Ngaliyindi Fire Workshop Report
Released
A report entitledManaging
Fire and Measuring Progress in the Arafura Swamp Region - Applying
Adaptive Fire Management to Maintain and Enhance Natural, Cultural
and Social Values Workshop has just been release
by NAILSMA after a very successful workshop held at the Ngaliyindi
Outstation in Arnhem Land in September 2010. The project was
supported by Pew and the Nature Conservancy with assistance from
the Northern Land Council.
The workshop focused particularly on:
- fire management and related issues (fire-sensitive biota,
traditional ecological knowledge);
- reaching better understanding for the need to implement
strategic fire management;
- economic opportunities for achieving land management outcomes;
and
- useful ways for monitoring progress especially with respect to
core cultural, social and biodiversity values.
You can download your copy here.
NAILSMA Member of NGO Climate Change
Roundtable
The NAILSMA CEO has been invited to be a member of the new
NGO
Climate Change Roundtable that has been established to
engage non-government organisations on the Government’s
climate change policies. Here are its terms of reference:
- The roundtable is established to engage unions, environment and
non-government organisations on the Government’s climate
change policies.
- The roundtable will serve as a forum for members to provide
advice to the Ministers to help inform the positions that the
Government takes to the Multi-Party Climate Change Committee.
- Discussions will focus on the importance of the introduction of
a carbon price to supporting a sustainable economy, supporting jobs
growth and safeguarding our environment. It will also discuss how
to support the necessary investments in low pollution technologies,
and how to assist the community to transition to a low pollution
future, having particular regard for low income earners and
pensioners. It may also cover a range of other climate change
measures.
The roundtable will meet monthly, or as required, until the end of
2011. Here are the outcomes
of their first meeting.
Moving Towards Emissions
Trading
Welcome to 2011 from the Carbon Project team. Another
important year is under way.
The process of moving fire and emissions abatement projects toward
earning an income from trading green house gas (GHG) offsets is
gaining impetus.
The Federal Government’s Carbon
Farming Initiative offers significant support for the
development of a savanna fire management accounting methodology and
suggests access to markets in the second half of the year.
NAILSMA has submitted comments on both the Design of the Carbon
Farming Initiative Consultation Paper and in response
to the Draft Guidelines for Submitting Methodologies, hoping to
ensure good access to carbon markets here and overseas for
Indigenous land managers across the savannas.
A NAILSMA goal of generating incomes from niche Indigenous land and
sea management activities is being further advanced with the
development of a Business and Feasibility Plan for the Carbon
Project. This process includes modelling a range of prospective
trading options and governance arrangements to maximise the
benefits to land managers. These will be presented to the NAILSMA
Board and regional organisations for further consideration.
NAILSMA Carbon Team
Joe
Morrison, Glenn
James, and Donna
Bush
Q&A Indigenous Interests on
National Water Reform
Answers
to common questions about the National Water Reform
and how it effects Indigenous people are now on the NAILSMA
Water Project web page.
Print off copies for your information, or for your community.
Back to top
IWPG next Meeting, 19-20 April,
Derby, WA
The Indigenous
Water Policy Group (IWPG) has set the date for its
13th meeting for 19-20 April 2011 in Derby, WA.
Members
of the IWPG will convene with the Policy Engagement
Group (made up of representatives from state and territory
government water agencies) to update on IWPG regional research
consultancies on Indigenous water allocations.
See the 12th
Meeting News Bulletin on the NAILSMA website.
Steering Group to Oversee Regional
Research Consultancies
Since its last
meeting, the Indigenous
Water Policy Group (IWPG) has established a
Steering Group to oversee the delivery of regional
research consultancies toward allocations for Indigenous people in
some water plans being developed by the government across the north
of Australia.
Research consultancies are designed to inform selected communities
about the water planning process and highlight opportunities, as
well as gain an understanding of interests around water allocation.
Communities will be selected based on areas already facing water
use pressure and undergoing local water planning processes. The
Steering Group provides advice on the development
of regional case studies and deliberates on research outcomes and
their potential for policy development.
So far, negotiations on the engagement of research consultations in
the Northern Territory are underway. The outcomes from the NT
scenarios on water allocations, the learnings and experience gained
along the way will provide an informed basis to build cases in
other regions of north Australia. It is expected that preliminary
findings from NT case studies will be available to present to the
IWPG at its 13th meeting in April.
Welcome to the Water Facilitator
Team
The Kimberley Land Council has welcomed on board a new staff member
as part of the NAILSMA
Indigenous Community Water Facilitator Network.
Natalie Young joined KLC late last year, as the water facilitator
working in the West Kimberley region. This region covers the
strategically important Fitzroy River basin, as well as the Dampier
Peninsula and La Grange water areas. Natalie is completing a Master
of Integrated Water Management and has a background in
environmental engineering and water resources. She has previously
worked in the commercial and development sectors, including for
some time in Timor Leste and Mongolia.
In the Kimberley, Natalie will be concentrating on following up on
some of the processes of Indigenous involvement in water planning
that have occurred recently. In particular, she will be helping the
community to assess their input and satisfaction with a Draft
Kimberley Regional Water Plan.
