North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance

Protecting Country Against Invasive Species Program Update | AusChem and Fulcrum Database training 🧪 📊 In October, 10 Rangers from Gunngandji and Djunbunji Indigenous Ranger Groups were supported by NAILSMA’s Protecting Country Against Invasive Species Program to successfully complete an AusChem Accreditation course which focused on essential skills for chemical use, storage, and handling. The training covered a broad range of skills including pest identification, label interpretation, record keeping, safe practices, chemical modes of action, and animal health, transport, and disposal. This accreditation creates the opportunity for Gunngandji and Djunbunji Indigenous Ranger Groups to apply for Queensland Commercial Operator’s License, enabling them not only to manage weeds on Country, but to also pursue local weed management contracts with the Cairns City Council🌿🥽 Following this in November, 11 Rangers from Gunngandji and Djunbunji Indigenous Ranger Groups also completed Fulcrum database training. Key benefits of this training include improved data collection with higher accuracy, real-time data to support informed decision-making, and development of both organisational and individual capabilities. NAILSMA are proudly partnered with the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to deliver the Protecting Country Against Invasive Species Program. #LookingAfterCountry #AustralianConservation #NAILSMA #IndigenousKnowledge #IndigenousPeople #FirstNationsKnowledge Northern Land Council

Protecting Country Against Invasive Species Program Update | Understanding the impacts of feral pigs on Nyikina Mangala Country 💭🐗 Along the mighty Martuwarra Fitzroy River in the Kimberley region where Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation and the Nyikina Mangala Rangers are based, there is growing concern among Traditional Owners over feral pig damage. Communities want to find out more about feral pigs, such as how many are already inhabiting the region and if the population grows, what does this mean for freshwater resources? Feral pigs are one of the world’s most invasive species – they are tricky to observe and notoriously difficult to count. Our Protecting Country Against Invasive Species Program (PCAIS) has funded a project to develop ways to better understand the extent of feral pig populations around culturally significant water places in the Kimberley region, and how these resources can be protected from growing feral pig populations. Last month, PCAIS WA Regional Coordinator Jackie Wemyss along with Darren Marshall from the Centre for Invasive Species Solutions, travelled to Jarlmadangah to undertake community consultation workshops and site visits with Traditional Owners. Darren delivered a presentation to the community on the devastating impacts that feral pigs can have on freshwater places, followed by site visits to look for evidence of feral pig presence, and discussions around developing a community-led trapping, control and monitoring pilot project starting in 2025. The activity was a great opportunity to share national, regional and local feral pig knowledge, and to give Traditional Owners more insight into possible feral pig impacts on freshwater places. NAILSMA are proudly partnered with the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to deliver the Protecting Country Against Invasive Species Program. #LookingAfterCountry #AustralianConservation #NAILSMA #IndigenousKnowledge #IndigenousPeople #FirstNationsKnowledge

Thanks Indigenous Desert Alliance for an amazing 2024 IDA Conference! 🔆🦎 Pictured here with Jane Hutchinson (Pollination Foundation), Sam Murray (Indigenous Desert Alliance), Manuwari Forester (ReefTO), and Ariadne Gorring (Pollination Foundation) - NAILSMA Research Manager Dr Leah Talbot made the most of this amazing event which provided valuable opportunities for networking, developing collaborations, and exploring possible new partnerships. #2024idaconference #NAILSMA #IndigenousKnowledge 

Making Peace with Nature – COP16 Debrief Webinar 🌐🌏 After representing NAILSMA at COP16 in Colombia last month, NAILSMA COO Erica McCreedy will be joining Australian Land Conservation Alliance's upcoming webinar ‘Making Peace with Nature – COP16 Debrief’ this Monday 18 November, to unpack key takeaways from COP16. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain more insight into key outcomes and takeaways from COP16, and what this means for the future of biodiversity and conservation both in Australia and globally. Register here 🔗➡https://bit.ly/4hNib8g

Reimagining Conservation 2024 | Day 3 💭🌏 Freshwater On Day 3 of Reimagining Conservation, Allan Dale, Justin Perry, Jim Turnour, Sonia Takau and Yinimala Gumana discussed freshwater. Rivers and waterways are essential to our way of life and that of the complex ecosystems that they sustain. Indigenous peoples have been fulfilling their cultural obligation to care for water and passing this knowledge down for thousands of generations, and have significant and emerging rights and interests in the use and protection of freshwater resources across Australia.  Complex land ownership and decision-making processes can make meaningful engagement on these issues challenging. To enable Traditional Owners to have a much deeper participation in water policy development, the following steps need to be taken: • The processes of cultural values and flow assessments must be strengthened and more culturally-assured • Approaches to mobilising Indigenous Water Reserves must become more equitable and standardised • The level of Traditional Owner involvement in new water resource development processes and water plan review processes must meet stronger standards • There must be significant investment in appropriate regional and jurisdictional Indigenous governance systems Invasive species, climate change, agriculture, mining, oil and gas production, and changes in consumption patterns are just some of the mounting pressures on our crucial freshwater supplies. It's clear that policy conversation must start by centring Traditional Owners as the stewards and guardians of water. If we don’t have water, we don’t have life.

