Indigenous fire and carbon project 

Project leader: Jean Fenton 

The Indigenous Fire Project is a two-year project funded under the Tropical Savannas CRC Northern Australia Fire Project, which is coordinated by Dr Jeremy Russell-Smith .

A core component of the Northern Australia project was to effectively engage Aboriginal people in fire management initiatives and projects across northern Australia. Accordingly, the Indigenous Fire Project Officer position was developed and based with NAILSMA, this component of the project is currently being coordinated by Jean Fenton.

Key objectives are to:

• Provide support to Indigenous groups managing existing fire related issues in their regions, communities or outstations.
• Support the development of an annual north Australia fire forum.
• Assist Traditional Owners to examine opportunities for improving management of fire on their country.
• Support the development of materials for improving two-way communication flows.
• Inform Traditional Owners and their organisations of fire-related developments and initiatives.
• Develop ongoing avenues for information exchanges between Indigenous groups addressing fire related issues across northern Australia, such as, cultural exchanges.
• Develop strong relationships with key agency staff to ensure best practice and advice is getting to Traditional Owners.
• Support Indigenous representatives or, where applicable, represent Indigenous interests on regional and organisational at boards, committees and other forums dealing with fire-related issues.

Overall, the position is to consult with regional Indigenous communities and representative organisations, in order to identify requirements, impediments to, and opportunities for advancing Indigenous fire management and related Natural Resource Management (NRM) issues, both with Regional Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) strategy groups, and relevant Government agencies and other institutions.