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Spring 2022

Quarterly update for our members, associates and friends

Welcome to the quarterly e-newsletter of the Australian Committee for IUCN. We like to regularly connect and provide useful information to members on key issues, the latest news, research and events for IUCN in Australia. It’s also an opportunity to profile members and the work you are doing. Please contact lmalcolm@aciucn.org.au if you would like to contribute to a Newsletter.

Please forward this Newsletter to others in your organisation.

Enjoy the Spring edition!

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ACIUCN News and Events

Welcome New Associates

ACIUCN extends a warm welcome to our new Associates and welcomes back some Associates also. Welcome to Birdlife Australia, Country Needs People, International Fund for Animal Welfare, Australian Wildlife Conservancy, Invasive Species Council, The Nature Conservancy, South Endeavour Trust, Earthwatch, Conservation Volunteers Australia and Land for Wildlife. We are excited to collaborate with all our Member and Associate organisations.

Upcoming ACIUCN Events

ACIUCN 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM)

Members and Associates are invited to the ACIUCN 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held 2pm - 4pm Tuesday, November 15th in Canberra, with the exact venue to be determined.

Special guest speaker: Threatened Species Commissioner - Dr Fiona Fraser.

Register your attendance here or email lmalcolm@aciucn.org.au

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Reimagining Conservation Forum - Working Together for Healthy Country, 2nd - 4th November 2022, Brisbane.

We are excited to invite you to the Reimagining Conservation Forum - Working Together for Healthy Country. The Forum is in collaboration with North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA), Protected Areas Collaboration (PAC) and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. The Forum brings together First Nations and non-Indigenous leaders and practitioners involved in the policies and practices of land and sea management across Australia.

The Forum will provide a unique opportunity to:

  • Share what “reimagining conservation” means to First Nations people and to non-Indigenous Australians, and to reflect on what a shared reimagining means for policy makers and land and sea managers.

  • Hear and amplify the voices of First Nations people about whole-of-country management of cultural landscapes, hear where this is working well, and consider indicators of effective management for conservation on country based on cultural values and ‘western’ science.

  • Reflect on current policy and program settings – what works and what needs to change?

The Forum also connects to a new global partnership ‘reimagining conservation’ of the IUCN that promotes a culture for conservation and care for the planet. It is a movement, people-centred and built from the bottom-up. It starts by challenging the status quo, listening to diverse audiences, and together, reimagining a new way of caring and protecting the planet and each other.

The Reimagining Conservation Forum - Working Together for Healthy Country, will be held in Brisbane over three days, November 2nd - 4th. Day 1 of the Forum is for attendance by a 30 person Focus Group of key First Nations leaders in land and sea management only. All other participants begin attendance on Day 2. Outcomes of the Focus Group will help inform the agenda and discussions of the Forum. Places at the Forum are limited, if you are interested in participating in the Forum or have enquiries, please contact; ACIUCN Director - Kate Davey, director@aciucn.org.au

IMPAC5 Australian Delegate Networking Event

The next International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC5) is being held in Vancouver, Canada from 3-9 February 2023.

ACIUCN is holding an online briefing for Australian delegates who are participating in the event (in-person or online) to build a network of support, prior to and during the event and collaborate on Australian marine protected area issues.

Please let us know if you or your organisation will be attending IMPAC5, either in-person or online. Email lmalcolm@aciucn.org.au and let us know who will be attending, if they are presenting or are part of the official program and on what topic.

We aim to hold the on-line briefing before the end of the year.

IUCN News

Call to host the 6th International Marine Protected Area Congress (IMPAC6) in 2026

A call for proposals to host the 6th International Marine Protected Area Congress (IMPAC 6) in 2026 is now open. Since 2005 a global community of marine protected area managers and practitioners have come together once every four years at IMPAC, co-chaired by IUCN and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA).

I have been in the role now 6 months following on from the incredible legacy of Penny Figgis and was wrapped to be able to meet all the WCPA Steering Group in Sabah in May. Since then, I have met with both the Australian and NZ national committees and will meet our Suva team shortly.

