Michael Honer
PhD Candidate
Contact details
Email: michael.honer@cdu.edu.au
Phone: +61 8 8946 6109
Fax: +61 8 8946 7720
Office: 31.2.31
Research interests
Michael’s research focuses
Thesis Title
Contribution of natural resources to Indigenous livelihoods in Ramingining, northern Australia
This study is part of a three year ARC funded sustainable livelihoods project. The overall ARC project research aim is to critically appraise how significant the role of natural resources is in improving livelihood strategies of Indigenous people in northern Australia and eastern Indonesia. The northern Australian study site is located in NE Arnhem Land - Ramingining town and up to 14 outstations within a 40 km radius. In eastern Indonesia there are two study sites within 100 km of Kupang in West Timor.
The study objective of my PhD is to identify and quantify the current patterns of natural resource use in the livelihood strategies of Yolngu people within the NE Arnhem Land Ramingining community and nearby outstations. The purpose of this study is to provide a valuation of the Ramingining region’s subsistence harvest while the major study aim is to assess the contribution of natural resources to the local Ramingining economy.
This study will contribute to original and significant knowledge by examining contemporary issues: especially how CDEP participation and other activities effect subsistence harvest; and how subsistence harvest involvement may contribute to enterprise development. A practical outcome will be evidence-based new knowledge of how these issues effect Indigenous enterprise development. Baseline valuation data from this research will provide original data to substantially inform Indigenous decision making and help to generate sustainable natural resource-based Indigenous enterprise development.
Research methods include the gathering of quantitative household data using seasonal household surveys (face-face interviews), and the analysis of secondary data from ABS Regional Population Profiles and GIS related data. Qualitative data from key informant, focus group interviews, and field observations will also help to analyse the role of natural resources in livelihood strategies.
A review of methods and literature is well progressed and the first community workshop will commence in late May 2008 with a pilot household survey planned to start by mid June. Six household surveys will then be conducted to coincide with the Yolngu harvest calendar over an approximate one year period together with the gathering of other quantitative and qualitative data.
A key outcome of this research will be an enhanced knowledge of how the subsistence harvest contributes to the total Ramingining economy. This knowledge will feed into other ARC project objectives to help plan for more enterprise development opportunities for Yolngu people in Ramingining.
Follow link to detailed research plan >>
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