26 September 2024
The newly formed Indigenous Country and Biodiversity Alliance (ICBA) aims to ground biodiversity management in Indigenous practices and Culture to ensure the best outcomes for Country, our people and the world.
Made up of North Australian Indigenous Land & Sea Management Alliance, Indigenous Desert Alliance, Kimberley Land Council, and the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation, ICBA aims to change the mainstream paradigm on how biodiversity is managed as the new Nature Repair Market comes into being.
ICBA spokesperson and NAILSMA CEO, Barry Hunter said the formation of the Indigenous Alliance was critical in response to the development of the Nature Repair Market and how it will operate in Australia.
He said that ICBA aimed to ensure that Indigenous people were involved in every step of its development, implementation and accessibility to maximise the biodiversity, cultural and financial core benefits of the market.
"With 80% of the world's biodiversity found on the lands of Indigenous Peoples, and 10% of that global biodiversity located in Australia, this creates a huge responsibility for us all to maintain and improve this, not just for Australia but for the whole world," Mr Hunter said.
"The majority of Australia's biodiversity exists on land, seas and in waters that is cared for by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, Country that we have deep connections to beyond just the physical. "For a long time we've been viewed as, at best, partners and far too often just a footnote by mainstream organisations working in the environmental space. The time for this tokenism to end is now.
"We have the people, the experience and the deep connection and obligation to Country to ensure positive outcomes for everyone for the entire planet, not just our people.
"ICBA is unashamedly Indigenous focused in our work, being Indigenous controlled and owned, which defines not just the process but what outcomes we want and need to see. Our DNA runs through our methods.
"For example, the mainstream approach to biodiversity only focuses on plants and animal in the landscape; these approaches don't acknowledge or honour how our people live and move around the landscape. The people are missing, and we are critical to this. We're the ones who have been caring for Country for millennia, who have the deep spiritual and cultural connections along with ancient knowledge.
“We want to emphasise that looking after Country from a cultural perspective has positive biodiversity outcomes. It's an opportunity to meld Traditional Knowledge systems with western science."
ICBA is funded through a significant philanthropic investment aimed at supporting a national partnership with Indigenous organisations to establish Indigenous-led biodiversity methods at pilot sites around Australia, not just the Country covered by ICBA's founding members.
Mr Hunter said this investment signalled that ICBA's members have strong track records in delivering outcomes and tackling transformative change.
"Our investor recognises the importance of Indigenous people leading the way on biodiversity in Australia, and the need for integrity and empowerment at every step. Our Country and people have been exploited for too long; the deficit model needs to be overcome and the mainstream paradigm flipped to appreciating that we should be the ones defining and measuring our success, including in biodiversity, and not just using Western measures.
"All of the organisations involved in ICBA are led by our Indigenous values, by our Culture and our deep respect and care for Country. We don't rush things - we respond to the pace set by Community and ensure Community are leading the design and implementation of our projects.
"The Nature Repair Market offers a real chance for our people to not only significantly contribute to biodiversity around Australia, it's also an economic empowerment opportunity. This is our Country and it is only right that we are the ones who benefit in the many forms offered by this new market.
"Many of those benefits will be beyond money or improved environmental outcomes, they will be cultural and community outcomes that are important and measurable and should also be considered a success.
"We are calling on government, NGOs and key partners to work with us to support direct investment into Indigenous-led projects and processes."
Media Enquiries Contact: Melina Pearse Email: info@icballiance.org Mobile: 0497 700 343