North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance Ltd (NAILSMA)

An Indigenous-led not-for-profit company, NAILSMA assists Indigenous people to manage their country sustainably for future generations. Its work is guided by a culture-based economy approach which aims to build resilience in northern communities, enabling Indigenous people to engage in the market economy and to value and strengthen their own cultural values and practices. NAILSMA looks to connect people, and their land and culture, to economic opportunities that strengthen local values and aspirations.

The origins of NAILSMA can be traced back to the 1990s, where a growing northern Indigenous estate was emerging. Northern Australia is home to the world's oldest living culture and immense biological and cultural diversity. NAILSMA was established in 2011 on the basis that it is crucial for Indigenous people to be fundamentally a part of the future foundation of northern Australia.

NAILSMA has been registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC) since 3 December 2012.

In 2013, NAILSMA became the first Indigenous-led member of the world's largest professional global conservation body, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

NAILSMA uses partnerships throughout its work to build resilience and prosperity across a diverse range of issues affecting Indigenous land and sea managers. These activities seek to combine Indigenous knowledge with science and research. The activities supported by NAILSMA fall under the following three categories.

Education, Training, and Professional Development

NAILSMA seeks to encourage the growing interest by Indigenous participants in leading and delivering research and management programs on country that combine traditional and scientific knowledge. As such, locally driven educational activities that promote Indigenous knowledge systems also become a vehicle for the effective transfer of Western scientific and technical skills. Practical learning on country further enhances local knowledge and mainstream education outcomes.

Economic Development and Employment

Indigenous people have historically and continue to draw on a sophisticated and complex relationship between people, the spiritual and cultural, and the environment. This has aided the management of natural resources. NAILSMA seeks to aid the conservation of this long built knowledge base.

An opportunity for economic development supported by NAILSMA is through Indigenous fire and carbon management. This involves supporting Indigenous land managers to establish, own, and operate fire and free-house gas emissions abatement projects. NAILSMA is currently involved in the development of a carbon storage methodology, and is providing developmental support for a PES project in the lower rainfall area which focuses on fire and carbon management. These projects present important opportunities to build businesses and other capabilities locally.

NAILSMA has a long history of delivering research on issues affecting Indigenous people and the management of their natural resources. The focus of NAILSMA's research is shaped by the needs of the people NAILSMA works with and is informed by these people's insights and through consultation with other key stakeholders.

For greater detail on the projects NAILSMA is currently involved in, please visit the website via the url above.