Geography

Term One
Natural Resources, people and sustainability

Learning Intention
You will understand the custodial responsibility Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Peoples have for Country/Place, and how this influences views about
sustainability.

Distribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Peoples
Where can you see the most language
groups living?
Why do you think that most people lived
along the coast?
What natural resources would they have
better access to in these areas?
What else would make these areas more
appealing to live in?

The various language groups

Country/Place
Country/Place
A Country is a space mapped out by physical or intangible boundaries
that individuals or groups of Aboriginal Peoples occupy and regard as
their own. It is a space with varying degrees of spirituality.
A Place is a space mapped out by physical or intangible boundaries that
individuals or groups of Torres Strait Islander Peoples occupy and regard
as their own. It is a space with varying degrees of spirituality.
Geography: Glossary (ACARA)
http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Geography/Glossary/2b3bf23
0-5891-4975-9c12-119a889ec187 CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 AU
creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/au/

Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander

peoples use resources in their environment
The terms Country and Place describe more than just the land
associated with an Aboriginal group or Torres Strait Islander group.
While the land is important, some sites hold particular significance
for individuals or groups, often for spiritual or ceremonial reasons.

Use of resources
Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples use natural
resources in their environment to help them in their day-to-day life.
They have a strong tradition of using the available natural resources
sustainably.

How did Australias first people live? Activity

Custodial responsibility
Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples have an
obligation to care for the Country/Place on which they live, even if
they are not the traditional owners of that place.
Traditional owners have primary responsibility for Country/Place.
Source: ACARA

Food
An Aboriginal fish trap at Toorbul Point, built from rock that
uses the tides to capture fish.

A fish cooked in fire embers. Paperbark

used to wrap and protect the fish.

What do we use to cook food in today?

Transport
Modern boat
used by
Galiwinku
people in
East Arnhem
Land, for
travel and
fishing using
spears and
nets.

Canoe, used by Guugu Yimithurr Aboriginal people, carved from a tree trunk.
They are used to travel along rivers and between islands for travel and fishing.

Clothing
Warrior clothing from the
Torres Strait
Made from plant fibres and
feathers.

An Aboriginal necklace
made from animal teeth
from the Normanton
region.

A bailer
shell bowl
used by
KukuYalanji
people.

bowl

spoon

Shells such as
oyster shells
were traditionally
used as spoons.

Tongs from the Torres

Strait Islands were
traditionally used for
moving hot food and
stones in traditional
cooking practices.

tongs

How are modern objects

different from traditional
ones?
knife
grater
An Aboriginal stone knife.

A moorah stone is a specialized

Aboriginal grinding stone.

Work and
Tools

A far western Queensland

Aboriginal chisel/adze.

Chisel

Tools were
made from
variety of
natural
resources, from
grasses, wood,
rocks and
shells.

Compare objects used

traditionally to those developed
in modern times.
A plaited
bag from
the Torres
Strait
Islands.

bag
A woven Aboriginal dilly
bag from the Northern
Territory.

hatchet
An Aboriginal stone
hatchet.

A specialized dilly bag

used as a colander by
the Dyirbal Aboriginal
people of North
Queensland.

A wooden fish spear.

Fishing
spear

colander
An Aboriginal muller and grindstone.

Which are more

sustainable?

Mortar
and
pestle

Housing and
structures
A shelter
made from
tree branches
to provide
shade.
A bark-clad
dome made
of bark and
flexible tree
branches.

Bus shelter

housing

Cultural
practices
The burial grounds of the Kombumerri
people are very spiritual places where
respect to past family members is given.
The Kombumerri people had a burial
ground at a site at Broadbeach. This site
was revealed when workers accidentally
exposed human bones.
Special places called Bora rings are
used for initiation ceremonies and
dances, corroborees and other
gatherings by Aboriginal peoples. They
were unique because the were often
cleared of trees and surrounded by
rocks.
The Jebbribillum Bora symbolises the
fighting waddy (club) of Jabreen, who is the
great creator spirit.

After the video

Reflect on whether sources used today are as sustainable as they
were in the past.
Think Pair Share
Write a sentence in your geography books to explain your answers
Assessment Use a graphic organiser to compare traditional and
modern use of resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
peoples.

