In Australia, farms are facing increasing soil erosion, spreading soil salinity, diminishing biodiversity and global climate change.
These issues make conserving biodiversity complex; they highlight the need for inclusive, respectful approaches that help rural communities, private landholders and government agencies effectively manage biodiversity and research on private lands.
To address these complex problems, landholders, rural communities and other stakeholders are seeking evidence-based solutions through directly applicable research.
Our work investigated current barriers to such research and highlight principles and processes for co-designing and managing research based on mutual trust, respect, power sharing and acceptance of various knowledge systems.
We suggest that ‘communities of practice’ could offer one way of setting up active, positive collaborations for the co-design of research into natural resource management on private lands.
Read more in our paper in Ecological Management & Restoration.