RAP launch: Caring for country through partnership


Protecting Australia’s landscapes means working in genuine partnership with First Nations peoples. CISS has reached an important milestone on that journey with the launch of its first Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), strengthening our commitment to embedding First Nations knowledge, perspectives and partnerships into invasive species management.

Read the CISS Reconciliation Action Plan.

 

Our Reflect RAP was launched during National Reconciliation Week, bringing together CISS staff, Board members, partners and RAP Working Group representatives from across Australia on country including Dharug, Ngunawal, Dja Dja Wurrung, Palawa, Peramangk, Giabal, Dharawal, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung and Noongar Boodja.

The breadth of Country represented at the online launch reflected a shared commitment to embedding First Nations knowledge, perspectives and partnerships into invasive species management.

As RAP Working Group member – and founder of Lyrebird Dreaming – Gregory Andrews, reminded attendees, for organisations working in environmental management, reconciliation is not separate from core business, it is core business.

His reflections were a highlight of the launch. He spoke about the importance of reconciliation in land management and conservation.

Read Gregory’s reflection on being part of our journey here.

At the heart of the RAP is the artwork Bubujuunjuwarra (‘Bubu’ meaning homeland), created by Nana Norma Jacko, a proud Juunjuwarra Elder and Indigenous artist from Cape York. More than a visual identity, the artwork tells the story of partnership.

It reflects the work of the CISS Feral Animal Projects team alongside the Juunjuwarra Rangers and the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) to protect Country from the impacts of feral pigs, combining traditional knowledge with modern tools to care for landscapes, culture and biodiversity.

The RAP formalises what CISS already believes: that caring for Country and tackling invasive species are deeply connected, and that stronger outcomes come from working together.