ABSTRACT Estimates of global biodiversity are improving with the advent of novel molecular approaches, and this is especially true for reptiles. Across northern Australia, many endemic and cryptic reptile species have been discovered in recent years, and this region remains a priority area for taxonomic research. Collaborations between Indigenous land managers and researchers across remote, poorly surveyed regions can fill gaps in biodiversity knowledge, while simultaneously supporting local aspirations for value‐aligned employment and in contemporary conservation monitoring and science. Here, we apply collaborative sampling and genetic techniques with Indigenous rangers across poorly sampled East Arnhem Land to identify the species and lineages present across three reptile genera containing cryptic species complexes. Using a reduced representation DNA sequencing approach, we identified 13 taxa within Carlia, Ctenotus , and Diporiphora . We provide fine‐scale species distribution data, including 243 new occurrence records across 93 newly sampled locations, including some range extensions. This new knowledge will aid future collaborative surveys. Although sampling remains sparse, available evidence suggests a potential pattern of genetic divergence in the Blue Mud Bay region, aligning with boundaries of ecogeographic regions and Indigenous management areas. Further sampling is needed to provide greater evidence of population structure in East Arnhem Land. The ethical communication of the genetics results to the community was a key priority for Indigenous research partners. We applied a locally relevant Indigenous research approach to resolve mutual incomprehension and reveal parallel but distinct understandings of the genetic results. Yolŋu social organisation emerged as the key source of metaphor for contextualising the results across knowledge systems, with ‘gurrkurr’ (venous system, and by extension: root system and ‘blood line’) pivotal in communicating the phylogenetic tree results. Our collaborative approach could be applied across other Indigenous‐owned and managed lands of northern Australia and beyond to answer calls for collaborative conservation research practice.
Campbell et al. (Wed,) studied this question.