Learn about the history of Uluru, also known as Ayres Rock, in Australia with iMinds Travel's insightful fast knowledge series. Uluru is the indigenous Australian name for an enormous rock formation found in central Australia. Made from sandstone, Uluru is a rock monolith or an 'island mountain', a formation that geologists refer to as a monadnock. It stands 318 m (986 ft) high and has a circumference of 8 km (5 miles). It is located 335 km (208 mi) south west of the nearest rural centre, the large town of Alice Springs. The site was first mapped by Europeans in 1872 during the construction of the Australian Overland Telegraph Line that linked the northern settlement of Darwin to Port Augusta in South Australia. Uluru was originally named Mount Olga by Ernest Giles. On a separate expedition in 1870, the explorer William Gosse renamed the formation Ayers Rock in honour of the Chief Secretary of South Australia, Sir Henry Ayers. The name was made official until 1992, when it was renamed Uluru/Ayers Rock as an official dual title, honouring both the European and Aboriginal names. Uluru is, as Ernest Giles referred to it in 1872, the world's "most remarkable pebble." iMinds will tell you the story behind the place with its innovative travel series, transporting the armchair traveller or getting you in the mood for discover on route to your destination. iMinds brings targeted knowledge to your eReading device with short information segments to whet your mental appetite and broaden your mind.

Rooted in real-world observations, this book questions the concept of tradition. In his introduction, Nezar AlSayyad discusses the meanings of the word 'tradition' and the current debates about the 'end of tradition'. Thereafter the book is divided into three parts.

This book examines the diverse use of Indigenous customary rights in modern landscapes from a multidisciplinary perspective. Divided into two parts, the first deals explicitly with Sámi customary rights in relation to nature conservation in the Nordic countries and Russia from a legal and historical perspective. The authors investigate how longstanding Sámi customary territorial rights have been reassessed in the context of new kinds of legislation regarding Indigenous people. They also look at the ideas behind the historical models of nature conservation. The second part deals with the ideas and implementation of new kinds of postcolonial models of nature conservation. The case of the Sámi is compared with other Indigenous people internationally with cases from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and India. The work investigates how the governance of protected areas has been influenced by the principles of equality and positive discrimination, and how it has affected the possibilities of establishing adaptive co-management arrangements for specific areas. How the legal situation of Indigenous peoples has been recognised in an international context is also investigated. The volume provides a multidisciplinary analysis of how the customary livelihood of Indigenous people has adapted to modern industrialised landscapes and also how postcolonial approaches have contributed to global changes of Indigenous rights and nature conservation models.

Collects essays on the Indigenous peoples of Australia and Northern Europe, exploring the similarities and differences between the Indigenous experiences in the Nordic countries and Australia.

From the red desert landscapes in the south, to the lush tropics of the north, the Northern Territory has vast areas of spectacular wilderness. The World Heritage sites of Kakadu and Uluru are iconic locations, recognised around the world as symbols of Australia. Read about the history of the Northern Territory, its economy and its path to self-government. Then find out why camels were so important in the territory's early development. - Aboriginal history and culture - Maps, timelines, statistics - Historic illustrations - Covers geography, history, economics, government - Biographies of notable people - Australian Primary Curriculum

This book examines both specific issues and more general problems stemming from the interaction of religion, travel and tourism with hospitality and culture, as well as the implications for site management and interpretation. It explores the oldest form of religious tourism – pilgrimage – from its original form to the multiple spiritual and secular variations practised today, along with issues and conflicts arising from the collision of religion, politics and tourism. The volume considers the impact of tourism and tourist numbers on religious features, communities and phenomena, including the deliberate involvement of some religious agencies in tourism. It also addresses the ways in which religious beliefs and philosophies affect the behaviour and perceptions of tourists as well as hosts. The book illustrates how different faiths interact with tourism and the issues of catering for religious tourists of the major faiths, as well as managing the interaction between increasing numbers of secular tourists and pilgrims at religious sites.

Australia has a rich and unique array of animals, including the largest diversity of marsupials on earth. The recent growth in ecotourism has increased the popularity of mammal-spotting, particularly whale and dolphin-watching, but also spotting of perennial tourist favourites such as koalas and kangaroos. Birdwatchers have for many years known of sites where special or difficult-to-see species may be reliably located. However, despite their comparative abundance and spectacular diversity, many of Australia's unique mammals remain under-appreciated because there has been little available information on where to see them – until now. For the first time ever, The Complete Guide to Finding the Mammals of Australia advises interested amateurs and professionals where to locate many of Australia's mammals. The book describes Australia's best mammal-watching sites state-by-state. It also includes a complete, annotated taxonomic list with hints on finding each species (or why it won't be easy to see); sections on travel and logistics in Australia; and appendices with hints on finding and photographing mammals. This book will be of interest to anyone wanting to observe or photograph Australian mammals in the wild, mammal enthusiasts, biological field workers and volunteers, tourists and ecotourists.

Whilst there are popular ideas about which champion Aboriginal environmental knowledge, many of these are based more on romantic notions than on any detailed understanding of what might be the content of this knowledge. This book is based on a grounded and broad assessment of less well known details of Aboriginal knowledge and provides both a great deal of detail and a new assessment of rituals and practices. Aboriginal environmental knowledge is examined here as an integrated source of both religious and scientific knowledge. An important finding is that Aboriginal environmental knowledge also includes knowledge about education for attitudes considered appropriate for survival. Though evidence for this is readily available in the literature, it has not been part of current depictions of Aboriginal environmental knowledge.

** This title was originally published in 2007. The version published in 2012 is a PB reprint of the original HB** The protection of natural resources and biodiversity through protected areas is increasingly based on ecological principles. Simultaneously the concept of ecosystem-based management has become broadly accepted and implemented over the last two decades. However, this period has also seen unprecedented rapid global social and ecological change, which has weakened many protection efforts. These changes have created an awareness of opportunities for innovative approaches to managing protected areas and of the need to integrate social and economic concerns with ecological elements in protected areas and parks management. A rare collection of articles that fuses academic theory, critique of practice and practical knowledge, Transforming Parks and Protected Areas analyzes and critiques these theories, practices, and philosophies, looking in-detail at the emerging issues in the design and operation of parks and protected areas. Addressing critical dynamics and current practices in parks and protected areas management, the excellent volume goes well beyond simple managerial solutions and descriptions of standard practice. With contributions from leading academics and practitioners, this book will be of value to all those working within ecology, natural resources, conservation and parks management as well as students and academics across the environmental sciences and land use management.

Indigenous peoples and protected areas all over the world are portraited. The conflict between "modern life" and the lifestyle practised for ages in these areas is discussed