Two-Way Knowledge Sharing for Native Bee Climate Adaptation in Arnhem Land

Title: Two-Way Knowledge Sharing for Native Bee Climate Adaptation in Arnhem Land

Summary: Australian native bees are important pollinators and a long-used source of medicinal products and food by First Nations peoples. However, little is known about how vulnerable Australia’s 2,000 native bee species are to extreme weather and climate change.

The Yolŋu peoples in East Arnhem Land have a long, shared history with native bees. All Yolŋu people, clans, and traditions connect to one of two bee species: Dhuwa (Austroplebeia spp.) or Yirritja (Tetragonula spp.). Yolŋu usually harvest honey from wild nests of these bees but have been unable to in recent years, noting a lack of bees and certain flowers, possibly due to climate change.

Failed harvests have serious implications for Yolŋu ceremonies and livelihoods. Elders are concerned about how to support their bees through climate change and continue their related traditions. Few Western studies of bees have drawn on Indigenous knowledge, despite First Nations peoples having a deep understanding of weather, climate, and habitats that could be used to support climate adaptation.

Our project will address Western and Indigenous knowledge gaps about climate change adaptation for native bees through research with Yolŋu rangers from the Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation. We aim to investigate:

1. What plants native bees use in East Arnhem Land;
2. How they are affected by climate change; and
3. How they can be managed to support climate change adaptation.

This project will advance research into Indigenous knowledge by co-developing a phenological bee forage calendar by, with, and for Yolŋu peoples.

Our study may be used as a model approach for research that draws on Indigenous knowledge to enhance understanding of species and support their adaptation to climate change.