Climate Week
Sharing
Arnhem
Land
perspectives
at
Climate
Week
In September, a small KKT delegation travelled to the United States for New York Climate Week, including Miliwanga Wurrben, Rembarrnga Elder, senior cultural leader, and Director of KKT partner organisation Mimal Land Management Aboriginal Corporation.
Across events and meetings in New York and San Francisco, Miliwanga Wurrben shared her own story and spoke about what caring for Country means in Arnhem Land. Drawing on her experience as a Traditional Owner, she also spoke about the relationship of responsibility between people and Country, and the importance of the right people continuing to manage their lands.
While much of the global conversation focuses on the scale of the climate and biodiversity challenges ahead, Miliwanga brought it back to what this work actually looks like on the ground:
“Country, water, land and animals… Our Indigenous rangers, both man and woman, what they do with their work... Burn off the Country, checking on feral animals, making sure our waterway is flowing, and making sure everything is all well on homelands.”
A highlight was an event held at the Doris Duke Foundation’s Treehouse in New York on the traditional lands of the Lenape people. The event was co-hosted by KKT, Friends of the Australian Bush Heritage Fund, and Bush Heritage Australia; and it brought together an international audience to hear directly about First Nations-led conservation in Australia, particularly in very remote areas.
Across Arnhem Land, Aboriginal community-controlled organisations are bringing together traditional ecological knowledge and contemporary conservation approaches to care for vast, highly biodiverse landscapes. Though importantly, this work is about much more than just protecting the environment. It is about keeping culture and language strong, and creating meaningful opportunities for Traditional Owners and their families to live on and care for their Country.
Sharney Bowen, Vikki Parsley and Miliwanga Wurrben at New York Climate Week event co-hosted by KKT, Bush Heritage and Friends of the Australian Bush Heritage Fund
“I thoroughly enjoyed sharing my culture, sharing my traditions and our traditional spirituality that sustains us spiritually in looking after Country and making sure that we leave the Country for the next generation of children that are to come in the future.”
Throughout the week, the KKT delegation also participated in a range of Climate Week events and conversations, building new connections across the international conservation and philanthropic communities and bringing the experience and perspectives of Arnhem Land into those discussions.
Critically, the exchange went both ways. Climate Week provided an opportunity not only to share what is being learnt through caring for Country in Arnhem Land, but also to listen and learn from Indigenous leaders and others working on similar challenges around the world. Miliwanga brought her own experience and knowledge to these conversations, while also bringing home new perspectives, connections and ideas.
For KKT, being part of these international gatherings is about ensuring the leadership and experience of our partner organisations is represented and heard. There is so much that Arnhem Land can contribute to global thinking about climate justice and the conservation of biodiversity. By connecting Traditional Owners with an international audience, the sustainability of this work is strengthened, and the conversation itself is made richer and more inclusive.
Subscribe for our latest news.