NAILSMA commends the Australian Government on the announcement of 1000 new Indigenous Ranger Positions, and congratulates Senator the Hon Malarndirri McCarthy, Minister for Indigenous Australians, on the increased investment over the next four years to expand the program. CEO Barry J Hunter particularly welcomes the focus on increasing female Ranger positions and building the sustainability of Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger operations as key aspects of the announcement. “NAILSMA advocates for direct investment such as this so that communities are empowered to make critical decisions based on their aspirations to manage Country and increase female rangers to play a key role. This is critical timing as we continue to see further focus on biodiversity and climate change as key issues that these new Ranger positions will be addressing” Barry adds that “While we welcome this announcement, we are cautious that there is still a need for greater industry development and support mechanisms to be implemented to address some of the key findings of the Indigenous Ranger Sector Strategy consultations. For example, the Ranger workforce still does not have a recognised award wage structure and human resources support, or specific capacity building for Ranger career advancement from junior positions to coordination and management positions in Ranger Operations. As an organisation, NAILSMA will continue to advocate for this progression.” #IndigenousRangers #CaringForCountry #NAILSMA

Great insights from Barry J Hunter on how to be culturally aware when working in and investing in biodiversity. “Put the empowerment into the groups on the ground and the work that they're doing and go in and support them, rather than going in and trying to do for, you know, do with.” Catch more insights on the Nature Positive Summit by watching our webinar, or read answers from the webinar Q&A and additional resources. https://lnkd.in/g22erxFb

“There’s a courageousness required from funders to invest directly in Indigenous communities… Indigenous peoples are ready and waiting — we just need funders to be brave enough to meet us there." Erica McCreedy, NAILSMA COO This week, NAILSMA COO and Australian Committee for IUCN Board member Erica McCreedy participated in the Roundtable Dialogue "Building the Future of Nature Finance Together" as part of 2024 UN Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Cali, Colombia. Read more about Erica’s call for direct investment into Indigenous communities, along with other key takeaways from this important discussion in this insightful article by Kirsty Galloway McLean. #COP16Colombia #NAILSMA #LookingAfterCountry #IndigenousKnowledge #IndigenousPeople #FirstNationsKnowledge

NAILSMA CEO Barry J Hunter spoke in the opening plenary of the world’s first Global Nature Positive Summit 2024, held on Gadigal Country earlier this month. In his address, Barry was very clear that what really needs to happen - is action. Listen to Barry expand on what taking real action looks like in this episode of Mongabay Newscast: 'Australia’s Global ‘Nature Positive’ Summit features Indigenous voices, but little government action.' “We’ve got a whole lot of different strategies that speak to action, but none of them are any good unless people are out there actually doing the work.” Hear the full episode here ➡🔗 https://bit.ly/4hcmcTj #GlobalNaturePositiveSummit #NAILSMA #LookingAfterCountry #AustralianConservation #IndigenousKnowledge #IndigenousPeoples #FirstNationsKnowledge

Protecting Country Against Invasive Species Program Update | Feral herbivore management in the Great Sandy Desert🚫🐪 Sometimes protecting Country means soaring to great heights - literally! 🚁 That’s what a group of Karajarri Rangers and Elders along with Environs Kimberley did in Western Australia recently while assessing the environmental and cultural health of important desert wetland sites. Supported by NAILSMA staff and funded through the Protecting Country Against Invasive Species Program, this data gathering exercise was undertaken to help better understand the impact that large feral herbivores are having on freshwater places. And the biggest culprit? Feral camels. The current feral camel population in Australia is estimated to be approximately one million, with this number increasing at a rate of around 8% per year. The vast regional spread of camel populations (which includes the arid regions of WA, SA, the NT, and parts of Qld) has made it challenging to measure the effectiveness of control methods. That’s why following this initial assessment, the project will also fund feral camel control work and ongoing wetland monitoring - making it possible to better measure the impact of feral camel control activities on Country. NAILSMA are proudly partnered with Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry to deliver the Protecting Country Against Invasive Species Program. #LookingAfterCountry #AustralianConservation #NAILSMA #IndigenousKnowledge #IndigenousPeople #FirstNationsKnowledge