At Uluru, Anangu knowledge and plant science are working the same ground

Around Uluru, desert plants that carry deep cultural meaning have been dying back in hotter droughts — and the people who know them best are leading the effort to understand why. A study published in Conservation Physiology was co-designed with Anangu traditional owners, who set the research aims, chose the species and study sites, joined the fieldwork and helped interpret what the plant physiology was saying, weaving their knowledge of Country, fire and landscape with laboratory science. The collaboration points to practical next steps Anangu communities can lead themselves, including cultural burning and community plant nurseries to propagate and restore the plants that matter most.

SDG 15 · Life on land — Mechanism: community action