
Abstract
This paper examines the identity of Asian swamp buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
from different value orientations. Buffalo were introduced into Northern (Top End)
Australia in the early nineteenth century. A team of transdisciplinary researchers, including
an ethicist, has been engaged in field research on feral buffalo in Arnhem Land over the past
three years. Using historical documents, literature review, field observations, interviews
with key informants, and interaction with the Indigenous land owners, an understanding of
the diverse views on the scientific, cultural, and economic significance of buffalo was
obtained. While the diverse stakeholders in buffalo exploitation and management have
historically delivered divergent value orientations on the nature of the human–buffalo
relationship, we argue that over time there is the possibility of values and ethical convergence.
Such convergence is possible via transdisciplinary and transcultural agreement on
the value stances that constitute the construction of the being or identity of buffalo in the
face of the overwhelming need to manage population density and gross numbers.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | Buffalo, Ethics, Culture, Management, Australia |
Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
Research Group: | Environmental management |
Research Field: | Environmental management |
Objective Division: | Culture and Society |
Objective Group: | Ethics |
Objective Field: | Environmental ethics |
UTAS Author: | Bowman, DMJS (Professor David Bowman) |
ID Code: | 61930 |
Year Published: | 2009 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 33 |
Deposited By: | Plant Science |
Deposited On: | 2010-03-09 |
Last Modified: | 2015-02-04 |
Downloads: | 3 View Download Statistics |
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