I am also wrapped to be supporting the Oceania Park Rangers Forum with their Conference in Rotorua on 17 to 20 October. With 180 participants already registered this has been an outstanding achievement by the organizing committee. This is our biggest gathering of Oceania Park Rangers in a decade with Australia, NZ and Pacific nations all represented.

I am also the Patron for the NZ Parks and Recreation Association and look forward to giving a Keynote address on IUCNs priority work on the Global Biodiversity Framework and why if we achieve 30 by 30 and a Nature Positive world by 2030 we will need to double the number of Rangers we currently have.

The theme Working Together for a Healthy Country resonates so much for us as IUCN as we look to engage politicians, indigenous leaders, Parks Managers, Universities and NGOs.

During Covid I had the privilege to chair two meetings of the International World Protected Areas Leaders Forum, (WALPF). All countries reported huge increases in people visiting protected areas as a result of covid lockdowns around the world ( and no rock concerts or public sports events ). We saw many first timers engaging with the health and wellbeing that experiences in nature offer to billions around the world.

From this positive engagement we need to build this into support to protect 30% of our land and oceans and become Nature Positive by 2030.

IUCN as the preeminent global authority on the status of the natural world is incredibly well positioned and focused to help do this through our Commissions and Working Groups.

The key ones being;

1. WCPA - to help build the framework and products to enable "30 by 30" in a joint project with The Nature Conservancy and WWF. (Greenlist / OECMs/ World Heritage / Green Financing / Connectivity/ Effectiveness)

2. Education and Communication (CEC) - to build an inspiring campaign to transform the world in which everyone loves and cares for Nature (" Nature For All".)

3. Marine and Oceans - our biggest challenge to add 23% of marine zone to world protected area network by 2030. Only 7% is currently protected compared with 17% on land.

4. Capacity and Capability Building - to help double the number of Rangers, Scientists and Policy people involved in Protected Area management if we are going to have enough capability to look after one third of the world.

This is undoubtedly the most exciting time of our lives to be involved in Protected Area management as we strive with one huge campaign to protect this fragile place which is all we have to sustain billions of people and the goal to live a Nature Positive Future.

Never has there been a more important time to be involved to protect and restore nature and prevent runaway climate change.

Lou Sanson WCPA Oceania Vice Chair

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Members’ News and Events

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

A new government department, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) was established on 1 July 2022, to deliver on the Commonwealth Government’s climate change and energy agenda and protect Australia’s environment and water resources.

The report calculates the Australian economy’s direct dependence on nature and the variation in direct dependency for every major industry sector.

Key findings:

  • Approximately half of Australia’s GDP has a moderate to very high direct dependence on ecosystem services

  • Sectors that have a high or very high direct dependency on nature are responsible for more than three quarters of Australia’s export earnings

  • Each Australian state and territory has a different relative direct dependence on nature, with Western Australia’s economy at the greatest risk from nature destruction

  • Indirectly, there is not a dollar that doesn’t depend on nature – sectors with a lower direct dependency score still depend upon nature through their value chains, and every worker and consumer needs clean air and water, sustenance, their health and a stable climate

Indigenous land and sea management is critical to Australia’s current and future frontline response to managing biodiversity and cultural values across land and sea. This new report from Country Needs People, “Strong on Country: Sustaining Success in Indigenous Land and Sea Management in Australia” sets out key areas of focus that are central to creating successful working environment for Indigenous rangers, Indigenous Protected Areas, and related caring for country work. The report analyses the common themes and elements of success across the sector and makes clear recommendations for sector improvement. Download Report

Australian Wildlife Conservancy Reports

Australian Wildlife Conservancy launched the first scorecard system for sanctuary ecosystems AWC Ecohealth Reports. The Reports constitute one of the country’s most comprehensive ecological datasets – revealing some positive trends for biodiversity. The Australian Wildlife Conservancy has also released its 2022 Annual Impact Report.

