Australian Land Conservation Alliance

ALCA is deeply disappointed that national environmental law reforms remain stalled. Fixing the broken laws is crucial to addressing Australia's nature crisis and is only the beginning of what’s needed to slow the destruction of our environment. We desperately need the laws and the funding to protect what we still have left, and to restore what we’ve lost.   Half of Australia’s GDP is moderately to highly dependent on nature, and the last federal Government State of the Environment Report detailed the accelerating decline of our nature. However, less than 0.1% of the federal budget invested in the protection and recovery of Australia’s biodiversity. Nature underpins Australia’s social, cultural, and economic wellbeing (or the "bread and butter" as per this article), and a negotiated outcome would be welcomed by both private sector and environmental groups. https://lnkd.in/gJtzb6e4

We are pleased to welcome Liz O'Brien and Nerida Bradley to ALCA’s Board of Directors. At our recent AGM, ALCA Chair Vic Marles highlighted the Board's ongoing efforts to diversify its skills as the private land conservation sector grows and matures. Liz’s career spans research, public sector roles, and leadership at the Queensland Trust for Nature, and Nerida brings extensive sector experience (including through previous roles with the Queensland Trust for Nature and the Australian Land Conservation Alliance), and markets expertise. We’ll be saying farewell to outgoing directors James Hattam and Tim Hughes at the end of their term. James and Tim have made significant contributions to ALCA, particularly through longstanding involvement on ALCA Committees. Their work has been integral to ALCA's success in advancing conservation efforts; and their knowledge, capability, and leadership has helped ALCA grow to be the organisation that it is today. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gpZyW97Y

It's not too late to register for our COP16 debrief webinar, on Monday 18th Nov (2-3pm AEDT). Join us as we unpack the key takeaways and the implications for conservation in Australia. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gpQej9xx

ALCA's Nature Finance Lead, Steven Lynch, attended the Australian Sustainable Finance Institute's Summit last week, and reflected on some key takeaways: 🌿 First Nations perspectives played a central role at this Summit including the announcement of a partnership between ASFI and the First Nations Project Group to scope and incubate a new organisation dedicated to supporting First Nations, industry and government to successfully deliver equitable partnerships in major projects on country. 🌿 A key discussion point was how First Nations communities can transition from stakeholders to shareholders, with examples of what can be achieved when First Nations communities are in the lead.  🌿 It is always sobering to hear how much we need to do to get the planet back on track. 2025 is the 10-year anniversary of the Paris agreement and we are off track on its progress and need to act urgently. 🌿 We heard that we are living in a time when leadership is more important than ever, and that we need to lead in the face of ambiguity. 🌿 Minister Plibersek reflected on the Global Nature Positive Summit and the leadership role that Australia can play in nature-positive initiatives, rather than just keep up with the pack. 🌿Nature is becoming more prominent in the world of sustainable finance – APRA has included nature risk as a focus area in its 2024-2025 Corporate Plan noting that “There is also heightened global focus of the impact of nature-related risks, such as the loss of biodiversity on the financial system and the community.” 🌿 ALCA will continue to be an important voice in developments in Sustainable Finance including input into the Australian Sustainable Finance Taxonomy. https://lnkd.in/ggMUVPS6

