Our societies and economies are embedded in, and reliant on, nature. It‘s the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe. For First Nations peoples, nature is also intimately tied to place and belonging, identity and kinship, livelihoods and wellbeing, and lore and belief systems. Country is more like family than a resource.

Australia is one of only 17 countries described as ‘mega diverse’, with immense ecological value. Arnhem Land is almost double the size of Australia’s largest national park (Simpson Desert). Conserving and restoring biodiversity here will be critical in meeting global biodiversity goals.

Research shows that nature is generally declining less rapidly on land managed by First Nations peoples compared to other lands. Indigenous land management is a powerful way to effectively safeguard nature and its contributions to people.

Since colonisation, Australia has lost one in ten mammal species – as an isolated island with unique species, we are incredibly vulnerable to biodiversity loss. In the Top End alone, nine animal species are facing extinction within the next two decades. The situation for native flora is equally dire. In just 12 years leading up to 2017, the size of threatened plant populations shrank by 72 per cent. This is a global trend: we are rapidly losing irreplaceable habitats and ecosystems, which further jeopardises human wellbeing, climate goals and sustainable development.

Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) account for around half of Australia’s National Reserve System, yet receive as little as 10 per cent of the government funding that some National Parks receive. Here, the health of Country is closely tied to the health of First Nations communities. Biodiversity loss in these areas threatens loss of knowledge, culture and livelihoods.