Indigenous Communities & the Environment
At the October 2002 Natural Resource Management Ministerial Council, State/Territory and Australian Ministers endorsed the Framework for the implementation of the Natural Heritage Trust extension. The framework provides the strategic basis for investment against the Trust's objectives at national, regional and local levels and includes the basis for matching contributions from the states and territories. The endorsement paves the way for finalising bilateral negotiations for the delivery of the Trust with each State and Territory and the commencement of regional activities.
A national network of 13 Indigenous Land Management Facilitators has been established to assist Indigenous communities to prepare applications to the suite of programmes under the Natural Heritage Trust. For more information on the Indigenous Land Management Facilitators Network or for general enquires please contact the Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts's Community Information Unit on 1800 065 823.
The Indigenous Protected Areas Programme, a component of the National Reserve Systems Programme, provides funding to Indigenous organisations and communities to establish and manage protected areas on Indigenous owned land and to establish cooperative (joint) management arrangements between Indigenous groups and the relevant government nature conservation agencies on publicly owned protected areas.
Funding is available for State and Territory Agencies and community groups, including Indigenous groups, to purchase land for the establishment and management of ecologically significant protected areas for addition to Australia's terrestrial National Reserve System.