More than 300 people have contributed to a nationwide consultation over the past two years to deliver a co-designed case for a National Indigenous Environmental Research Network (NIERN).
The governance advice and a business case released today outline the model for establishing a membership-based, Indigenous-led and owned organisation designed to guide national Indigenous priorities for environmental research and provide support services to connect Indigenous research users and research providers.
The National Environmental Science Program (NESP) project is led by NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub Project Leader Professor Stephen van Leeuwen and researcher Dr Teagan Shields, both from Curtin University, along with NESP Marine and Coastal Hub via researcher Dr Leah Talbot, from the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA).
"NIERN 'flips the model' of environmental research by starting with community priorities, then finding the right researchers to support them," Dr Shields said. "This change, backed by strong Indigenous governance, has the potential to transform the design and delivery of environmental research in Australia, ensuring that both Country and Kin benefit from the outcomes."
Indigenous Australians own, manage, or have rights to almost 60 per cent of the country, as well as over extensive parts of coastal and marine waters. These areas are rich in biodiversity and cultural heritage, but research has often been shaped and delivered without Indigenous leadership and input.
"NIERN will create the space and structures for Indigenous people to set the agenda on environmental research from the very start, not just contribute to it," Dr Talbot said. "This is how we can ensure environmental research delivers real benefits for Country and community, and the results can be relevant, respectful and enduring."
Through workshops, roundtables and case studies, Indigenous communities identified four priority areas for NIERN to focus on: land and sea management, climate change and adaptation, culturally significant entities, and biocultural regional planning.
NIERN's vision is to:
- embed Indigenous Knowledges and perspectives to determine the direction and priorities for environmental research;
- establish culturally safe research standards and protocols, and strengthen Indigenous rights and knowledge; and
- increase two-way capacity in right-way science and Indigenous-led environmental research.
