Barriers and pathways for First Peoples’ participation in natural capital and carbon markets and covenanting programs to care for Country

The project supports Taungurung Land and Water Council’s aspirations to care for Taungurung Country, by assessing current Victorian and Australian Government policy and market settings for protecting biodiversity with respect to their suitability or otherwise for First Peoples’ caring for Country.

Project Summary

The project aims to support Taungurung Land and Water Council’s aspirations to care for Taungurung Country, by assessing current Victorian and Australian Government policy and market settings for protecting biodiversity (including e.g. the Victorian BushBank, carbon markets and the Nature Repair Market) with respect to their suitability or otherwise for First Peoples’ caring for Country.

What are we interested in?

Caring for Country is a foundational principle of Aboriginal culture and wellbeing, encompassing cultural responsibilities and spiritual relationships with land, water and sky. It is informed by a long-term perspective, with cultural land management practices designed to support the health and resilience of Country and culture across multiple future generations.

Despite the effectiveness and many benefits derived from resourcing Traditional Custodians to care for Country, mainstream government policy, funding and market settings are not tailored in a way that readily supports caring for Country or Traditional Custodian land and sea organisations. This project seeks to outline existing barriers for Traditional Custodians to participate in these programs, particularly in states such as Victoria, and to provide TLAWC with policy and pathway recommendations to support caring for Country.

Goals of our project

The project will provide policy recommendations to support greater investment in caring for Country and explore other possible mechanisms that are available, under development or that could be scoped to create investment opportunities in TLaWC’s caring for Country work, with a particular focus on pathways for investment in restoring Taungurung freehold land.

Outcomes / activities

Report to TLaWC from analysis and recommendations (30 September)

Forthcoming

• Public report
• Academic articles