Conservation Ecology: Cross-cultural conflicts in fire management in northern Australia: not so black and white.: Table 1

Table 1. Conventional contrasts between European and Aboriginal perspectives on fire management in northern Australia.

Fire management issues

European

Aboriginal

Objectives (desired ecological outcomes)

clear, well defined

often unclear, not well defined

Knowledge acquisition

scientific enquiry

tradition, beliefs, and personal experience

Knowledge dynamics

challenge old, create new

preserve old, resist new

Biodiversity

central concern

meaningless abstraction

Fire management issues	European	Aboriginal

Objectives (desired ecological outcomes)	clear, well defined	often unclear, not well defined
Knowledge acquisition	scientific enquiry	tradition, beliefs, and personal experience
Knowledge dynamics	challenge old, create new	preserve old, resist new
Biodiversity	central concern	meaningless abstraction