Supporting Indigenous people’s participation in environmental markets

However, for Indigenous organisations to participate in these markets, they must be empowered to navigate legislation, regulations, land tenures, resource ownership, co-benefits, and informed consent; with confidence, and through clearly defined processes.

It is timely for these complex issues to be considered and investigated, to ensure that a lack of readiness and enabling environments does not exclude Indigenous land and sea managers from these rapidly evolving markets.

Indigenous people, as traditional owners and custodians, landholders, and experienced land and sea managers, have a significant role to play in the development of Australia’s emerging coastal carbon and environmental markets.

To empower Indigenous organisations’ participation in environmental markets, this project identifies gaps in knowledge, working with Indigenous groups to identify risks and barriers associated with blue carbon projects and making recommendations for a successful and thriving collaborative industry.

Approach

The project will build the foundation knowledge, networks and processes required for participation in Blue Carbon and coastal environmental repair markets, by undertaking a collaborative program that:

• identifies and addresses knowledge gaps;
• co-designs participation processes and guides;
• outline appropriate information with regard to Indigenous people’s interests and rights for the public, for increased awareness;
• creates relevant information products for regions, including maps and reports;
• considers and defines protocols for free, prior and informed consent; and
• identifies and aligns components relevant to both Blue Carbon and Environmental markets.

Expected outcomes

• Supported management of country by Indigenous managers.
• Facilitation of Indigenous involvement in Blue Carbon markets.
• Collaborative creation of a new framework for decision-making by Indigenous country managers.

Project location