English only

		CBD
				Distr. GENERAL UNEP/CBD/WG8J/7/INF/4 27 June 2011* ENGLISH ONLY

Seventh meeting

Montreal, 31 October-4 November 2011

COMPILATION OF VIEWS ON IN-DEPTH DIALOGUE ON ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT, ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND PROTECTED AREAS

INTRODUCTION

1. 
   At its tenth meeting, the Conference of the Parties, in decision X/43, decided to include a new agenda item on future meetings of the Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions, commencing at its seventh meeting, entitled: “In-depth dialogue on thematic areas and other cross cutting issues”.
   
2. 
   In the same decision, the Conference of the Parties decided to have an in-depth dialogue, at the seventh meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions, on the following theme: Ecosystem management, ecosystem services and protected areas.
   
3. 
   In light of the above, in November 2010, the Secretariat sent out notification 2010-210 (ref. No. SCBD/SEL/OJ/JS/DM/74443) to Parties, Indigenous and Local Communities, and relevant organizations, inviting submissions on this theme. The compilation of submissions received by the Secretariat and made available in the present document serves as background material for the deliberations of the Working Group at its seventh meeting, in Montreal, from 31 October to 4 November 2011.
   
4. 
   Submissions have been reproduced in the form and language in which they were provided to the Secretariat.
   

SUBMISSIONS

Submission from Parties

1. 
   Ecosystem management, ecosystem services and protected areas;
   

The Indigenous Fire Management in Northern Australia Project is facilitated by the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) and run by Indigenous land management groups. It focuses on implementing traditional, mosaic-style fire management practices in northern Australia. This Australian Government Caring for our Country investment will help prevent intense wildfires that regularly burn 40% of some savanna regions in a single fire season and cause significant biodiversity loss. Better fire management practices will deliver greenhouse gas emissions abatement and opportunities to enter carbon markets as well as contributing economic benefit to traditional communities through the intergenerational transfer of traditional ecological knowledge through fire and land management activities.

The Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) program has been very successful in supporting Indigenous communities to contribute to our national conservation goals, and we are now starting to see anecdotal evidence of broader benefits from this work for the individuals and communities that are taking part. The IPA program, which commenced in 1998/1999 with the declaration of the first IPA at Nantawarrina in South Australia, was expanded under the Australian Government's Caring for Our Country initiative, with $50 million allocated in 2008/09 over five years to improve and expand IPAs across Australia.

The IPA initiative works closely with the Government’s Working On Country (WOC) initiative which provides wages for Indigenous Rangers. Each declared IPA is actively managed by its Indigenous owners through partnerships with Government and, in some cases, with the private and non-government sector. IPA rangers conduct land and cultural management activities on their traditional lands and undertake training to build their skills and capacity. The IPA program is successful because it builds on and values the knowledge, passion and commitment that Indigenous communities have for their land. It helps to build pride and self respect for those involved as well as contributing economic benefit to traditional communities, social cohesion of these communities and the ongoing education of children through the intergenerational transfer of traditional ecological and cultural knowledge. In addition, the IPAs are delivering important ecosystem services for all Australians by protecting the unique natural and cultural values of these often remote locations.

The Warddeken Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), located in the Arnhem Land escarpment adjacent to Kakadu National Park, is managed by Warddeken Land Management Limited and funded partly through the Australian Government’s IPA and WOC programs. A strong focus of the IPA is to manage the country using expertise from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge systems and to pass on traditional ecological and cultural knowledge to the younger generations.

The biggest achievement of the walk was seen as increasing engagement of younger people in land management. Warddeken chairman Terrah Guymala wants “our children to work with Bininj (white people) and western knowledge, to build them up strong and proud of their culture”.

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