Getting our Act together to improve Indigenous leadership and recognition in biodiversity management

Abstract

Increasingly scientists and policy makers are acknowledging the importance of Indigenous participation in effective biodiversity conservation. In Australia, the recognised Indigenous estate is vast, accounting for up to 57% of the continent and comprising some of the highest priority conservation lands, including 46% of the formal National Reserve System. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (the Act) is Commonwealth legislation designed to protect and manage nationally and internationally important species and ecological communities, which entails specific objectives to recognise Indigenous people. However, to date the involvement of Indigenous people in impleme..