Indigenous people worked with a trans-disciplinary team of medical, ecological and social researchers to test the assertion that investment in Indigenous Cultural and Natural Resource Management (ICNRM) benefits both people and the environment.

The project concludes that Aboriginal people actively involved in ICNRM were demonstrably healthier than those who weren't. In particular, they had major reductions in the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. They also felt good about themselves because they were fulfilling cultural responsibilities, eating good traditional food and avoiding the social tensions of town life.

The landscape where ICNRM is practiced was also in better condition according to several measures of landscape health.
The results suggest that the benefits are sufficiently strong to justify co-investment across a range of policy domains.

More about Healthy Country, Healthy People project

Final report
Download or order » Healthy Country Healthy People final report
Fact Sheet
Download or order » Healthy Country Healthy People fact sheet