How did those trees get there? Rediscovering Aboriginal dispersal pathways

In a preliminary study we uncovered the dispersal of a rainforest food tree by prehistoric Aboriginal people of north NSW. We aim to extend this exciting research by using cutting-edge and transdisciplinary tools in partnership with Aboriginal people to rediscover deliberate prehistoric plant dispersal pathways along the Australian east coast. By working on three unrelated species with similar disjunct distributions, we may detect significant ‘cultural’ vegetation patterns that will challenge current assumptions about 'natural' plant distributions. New associations
between plant biogeography and deliberate Aboriginal manipulation of Australian environments will benefit cultural heritage, land management and restoration initiatives.