Press release: Indigenous fire practitioners eye carbon market
PRESS RELEASE 23 March 2009
Indigenous fire practitioners eye carbon market
via NAILSMA
DARWIN - The North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) has been awarded $9.8 million AUD by the Australian Federal Government to investigate carbon market opportunities for Indigenous people using traditional fire management practices in northern Australia.
The funding was announced in a joint statement by Australian Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts, Peter Garrett, and Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong following a workshop held in Canberra on Friday.
The funding was welcomed by NAILSMA Chief Executive Officer Joe Morrison who said the money would be used to improve research and development capacity; and to develop carbon market opportunities from reinstating traditional fire regimes across northern Australia.
“Traditional fire practices in northern Australia are epitomised by a mosaic fire regime, with the majority of burning occurring early in the dry season. But in areas where Indigenous people have been removed from their land, the controlled use of fire has given way to large, devastating wild fires that consume vast amounts of country later in the year. Early scientific work indicates that these larger uncontrolled fires release much more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere,” explained Mr Morrison.
“It’s essential that Aboriginal people in the north are recognised for contributions they make to reducing Australia’s carbon emissions.
“This is the perfect opportunity to marry environmental outcomes with social outcomes.
“Entry into the carbon market could represent significant numbers of jobs for Indigenous land managers, whilst traditional fire regimes are also well known as a major factor to improve biodiversity across the region,” he said.
The fire management project will be operated by NAILSMA, whilst scientific expertise will be sought from various institutions including the CSIRO, Charles Darwin University and international experts. Indigenous people will bring important Indigenous Knowledge expertise to the project.
The project will also investigate the legal frame work for crediting emissions reductions from altered fire regimes and research their scientific and market potential.
The funding announcement coincided with the release of a carbon guide for northern Indigenous Australians by NAILSMA and the United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS).
The guide, targeted directly at Indigenous people in northern Australia, outlines the impacts of and responses to climate change and focuses on the market and financial mechanisms for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
NAILSMA is an alliance of Kimberley Land Council, Northern Land Council, Carpentaria Land Council Aboriginal Cooperation and Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation.
This initiative is an element of the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country program.
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