Indigenous scientists and land managers have told a Senate inquiry efforts to stop Australia's extinction crisis will continue to fail unless Aboriginal people are properly resourced to lead conservation on their own Country.
In a submission to the Australian Senate inquiry into Australia's extinction crisis, Indigenous researchers and leaders argue that Aboriginal land management is not an optional extra in conservation policy, but central to its success.
The inquiry is examining why Australia has one of the highest extinction rates in the world, despite decades of environmental laws.
In their submission, authors say Aboriginal people have long managed Country using practices such as cultural burning, supporting healthy ecosystems for thousands of years.
They argue while governments increasingly acknowledge the value of Indigenous knowledge, Aboriginal people are still too often excluded from decision-making, and denied real authority over threatened species programs.
Furthermore, the paper claims Indigenous knowledge systems are essential to protecting species and ecosystems, but remain under-resourced and marginalised within mainstream conservation policy.
Long-term investment in Indigenous ranger programs and Country-led conservation would not only improve outcomes for threatened species, but also strengthen communities, according to the authors.
They point to evidence showing Aboriginal-managed land often delivers stronger biodiversity outcomes, particularly in fire-prone and remote regions where Western conservation approaches haven't minimised species extinction.
The submission also warns conservation programs imposed without community leadership risk repeating past failures, including projects which focus narrowly on individual species while ignoring broader ecosystem health.
It calls on governments to move beyond consultation and embed Indigenous leadership into governance and delivery of threatened species recovery programs.
That includes longer-term funding for ranger groups, and policy settings which support cultural land management, rather than treating it as supplementary to Western science.
The Senate inquiry is ongoing, with final report yet to be tabled.
