Remote Aust needs more people, not fewer

THE Australian outback has been ignored and poorly planned for by governments, when what it really needs is more people caring for it.

INSTEAD of shutting down remote indigenous communities, government should be supporting them so they can care for Australia's precious landscapes, a conservationist says.

DR Barry Traill, director of the Pew Charitable Trust's Outback to Oceans program, says outback Australia is less inhabited now than it was 50,000 years ago. It needs more rangers and caretakers committed to the land rather than driving residents towards cities.