Learning Intention
You will understand the meaning of sustainability and unsustainability.
You will understand the terms reduce, reuse, recycle and replace.
You will be able to identify and explain the advantages of sustainable practices.

Sustainable or
unsustainable?

Unsustainability
It is using the environment
and its resources in such a
way as to risk them not being
available to use into the
future.

Using resources
unsustainably happens
when there is:
excessive use of
resources,
too much waste,
they are not recycled
and
old, less sustainable
products and methods
are used.

What things do we often

use unsustainably?

Sustainability
It is the capacity of the
environment to support
our lives and other living
creatures into the future.

Using resources sustainably is

about:
reducing the amount of
resources used,
reusing resources where
possible,
recycling resources so they can
be used for other uses and
replacing resources with
renewable options.

How to Reduce
Cut down on the number of
resources that you use.

This might be as simple as

using containers instead of
plastic wrap to pack your lunch,
or by limiting the amount of
water or electricity that is used
within your home.

How to Reuse
Use items again by giving them
a second life!

For example, wash your

takeaway containers out and
use them to store other food
items.

Put used bath water on the

garden rather than letting it go
down the drain.

How to Recycle
Change the way that items are
used by turning them into
something different.

An example is putting drink cans

into recycling bins to become
something else. Some businesses
pulp old paper scraps to make
newspapers.

Some playground floors are filled

with soft fall material that is made
from old shredded tyres.

How to Replace
Use items again by giving them
a second life!

Update products to ones that

are sustainable so that we are
making better choices for the
environment.

Instead of using plastic

bags, take a cloth bag
from home to the shops.

Sustainable or unsustainable?

Turning lights off when not

in the room.

Leaving the tap on while

you bush your teeth.

n
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Riding a bicycle or
walking for short trips.

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Getting around Replacing petrol

Cars use petrol or diesel which is
made from crude oil.
The world is set to run out of crude
oil in less than 200 years!
New technology is being
developed to make electric cars
more widespread.
Electricity can be made from the
wind and the sun.
Replacing petrol cars with electric
cars could reduce air pollution in
cities.

Activity

List where and when you have

reduced, reused, recycled and
replaced.

Fact
The worlds rainforests could completely vanish in a
hundred years at the current rate of deforestation!
http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/globalwarming/deforestation-overview/

Cutting down old growth rainforest trees, rather than using

plantation trees or recycled materials (unsustainable).

Fact
A refrigerator ca
n run for one m
onth on the ener
saved by recycl
gy
in
g
ju
st
on
e tonne of plast
http://www.sita.co
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Using plastics when not always needed.

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Fact
Approximately one tyre is discarded per person,
per year. However, tyres can be recycled!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tire_recycling

Reusing materials for another

purpose (sustainable).

Fact
You can reuse materials in their original form,
instead of throwing them away!
http://kids.niehs.nih.gov/explore/reduce/reuse.htm

d
oduce
r
Fact
p
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Recycling

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Dumping waste improperly

Fact
About 88% of Aus
tralian househol
ds
recycle paper or
cardboards! This
pr
events
it from ending up
in landfill.

http://www.benef
its-of-recycling.co
m/recyclingstatist
ics/

Recycli
ng

Fact
Recycling glass creates only half the greenhouse
gas of making new glass from sand!

Fact
one ton
ne of old
glass sa
http://w
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Recycling.

Fact
Even though 75% of the Earths surface is water,
only 0.5% is for plants, animals and humans to
share!
http://waterrecycle.com.au/facts.htm

.1.12.pd

Fact
46 000 pieces
to
up
re
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at
It is estimated th
mile of ocean! f
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sq
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in
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acts_24.2.12.pd
of plastic floatin
fact_sheets/PL_F

m.au/media/
http://www.sita.co

Fact
500 years for pl
astic bottles to
break down in la
ndfill!

It can take up to

http://www.sita.co
m.au/media/fact
df

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ts_24.2.12.p

Using too many plastics and not recycling them

Fact
recycled materials
Making PET bottles from
n producing them
uses 84% less energy tha
from raw materials!

dia/fact_s
http://www.sita.com.au/me
pdf

heets/PL_Facts_24.2.12.

