Edible insects and other invertebrates in Australia: future prospects.

Abstract

At the time of European settlement, the relative importance of insects in the diets of Australian Aborigines varied across the continent, reflecting both the availability of edible insects and of other plants and animals as food. The hunter-gatherer lifestyle adopted by the Australian Aborigines, as well as their understanding of the dangers of overexploitation, meant that entomophagy was a sustainable source of food. Over the last 200 years, entomophagy among Australian Aborigines has decreased because of the increasing adoption of European diets, changed social structures and changes in demography.