What has NAILSMA got to do with
Motorbikes?
NAILSMA is one of ten
organisations from ten different countries to be
included in a 20,000 km promotional and fund raising motorcycle
journey
through South East Asia by Wheel2Wheel.
Wheel2WHeel is an independent non-profit organisation created by
Morgan Parker (pictured) a Brisbane entrepreneur now living in Hong
Kong.
They hope to raise awareness of the work of the ten selected groups
and provide them with documentary air time and donations collected
via their money raising endeavours. The Wheel2Wheel team leave Hong
Kong 1 March and will be visiting us in the Northern Territory in
June.
'Wheel2Wheel is entirely self-funded to enable 100% of
donations to be passed through directly to its ten selected
organisations. The 20,000km plus expedition is also carbon neutral
with Wheel2Wheel off-setting 100% of all emissions
created.''
Saltwater People Network
Facilitators Meet in Darwin
Representatives from Kimberley Land Council, Northern Land Council,
Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporattion, Balkanu Cape York
Development Corporation, and NAILSMA attended a Saltwater People
Network (SPN) Facilitators’ meeting on 8 and 9
February, 2011.
The attendees worked their way through a full program that included
in-depth discussions on all things I-Tracker.
Pre-planning for the Saltwater People Network Forum on 1-3 March to
be held in Cairns was also on the agenda. That Forum will bring
together Indigenous rangers from across north Australia to network,
learn from each other’s successes and discuss progress with
SPN activities.
Learn more about I-Tracker
on NAILSMA’s website.
International Interest in Role of
Indigenous Ranger Groups in North Australia
Policy
Matters, the journal of the IUCN’s
Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP)
organisation recently published an article co-authored by the
Saltwater People Network team and NAILSMA CEO Joe Morrison.
The article (go
to page 135-142) informs an international audience
about the Indigenous ranger movement in north Australia, and how
the I-Tracker project empowers Traditional Owners by providing
rangers with tools and skills to effectively collect environmental
data to inform local-level land and sea management. You
can read the full article here.
Water Talks
At the launch of the Indigenous
Water Policy Statement at Parliament House in Darwin
last year, guest speakers made some significant statements about
the importance of including Indigenous interests in
National Water Reform. Here are six
videos of speeches from Pat Dodson, Anne
Poelina, Joe Ross, Richie Ah Mat, Kim Hill, and Elaine
Gardiner.
Joe Ross talks Water at Ranger
Conference Broken Hill
Joe Ross was a guest speaker at the Land and Sea Rangers
Conference, Broken Hill, in November, 2010. He spoke in the Plenary
Session: Caring for Country - Water, about
Indigenous Peoples' engagement in Water
Reform. Here
is a video of his presentation.
Global Water Forum - Challenges of
Water Governance in the 21st Century
'" I want to argue here that it is important for us to
recognise the unique rights and interests to water held by
indigenous Australians.
"I want to argue further that this recognition will
play a pivotal role in supporting indigenous socio-economic
development.' So writes William Nikolakis (ANU) on the
Global Water Forum. Read
on for more information.
Kimberley WA - Water Facilitator
News
Sonia Leonard, KLC Water Facilitator for the Kimberley, is
currently focused on the Kimberley consultation project to respond
to draft Kimberley Water Plan in April.
Last year, she worked extensively with the Miriwoong people from
the eastern Kimberley who recently, through the Mirima
Dawang Woorlab-gerring Language Centre, launched a
Miriwoong
Seasonal Calendar. They also launched a video about
Miriwoong
Traditional Weather Knowledge, helping to understand
indicators of seasonal change and how they affect water
availability at different times of the year.
This project was filmed during a five day back to country trip to
Keep River National Park in June 2010 and in a number of workshops
in Kununurra between July 2010 and February 2011. It builds on
previous work with Miriwoong Traditional Owners documenting
traditional knowledge and cultural values of water.
Daly River NT - Water Facilitator
News
Two all-group validation meetings were held in August and November
2010 about the pending draft Oolloo Water Allocation Plan.
Peter Pender, the NLC Water Facilitator, gave
presentations at these meetings, as did administrative and legal
representatives from NAILSMA, and an anthropologist from Aboriginal
Areas Protection Authority. An Indigenous Water Policy Group (IWPG)
representative and IWPG advisers also attended. Peter Pender also
gave a presentation to Northern Land Council (NLC) Katherine
Regional Council validation meeting in September and a Daly River
Aboriginal Reference Group (DRARG) validation meeting in early
December 2010.
The NLC also engaged Delphine Morris, consultant anthropologist,
who interviewed 23 traditional owners of the Daly River Catchment,
to document their water knowledge and the cultural significance of
water. The project collected the following information:
- Traditional Owner knowledge and rights over water;
- Sacred Sites and Indigenous values and practices in regards to
water;
- cultural responsibilities to water;
- changes in the Daly River Catchment; and
- impacts of those changes.
This work will be submitted into the Oolloo Water Allocation Plan
early in 2011.
