Murnong on Maar

James Templeton, Conservation Ecology Centre, Conservation Project Manager

This project, funded by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies, was conducted in collaboration with the Eastern Maar Aboriginal Corporation and the University of Melbourne (UoM).

As an Aboriginal-led project, it investigated the contemporary and pre-invasion distribution, community ecology, and soil ecology of murnong across Eastern Maar territories. The data collected was crucial for understanding the historical growth of murnong under traditional Aboriginal management and identifying the environmental conditions necessary for it to thrive. The project employed a range of methods, including literature reviews, flora surveys, sediment core analysis and soil sampling, to provide a comprehensive overview of murnong’s status and history within Eastern Maar territory. Extensive flora surveys detailed the contemporary distribution and community structure of murnong populations. Palaeoecological analysis of sediment cores from selected water bodies assessed pollen and charcoal counts to reveal murnong’s historical distribution, prevalent flora of the period, and associated fire regimes. Soil samples collected from both flora survey sites and sediment cores helped clarify the ideal soil type, condition and microbial elements crucial for murnong growth.

The data from the Murnong on Maar project was handed over to Eastern Maar, contributing valuable insights for future initiatives, such as their Cultural Landscapes project, and supporting efforts to reinvigorate Aboriginal agricultural practices. The Conservation Ecology Centre led the flora survey component, while Michael-Shawn Fletcher (UoM)headed the palaeoecological analysis and Kate Howell (UoM) conducted the soil analysis.