NESP Marine and Coastal Hub (2023). Supporting Indigenous people’s participation in environmental markets. Project 3.20 Information sheet. Reef and Rainforest Research Centre, Cairns, Queensland.
Overview
The carbon and nature repair markets as they apply to coastal ecosystems present important opportunities for coastal Indigenous communities to support land and sea country management, improving the long-term health and sustainability of these important ecosystems.
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.
