A gum commonly found in inland Australia could create a new market for local Indigenous communities.
The Indigenous-led research has identified a potential $1 billion income stream from the sap of the Gidyea gum.
Traditional Owners from Iningai country in central western Queensland, along with University of Queensland researchers have found the gum’s sap could replace gum Arabic, which is used to stabilise foods, drinks and cosmetics.
Photo credit: Clara Davina Schmidt
The Managing Director of the Yumbangku Aboriginal Cultural Heritage and Tourism Development Aboriginal Corporation, Suzanne Thompson says it has great potential.
“It’s a billion a year industry, it’s massive and I think there’s a lot of things that Indigenous peoples and knowledges, as if we’re respected in the right way and allowed to truly lead, and this is those challenges and ideas of Indigenous-led research.”
Ms Thompson says the organisation was curious about the gum as there’s a lot of ways Aboriginal people use resins.
“We have an action and a practice but we also have a curiosity and that’s where science and Indigenous-led science research projects will go a long way to major discoveries like this.”
