Joint Management of Banteng (Bos javanicus) in a Contested Cultural Landscape: Observations and Implications.

This article presents findings on Aboriginal perspectives of the feral banteng ( Bos javanicus ) herd located in the Aboriginal-owned and jointly managed Garig Gunak Barlu National Park. The park, situated on the Cobourg Peninsula in Australia’s Northern Territory, is home to what may be the world’s largest remaining wild herd of banteng, and the animals have both local and international significance. The article presents extensive ethnographic details of this situation, and compares the perspectives and aspirations of the traditional owners of the park to the park’s management plans. Drawing on emerging theoretical understandings of landscape in anthropology, the article concludes with an evaluation of some of the sources of discord in the joint management of banteng and the implications of this case for joint management in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]