In the first 27 years of the Central Australian Laboratory (CAL), to 1980, research focussed almost entirely on the needs of the pastoral industry. By the 1980s, ongoing campaigns for Aboriginal land rights and demands to conserve biodiversity plainly showed that there were other land uses deserving research attention. Initially CAL’s research agenda expanded to include conservation in spinifex grasslands and grazing lands but remained biophysical in nature. It subsequently became clear that people’s roles in decision-making about land use and management should be part of research. By the 2000s, scientists were able to build trusting relationships with Aboriginal people and organisations and undertake collaborative studies to improve livelihoods and wellbeing on country. Over the 38 years from 1980 to 2018, CAL’s research activities responded to diverse societal expectations but it was not enough to prevent the laboratory’s eventual closure as public investment in rangelands dwindled.

在澳大利亚中部实验室 (CAL) 的前 27 年中，到 1980 年，研究几乎完全集中在牧业的需求上。到 1980 年代，正在进行的土著土地权利运动和保护生物多样性的要求清楚地表明，还有其他土地用途值得研究。最初，CAL 的研究议程扩大到包括对棘刺草原和牧场的保护，但本质上仍然是生物物理的。随后很明显，人们在土地使用和管理决策中的作用应该成为研究的一部分。到 2000 年代，科学家们能够与土著人民和组织建立信任关系，并开展合作研究以改善国家的生计和福祉。从1980年到2018年的38年间，