By RUDI MAXWELL

Indigenous land managers, carbon industry practitioners, scientists and policy makers are sharing knowledge at a major fire management forum in Darwin today to ensure the growth of carbon programs across the nation.

Traditional owners from northern Australia have been using fire to care for country for thousands of years.

But it’s only been in the past two decades that Indigenous fire management programs have been able to benefit from carbon markets through their land and sea management practices.

The North Australia Savanna Fire Forum, which begins today in the Northern Territory, showcases Indigenous leadership in caring for country and right way fire, hosted by the Indigenous Carbon Industry Network.

Network co-chair Dean Yibarbuk was involved in the formation of Warddeken Land Management in West Arnhem Land, which registered Australia’s first Indigenous savanna fire management carbon project in 2006.

“Fire is one of the symbols that gave us our ritual practices, our knowledge, behaviours, thinking, our land, and the fire makes connections to our people as well,” he told AAP.

“We believe the fire must be protected, must be observed in the right way, the way that it’s been told to us by people passing down our knowledge.

“With Indigenous peoples, we know that we are apart from each other but we have one particular symbol waiting and we are using it – this is our knowledge system.”

With increasing global recognition of the success of Australia’s Indigenous fire management carbon programs, the forum brings together traditional fire knowledge, latest research and technology solutions to ensure the continued growth of the Indigenous carbon industry domestically.

The Indigenous Carbon Industry Network forum will focus on the importance of fire. PHOTO: INDIGENOUS CARBON INDUSTRY NETWORK

In Australia there are 34 Indigenous-owned and run savannah fire management carbon projects abating an average of 1.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions annually.

But this represents only two per cent of all carbon projects registered with the Federal Government.

“The carbon market has given us an opportunity to actually put a monetary value that helps us to find ways of sustaining ourselves economically as First Nations people in this country,” Indigenous Carbon Industry Network board member Suzanne Thompson said.

“I think it’s a true opportunity for our sense of self-determination and putting that dollar value towards our ancient cultural practices is how we maintain this country of Australia.

“This is about making sure that country is available for our future generations.”

The forum will be attended by hundreds of fire managers, Indigenous land managers, carbon industry practitioners, scientists and policy makers from northern Australia and beyond.

Indigenous Carbon Industry Network co-chair Cissy Gore-Birch said different Aboriginal nations used different fire management techniques, depending on geography and what the land needed.

“We got dispossessed from our lands for the past 200 years and we’ve watched our country become very sick – and through that process, we’ve watched our people become very sick,” she said.

“So this is giving us an opportunity to reset that and start to share the knowledge that we have.

“That systematic approach that we have to understanding our ancient trade, our ancient ceremonial songlines, this is an opportunity to bring it back for us – and the teaching of that.”

The forum will be held for three days at the Darwin convention centre and showcases the success of Indigenous fire management, including carbon projects that are owned and operated by Indigenous people.

“Carbon projects owned and run by Indigenous people lead to the best outcomes for climate, country and people,” Dr Yibarbuk said.

AAP