Photo: spot the croc - Daly River
Gregory River/Gulf Region - Water
Facilitator News
The Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Corporation (CLCAC) has
held six large group consultation meetings and a further two
consultation meetings specifically with Elders. Ongoing
consultations in the Queensland lower Gulf region this year will
lead towards a larger forum outlining the ongoing requirements in
water allocation planning procedures. Broader engagement has been
investigating:
- people’s concerns, aspirations and interests in relation
to water, and
- the direction Traditional Owners would like the Water Project
to take into the future.
At this stage a lot of concern is focused on the effect mining has
on ground and surface water. Other interests and concerns mainly
involve irrigation for cattle feed on pastoral properties.
Community participants wanted to learn more from other regions,
like Daly River Traditional Owners, about what is involved in an
intensive water allocation planning process. A commonly asked
question has been “Who is responsible for enforcing these
allocations in such a remote region?” A desire has been
expressed for research to be undertaken into the biodiversity
values of several main water systems in the Gulf region.
We held our first meeting with Wellesley Island people to record
and document their interests, concerns and aspirations. Their
islands are sometimes subject to water restrictions so people are
particularly concerned with water usage.
The regional plan approach is in progress, and consultations are
still being conducted. This will allow us to finalise the Gulf
Regional Water Management Plan. Additionally, the Elders have
requested that we look at additional educational material and
experiences learnt from other regions so they get a better
appreciation of intensive Water Allocation Planning procedures.
Photo: Coastal plains, Gregory River
Wenlock River, Western Cape York -
Water Facilitator News
At the Wenlock Catchment Water Planning Forum (Dec 2010)
participants discussed the National
Water Initiative and water reform outcomes and
policies including the IWPG
Indigenous Water Policy Statement and the Mary
River Statement . Joe Ross (IWPG Chair), Patrick
Dodson, and Michael O’Donnell (IWPG Legal Advisor) presented
at the Forum outlining the national and Queensland water planning
processes, legal issues and water allocation planning processes.
The participants of the Forum developed guiding principles of how
their community and Traditional Owners can facilitate their own
water policy planning and associated economic aspirations. Issues
that were prioritised included:
- cultural mapping is very important because of sacred sites
along the Wenlock River, involving identification of Traditional
Owners’ boundaries and their collective responsibilities to
country and how to manage water; and
- a strong voice was needed for the catchment by setting up a
Wenlock River Catchment Group.
Mapoon Land and Sea Rangers provided principles and guidelines for
monitoring water quality (freshwater and saltwater) along the
Wenlock River.
Photo: Forum delegates - see
larger version of this photo here
Videos from Wenlock Meeting
Here are a couple of videos giving feedback on the value of the
meeting, one from Linda
Maclachlan, and the other from Brendan
Wheeler, Mapoon Land and Sea Ranger.
New Poster - Fish from Daly River -
Wagiman Country
TRaCK has publsihed a new poster showing the freshwater fish
species found in Wagiman country, Daly river is now available on
the
TRaCK website. It includes Wagiman names for fish
species as well as English, Kriol and scientific names. If you
would like a hard copy of the poster please email TRaCK at Charles
Darwin University:
TRaCK 6 Sustainable Enterprises
Research Update
Synthesis Year Funding Secured
TRaCK has been successful in securing further funding from the
National Water Commission to undertake a Synthesis
Year.
The project will target the adoption of the results of TRaCK and
other water research by water planners and managers. NAILSMA
coordinates Theme
6 of the current TRaCK program. Under the TRaCK
Synthesis Year, NAILSMA will provide opportunities for its Theme 6
case studies to consider, compare and contrast key findings for
common learnings that will promote sustainable livelihoods into the
future. NAILSMA will also engage the development of a community
field guide for Indigenous people on Indigenous engagement in water
planning. Funding runs from February 2011 to March
2012.
TRaCK Theme 6 project updates
TRaCK is due to end early this year along with projects under Theme
6.
Theme 6.1 on water markets is shortly due to release its final
report on the costs and benefits of water markets .Two other water
markets reports are available for download:
- Institutional
Arrangements and Water Markets, and
- Stakeholder
Values and Attitudes towards Water Markets.
Similarly, Theme 6.2 on Indigenous Rights to Water is due to
release a comprehensive report in the next month or so. The three
case studies, Nyikina Mangala (Fitzroy River), Archer River and
Arnhem Land, will also be delivered early this year. Case studies
examine costs of environmental management, best practice for
sustainable Indigenous livelihoods and identifying strategies to
improve Indigenous engagement in natural resource management.
Mapping our way through 2011
At a Staff Retreat last week, Darwin based NAILSMA staff pooled
skills and resources to navigate pathways through another exciting
and challenging year. Here's
more information about NAILSMA staff.
Project News Bulletins
Here are the links to News Bulletins for some of NAILSMA's
individual projects: Carbon
Project, and the three projects under the Water
Program: Indigenous
Water Policy Group, TRaCK
6 Sustainable Enterprises Research, and Indigenous
Community Water Facilitator Network.
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