COP16 has delivered important decisions and commitments relating to the interconnections of nature and climate, biodiversity and health; a stronger voice for Indigenous Peoples; and identification of important marine areas. However, despite extended negotiations, COP16 failed to reach consensus on several critical issues and we are left with an enormous funding gap, without decisions on a broader resource mobilisation plan, and without a finalised monitoring framework to hold countries accountable to each other. Notable achievements: - A historic decision established a permanent subsidiary body for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities under Article 8(j), ensuring their voice is central in future negotiations. - A new global mechanism was created to share benefits from digital sequence information, which could mobilise up to $2 billion annually. Half of this funding will support the needs of Indigenous peoples, local communities, and women and youth within those groups. - COP16 was the largest UN biodiversity conference in history, attracting significant global attention. The event featured numerous side events showcasing innovations by civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and the private sector. - A group of countries announced the formation of the Mainstreaming Champions Group to accelerate the integration of GBF targets into global economic sectors, co-led by Colombia and Mexico with support from environmental NGOs like TNC and WWF. - The Global Action Plan on Biodiversity and Health was adopted, as were procedures for identifying Ecologically and Biologically Significant Areas in the marine space. Unresolved issues: - A major challenge remains the mobilization of resources for biodiversity, with countries divided over the creation of a new global fund. The goal of raising $20 billion by 2025 is far from being met. - Finalisation of monitoring framework, including agreement on the indicator for Target 7, was delayed. Final approval was not reached before the suspension. - Disagreements over the modalities for the global review of progress under the CBD in 2026 and 2030 prevented consensus. - The budget for running the CBD secretariat and the overall funding strategy for biodiversity were also unresolved. Overall, COP16 made some strides, especially in recognising Indigenous rights and setting up mechanisms for global collaboration on biodiversity. However, critical issues around funding, monitoring, and accountability remain to be addressed. Join us for a debrief webinar to unpack key takeways from COP16 and the implications for conservation in Australia. ONLINE WEBINAR: 2pm AEDT, Monday 18 November. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gNwjBja6

Finance and Biodiversity Day at #COP16: Today's event builds on the success of the inaugural event at Montreal, and is designed to foster engagement among finance ministers and leaders. The Finance and Biodiversity Day aims to support resource mobilisation and alignment of financial flows to enable the implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. In reality, finance has been a top priority for the whole UN Summit. Some reflections from ALCA members on the ground over the first week include North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance's Erica McCreedy, who spoke on the Building the Future of Nature Finance’ panel. Erica said there has been a strong, clear message from Indigenous panelists from around the world that Indigenous people must be the forefront of making decisions and designing strategies for climate and biodiversity actions – and it requires rethinking finance, and undescores the need to mobilise resources.   And GreenCollar's Anjali Nelson noted a key highlight as the release of the High-Level Principles for Integrity and Governance of the Biodiversity Credit Market, which aims to shape the global biodiversity credit market by establishing a common framework for best practices.    Markets will likely be one of the main ways the private sector invests in nature. If the top 500 global companies were to dedicate just 1% of their corporate profits to global nature targets, it could generate approximately $43 billion annually. Financing GBF implementation is a key COP16 focus. At COP15, parties agreed to secure $20 billion in public funds by 2025, scaling up to $200 billion (from all sources) annually by 2030. This includes redirecting harmful subsidies, which need to be identified next year, and reduced by $500 billion a year by 2030. Negotiations are ongoing regarding the best funding mechanisms, with a critical focus on empowering local and Indigenous communities.

Making Peace with Nature – following the halfway point of #COP16 it's a good time to take stock of what has been dubbed the 'people's COP’. 177 countries are participating, and with over 23,000 registered delegates (and more than 40,000 people reported to be participating in the ‘Green Room’ events) it is the largest UN Biodiversity Conference in history. There's a heavy official conference agenda, and many acoustic difficulties, but it seems like good progress has been made in a number of areas, with several draft proposals, resolutions or decisions in development. The conference work is split into two main groups: -Working Group I is focused on issues related to rules and finances. They’re expecting reports on how to close funding gaps and improve financial systems this weekend. -Working Group II is dealing with technical topics, like wildlife use and climate issues. Some smaller groups are helping to work on these topics, too.   There has been much alignment on the climate agenda item and the need to find synergies between the two Rio Conventions. This is particularly important in the lead-up to the next climate COP29 In Baku in November. As Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said: ‘Progress in Cali will give impetus and courage and trust to Baku’. Strong declarations coming from COP16 are also hoped to influence the preparation of the third round of Nationally Determined Contributions due at COP30 in Brazil, representing a critical opportunity to ensure nature is at the heart of climate solutions.   A lot of work happened over the weekend to prepare for the arrival of government ministers and important leaders. And whilst the small number of NBSAPs submitted so far is sobering (only 35 of 196 parties have submitted updated plans), 115 countries have now set new targets to deliver the Global Biodiversity Framework. The main goal for this week is to keep collaboration and negotiations moving. It’s crucial that all countries have the political will and resources they need to work together with local communities, including Indigenous peoples, women, and youth, to update their plans and to ensure people on the ground are empowered to deliver them. We also need to finalise the system that will measure our collective progress and help us understand which targets we’re doing well on and where we’re struggling. For more details on key agenda items and what ALCA wants to see, check our COP16 guide: https://lnkd.in/gm4zQcX9.

