Trees to remember: culturally modified boab trees in the face of climate change

Culturally modified trees (CMTs) are a unique form of archaeology and cultural heritage. There are several factors affecting the survival of culturally modified trees in Australia, and these will all likely be exacerbated by climate change. Boab trees (Adansonia gregorii), which are endemic to northwest Australia, have been subject to modification by Indigenous people both prior to and following the settlement of the Kimberley region by European and Anglo-Australians. Many of the potential impacts of climate change on boab tree survival are yet to be determined, but a range of new threats are emerging as potential endangerment. Through the insights of Indigenous knowledge, this paper discusses one particularly significant boab tree in Nyikina Country and how its demise may be linked to erroneous human actions in the recent past. This provides a unique perspective on how the complexities of climate change may be conceptualised through living knowledge and experience.