Victoria Nature Festival 2022

The Victoria Nature Festival takes place from 12 to 25 September 2022. With more than 50 events and experiences, there’s heaps of fun ways to connect with and act for nature at the Victoria Nature Festival.

Australian 2022 World Heritage Forum

The 2022 Australian World Heritage Forum takes place Wednesday 16 November – Friday 18 November at the National Museum of Australia Canberra and Online. 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the World Heritage Convention. The Australian World Heritage Forum hosted by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) will focus on UNESCO’s anniversary theme: ‘The Next 50: World Heritage as a source of resilience, humanity and innovation’.

If you have an upcoming event you would like ACIUCN to advertise in our quarterly newsletter please email lmalcolm@aciucn.org.au. If the timing is too short, we can also promote your event on our social media.

Other News and Events

2022 Conference of the Ecological Society of Australia (ESA-SCBO 2022)

The conference of the Ecological Society of Australia and the Society for Conservation Biology Oceania will be held in Wollongong, NSW from 28 November to 2 December 2022.The Conference theme is ‘Reconnecting’. ‘As the world begins to open again, many of us are embracing the opportunity to reconnect – with each other, with nature, and with efforts to restore connections within nature. The ESA and SCB Oceania invite you to build, explore and share these ‘reconnections’ at our joint conference on Dharawal Country in Wollongong, NSW, Australia’.

Economic value of nature via healthcare savings and productivity increases

Ralf Buckley and Alienor Chauvenet from Griffith University have recently published new research ‘Economic value of nature via healthcare savings and productivity increases’ that explores the economic values of mental health benefits from nature (national parks) as a new conservation tool. Using a new methodology which focuses on workplace productivity and reduced healthcare spending, the conclusions are significant. Some key results include:

  • Visiting national parks buffers workplace productivity against mental health losses.

  • In Australia, visiting protected areas improves individual mental health by up to 17 %

  • Most importantly, independent public visits to protected areas in Australia increase economic productivity by 1.8 % and reduce healthcare expenditure by 0.6 %, and that global GDP contribution through these pathways is ~US$2.1 trillion per annum.

  • In Australia, this equates to approx. AUD $35 billion in productivity savings and reduced direct healthcare costs by a further AUD $11.3 billion!

Essentially, the research shows that visiting parks more frequently, increases both health and productivity and that that the global value of parks for mental health, are enormous.

Congratulations to the team who produced this fascinating paper.

Latest Reports

State of the Environment Report and the Environment Minister’s National Press Club address

Australia’s State of the Environment Report 2021 was released by Commonwealth Minister for the Environment and Water, Tanya Plibersek on 19th July 2022 with a National Press Club address. Key elements of the address included;

  • The Government’s highlighted that one of its priorities is to reform the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. The Minister announced that by the end of the year the Australian Government will formally respond to the Samuel Review of this Act and aim to develop new environmental legislation by 2023.

  • The Minister also acknowledged the importance of National Environmental Standards, pledging to ‘consult thoroughly on environmental standards’ and recognised that ‘people will have different ideas of what national standards should look like’.

  • She confirmed that a Commonwealth Environmental Protection Agency is to be established.

  • The importance of environmental data was recognised ‘Decisions need to be built on good data – to show the public how we’re tracking in real time; data that can be shared so we don’t keep collecting the same information again and again, but instead we build over time a useful, usable, rich picture of our environment.’

  • The importance of regional planning was acknowledged with the Minister also flagging that she would like to see ‘an immediate start on improving our environmental data and regional planning – establishing a shared view around what needs to be protected or restored, and areas where development can occur with minimal consequence.’

If you have a report you would like us to include in our next newsletter please email lmalcolm@aciucn.org.au

International News

ACIUCN Member Profile

How did your organisation begin?

Country Needs People began through a recognition of the value of the Indigenous land and sea management sector in Australia and the need for growth, security and quality of funding to see the sector thrive. It stemmed from a group of Indigenous land and sea management organisations working with the Pew Charitable Trusts and recognising the need for a better understanding of Indigenous Rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas and the benefits they bring for country, jobs and culture. The Country Needs People campaign took that message in a non-partisan way to the wider Australian community and decision makers at the state and federal political level.

