22 April 2008
The North Australian Indigenous
Land & Sea Management Alliance delegates that attended the 2020
Summit back the outcomes of the water and climate change
discussions.
The stream called for Indigenous
people to be part of the dialogue in developing climate change
strategies for Indigenous Australians. The Summit also called for a
national Indigenous Knowledge, or research centre be established to
carry out multi-disciplinary research to answer complex questions
for Indigenous people.
And while there were calls made
again to examine the opportunities around water in the north,
Indigenous Water Policy Group Chairman Mr Joe Ross stated that
“the magnitude of the issues affecting Indigenous people and
their environments and the pressures to develop the north will
require new research and partnerships with Indigenous people to
answer complex questions”.
It is particularly important to
ensure that the complexity of issues affecting Indigenous
communities attract world-class research “but any new
research must be driven by Indigenous people, which is why a new
engagement framework is justified” said Mr Ross.
Joe Morrison, NAILSMA Executive
Officer said “this is a step in the right direction, given
the increased attention being paid to the water resources on
Indigenous lands in the north, and the vulnerability of Indigenous
communities to any changes in climate, this is timely”.
Furthermore, “the need for
Indigenous people to engage and then formulate strategies to
develop the north must be seen as the primary objective, rather
than an after thought”.
The IWPG is an initiative that
was founded and is supported by the North Australian Indigenous
Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA).
Mr Morrison says, “Indigenous people’s contributions
to tackling climate change present the perfect opportunity for the
Australian government to meet social, cultural, environmental and
economic development in rural and remote northern
Australia”.
The NAILSMA discussion paper that was
presented at the 2020 Summit can be downloaded from below.
