Kowanyama ranger Stafford Yam implementing cool burns
The Aboriginal Carbon Foundation (AbCF) is working to build holistic wealth for Traditional Owners and non-Aboriginal carbon farmers whose initiatives demonstrate social, cultural, environmental and economic core-benefits in addition to carbon abatement and/or sequestration.
AbCF connects Aboriginal communities who supply carbon credits with organisations seeking to offset their carbon emissions. It has also developed Australia’s first peer-led (Indigenous to Indigenous and Farmer to Farmer) independent and rigorous Core Benefits Verification Framework (CBVF) for verifying carbon credits that also demonstrate environmental, social and cultural core-benefits. This enables the market to purchase carbon credits, meet their Corporate Social Responsibility commitments (CSR) and Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) goals.
Indigenous-led verification of carbon credits is undertaken by teams that are comprised of Indigenous rangers, Traditional Owners and community members. The information and data collected and analysed during the verification process leads to the production of a visual report and the accreditation of ethical carbon credits.
To support the framework the AbCF has developed an interactive training program in climate change, the carbon industry and impact measurement. The CBVF supporting tools that empower Indigenous communities to lead the verification process, creates a wholly Indigenous-led process. The training program was developed in partnership with the Centre for Appropriate Technology (CfAT) a Registered Training Organisation in the Northern Territory.
The strength-based verification approach and training gives Traditional Owners a greater understanding of the carbon industry allowing the trade and verification of the environmental, social, and cultural values of carbon farming projects on Indigenous land.