Now Country Needs People is an independent non-profit with a growing alliance of over 42 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations who work directly on Indigenous land and sea management, supported by over 100,000 Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians. It has a majority Indigenous board and works through its network as a catalyst and amplifier for better land and sea management outcomes led by Indigenous Australians. Country Needs People has a small footprint but an outsized impact in supporting systemic change across Australia from the top down and the bottom up to strengthen Indigenous led land and sea management and has played a catalytic role internationally, in particular in Canada to support community managed Indigenous rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas in various forms.

What does your organisation do?

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have been users and managers of land and sea over millennia, shaping the many and varied ecosystems we see in Australia in modern times. Contemporary Indigenous land and sea management combines local and traditional knowledge passed down over generations and cultural governance and management of place with contemporary scientific and technical approaches to tackle present day pressures on our environment and cultural land and seascapes. Country Needs People advocates primarily with our Indigenous partners and Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to inform policy and grow, secure and better support the vital work of Indigenous Ranger and Protected Areas and other forms of Indigenous land and sea management and communicate the important role this work plays in environmental, land, sea and fire management, and in the protection of biodiversity and vulnerable species. Strong, well-managed, Indigenous Rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas not only enhance biodiversity protection but deliver social, economic and cultural benefits – building meaningful jobs on Country, reinforcing culture, boosting the economy, improving health, empowering women and strengthening community.

How long have you been a member of ACIUCN?

We joined this year.

Why did you join IUCN/ACIUCN?

Country needs People has delivered real gains for Indigenous led biodiversity protection and culturally informed management in Australia by delivering sustained program funding in key areas in Australia, and assisting internationally through our First Nations collaborative relationships in places such as Canada. Country Needs People’s work has been directly responsible for creating many millions of hectares of growth in the world leading Indigenous Protected Area network on land and sea in Australia and securing cross-partisan support for doubling investment in Indigenous Ranger jobs over the next decade, as well as boosting contributions in some states. The organisation’s network, advocacy and practical support has delivered real and successful change in real time where it is keenly needed as well as setting the foundations for future growth. At a time when the natural and cultural environment faces many complex challenges the experience and lessons Country Needs People has to share would benefit from connection with the IUCN networks.

What do you hope to gain by joining?

The organisation looks forward to sharing our experience in the Australian context with others in the IUCN network and making useful connections here and internationally.

What are your main priorities?

Now that Country Needs People has secured major gains for the Indigenous land and sea management sector at the state and federal political level the organisation will work with governments and the sector itself to ensure their support for strong and healthy Indigenous land and sea management operations at the grassroots level. Strong, well governed organisations delivering high level land and sea management should be the aim, which will in turn generate multiple additional benefits at the local and regional level as well as addressing key national priorities around environmental and cultural management protection.

In your opinion what is the priority conservation issue in Australia at present?

To be able to address both reduction of greenhouse emissions and effective resilience and adaptation to deal with the immediate pressures of a changing climate so as to preserve biodiversity, cultural integrity and overall health of land, sea, people, and community.

Who is your conservation hero and why?

Traditional Owners of country across Australia who despite the many barriers thrown in their way are still committed to caring for Country and delivering practical outcomes that benefit nature, culture and people. A perfect example are the board members of Country Needs People, including our Chair senior Gunditjmara land and sea manager Denis Rose, but he would be the first to point to many, many others across Australia.

What’s one thing, either industry-related or not, that you learned in the last month?

Many organisations are exhausted following the last two years of COVID and many other impacts. There is a tidal wave of pent-up activity that the organisation’s partners and we ourselves are dealing with. People are pressed by the urgency of getting on with the work to protect nature, culture and people but we need to be conscious of the load many people and organisations are carrying and be considerate of that. Particularly for Traditional Owners and their community run organisations. We can get going again but we need to look after ourselves collectively in the process.

Website: https://www.countryneedspeople.org.au/

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