COP15 ended in Montreal, in late 2022 with a landmark agreement to guide global action on nature through to 2030 through the Global Biodiversity Framework. Now, #COP16Colombia is underway in Cali, with governments reviewing implementation progress and the level of alignment of their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) with the Biodiversity Plan. It was hoped that COP16 would be more adoption than negotiation but many key implementation issues remain unresolved, so COP16 will be about finalising details and setting the GBF in motion. We want to see an ambitious agenda from the Australian Government, especially with regard to its recently released NBSAP, agreement on monitoring framework indicators, and momentum and commitment to critical resource mobilisation goals and pathways. Australia has set high ambitions, but that ambition needs to be matched with action that is resourced and can be reported against. For more detail on what’s happened since COP15, key agenda items at COP16, and a summary of what ALCA wants to see coming out of Cali, read our COP16 guide: https://lnkd.in/gm4zQcX9

A big thank you to everyone who attended our 2024 Private Land Conservation Conference. We brought the conference to Sydney alongside the world’s first Global Nature Positive Summit so that we could bring the Summit conversations to our sector, and showcase our sector’s work to the world. It enabled us to elevate private land conservation in national and international conversations and ground high-level policy and finance discussions in on-ground action. Across #PLC24: Nature Now we saw a showcase of some of the best examples of decisive, on-ground nature action creating real impact for people and planet, and explored the barriers and opportunities to enabling and scaling private land conservation. As our nation navigates serious, urgent, interconnected climate and nature challenges, our sector will be critical to achieve many of the targets in the Global Biodiversity Framework, deliver on Australia’s national land protection and restoration targets, and transition to a net zero and nature positive future. Conferences like PLC24 are an important opportunity to bring our people together and help drive change. PLC24 wouldn’t have been possible without the support and participation of our expert sector, and its growing network of supporters and partners. Thank you to our members for your commitment and effort to growing this event, and to workshop facilitators and contributors, and the outstanding line-up of Australian and international speakers for your thought leadership. A big thank you also to our Conference Partners Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Bush Heritage Australia, GreenCollar, Biodiversity Conservation Trust, and WWF-Australia; Conference Sponsors ANZ, Bupa, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, and NAB; Stream Sponsors Trust for Nature, Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA), and Wildlife Unlimited; Policy Breakfast Sponsor The Nature Conservancy in Australia; Conservation Finance Intensive Sponsor EY; Community Sponsors Climate Friendly, Landcare Australia, North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance, and Nature Foundation; Network Sponsors Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN), Atlas of Living Australia, and Marsden Jacob Associates. We hope you left the conference with new friends and connections, new knowledge and ideas, and renewed determination for nature action. As CEO Jody Gunn said in her opening address, “It takes leadership – and this room has that in spades. This is our moment. Together, we can ensure a future of resilience, hope, and opportunity—for people and for the planet. I want to be able to say that we didn’t wait, we acted when it mattered most.” 

Some very exciting news! We are pleased to let you know that together with the International Land Conservation Network (ILCN) we announced at the close of this year's Global Congress that ALCA will co-host the 2027 Global Congress in Melbourne, 26-29 Oct. It will be the first time the Congress convenes in the southern hemisphere. The ILCN is a program of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and connects civic and private organizations and people, across boundaries and around the world, to accelerate the protection and strengthen the management of land and natural resources. ALCA has been proactively involved with the ILCN since its inception in 2012. Bringing the 2027 Global Congress to Melbourne will boost Asia Pacific’s participation in the ILCN and offer a great chance to build and strengthen international partnerships and knowledge. It will also be a key year to evaluate how Australia and other countries are progressing with implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework, ahead of the 2030 deadline. Australia has much to show our international colleagues, and there’s much we want to keep learning from them as well. As an Alliance we know the value of networks and the critical platforms for change that events like this create. Put it in your diaries, and stay tuned for more!