Fact
About two
thirds of all
waste sen
Australia c
t to landfill
o
n
sists of foo
in
http://www
d
organics!
.sita.com.a
u/media/f
act_sheets
OR_Fact_
/1207Sheet_W e
b.pdf

Reusing and recycling materials for another

purpose
Fact
Composting your garden and food organics and
using it on your garden significantly increases the
soils ability to retain water!
http://www.sita.com.au/media/fact_sheets/1207OR_Fact_Sheet_Web.pdf

Fact
Worm castings produce one of natures best
composts and fertilisers!
http://www.mandurah.wa.gov.au/HBSearch_39927.PDF

Fact
Making paper from recycled materials uses 99%
less water and 50% less energy than if produced
from raw materials!
http://www.sita.com.au/media/fact_sheets/PC_Facts_24.1.12.p
df

Reuse and recycle to reduce the

need to make new materials
Fact
One tree makes approximately six reams or 3077
pieces of A4 paper
http://www.sita.com.au/media/fact_sheets/PC_Facts_24.1.12.pdf

Fact
Organic farmers revert to techniques that have existed
for thousands of years, using less chemicals when
growing crops!
http://www.forteachersforstudents.com.au/KidsMedia/Organics/facts.php

Replace harmful
products with natural
ones

Replace products with

efficient ones

Fact
Australians buy more than 3 million new
mobile phones each year. Most are not
recycled. They are more than 20 times
more harmful to the environment than
pollution.
http://www.arp.net.au/envwhy.php

Fact
Between 2008 and 2020, Australians will
save 28 million tonnes of greenhouse gas
emissions, just by using more energyefficient lighting!
http://www.sita.com.au/media/fact_sheets/1206FL_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Buying new
products
when not
needed or to
be
fashionable.

https://

Why be more sustainable?

Populations are growing,
so there is more pressure
on natural resources.
Some resources are
running out..
The environment can be
fragile and some
resources damage it..

It can save money.

Recognising protection

Sustainability
Do you remember what sustainability
means?

Reducing
Reusing
Recycling
Replacing

Revision
Do you remember what Sustainability means? It is the environments
ability to support our lives and other living creatures into the future.
It is about using resources sustainably by reducing the amount of
resources used, reusing resources where possible, recycling resources so
they can be used for other use and replacing resources with renewable
options.
Sustainability means having resources left for the future such as water
and trees.
Create a short cartoon promoting sustainability to your friends and family.

Sustainable practices
Replacing
Recycling

Reducing

Reusing

Unsustainability
Do you remember what
unsustainability means?

The inability of the environment

to continue to support our lives
and the lives of other living
creatures into the future.

Protection
Protecting a place or environment is
about preventing damage or harm.

Teaching young people to protect their

environment

What does protection mean? It means looking after something by preventing damage or harm. It is not the same
as sustainability. Sustainability is the environments capacity to continue to support our lives and the lives of
other living creatures into the future.
Protecting the environment means any activity that preserves, maintains or restores the quality of the
environment.
Why should we protect the environment and natural resources? We protect animals, habitats, vegetation,
structures and people in the environment because if we dont, we have nowhere to live in the future.
Sometimes people actively campaign to protect something. Groups of people join and form land care groups,
anti-litter campaigns and conservation organisations to improve public awareness of environmental issues and
the need to protect environments that are under threat. In this picture, a biologist is talking to school students
about how to plant native species of plants to help preserve the natural environment and remove weeds and
other invasive species.

Your Task
In your geography book and in your own words, write down what you think protection means and
why it is important.

Caring for Country/Place

Caring for Country/Place

Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Island peoples strongly believe
and feel they have the custodial responsibility of caring for Country
and Place and that it is their responsibility to prevent harm coming
to their environment.
Uluru is a sacred place for the Aboriginal people and is therefore
protected. Visitors are asked to respect the spiritual values of the
traditional custodians, the Anangu people, when visiting Uluru.
Visitors are asked not to climb Uluru in order to preserve and
protect it from any further harm and erosion.

Ghost Nets
Ghost nets are fishing nets that have been abandoned at sea, lost
accidentally or deliberately thrown away. They travel the oceans
of the world with the currents and tides. As they travel,
uncontrolled, they collect fish and other sea creatures, not only
catching threatened species but undersized and protected
creatures as well.
Watch the video on the next slide
Website Link - http://www.ghostnets.com.au/about/

Learning Intention: To identify different points of

view on how protection and sustainability can be
achieved

Ghost Nets Retrieval Chart

ASSESSMENT
Students complete