1 of 10

Opportunities and challenges for nature-based economies

Kamaljit K Sangha

Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods,

Charles Darwin University

Darwin, Australia

Email: Kamaljit.sangha@cdu.edu.au

22 Feb, 2024

2 of 10

Acknowledgements

3 of 10

Recent advances: Nature-based economies

2020

2021

4 of 10

Northern Australia: A successful example of C economy�as of May 2023, total area 389,000km2, with ~80 projects (56 % on Indigenous lands)

Total

Area (km2)

NT (km2)

Qld (km2)

WA (km2)

Conservation

49,743

24,692

3,960

21,091

Indigenous

218,481

148,555

31,248

38,677

Pastoral

121,005

42,074

52,848

26,083

5 of 10

Early burning

Weed control

Feral animal control

Carbon abatement

Nature-based economic opportunities on Country

What else ecosystem services market can support?

Biodiversity

Water management

Land management

6 of 10

How nature-based economies work?�

Water quality

Biodiversity

Carbon abatement

Single service

Bundled/package of services

Stacking (unbundled) services

Water quality

Carbon abatement

Biodiversity

Carbon abatement

  • Costing
  • Integrity
  • Transparency

7 of 10

Challenges for developing NbE in the north

  1. Need to think outside the box, beyond the typical market approach – a holistic framework
  2. Inclusive of Indigenous value systems
  3. Reduce the transactional costs with too many different methods
  4. Reduce the burden of monitoring
  5. Holistic outcomes - biodiversity, mitigation of climate change, maintaining water flows, etc.
  6. Governments need to play an active role

8 of 10

Developing nature-based economic opportunities for Indigenous communities in northern Australia�(Kamaljit Sangha, Jeremy Russell-Smith, and Robert Costanza�& NAILSMA)���

9 of 10

Research for the project: �To co-develop a framework for marketing ES

Explore the State of Country

& ES

Co-develop the framework,

ES Indicators & Measures

Culturally Appropriate Indigenous-led Ecosystem Services Business Model

Goal

1

2

10 of 10

Thanks

Contact details:

Kamaljit K Sangha

Email: Kamaljit.Sangha@cdu.edu.au

Ronju Ahammad

Email: Ronju.Ahammad@cdu.edu.au