Indigenous Food Security
Indigenous food security represents the use and availability of food in the Darwin Harbour and catchment. Information for this indicator was collected in 2020 via a survey of 50 Indigenous representatives living within the Darwin Harbour catchment. Survey questions covered topics related to current use of the region as a primary food source, the perceived availability of seafood and mainland foods, and threats to current and future food security.
Scoring method
All survey questions had the same five response options which were scored accordingly: strongly disagree (0), disagree (25), neutral (50), agree (75), and strongly agree (100) - which matched the standardised 0-100 report card scoring scale. Responses to questions were averaged and reported by category: i) harbour as a main sourcce of food, ii) seafood security, and iii) mainland food security.
Findings
Indigenous food security received a moderate grade (C), reflecting survey responses that indicated a decline in sea and mainland food sources over time. This was attributed, by the respondents, to over-fishing, poor governance, habitat destruction, and invasive species.
