The Australian Sea Country Delegation packed their bags from regional and remote corners of Australia to go to the 4th International Marine Protected Area Congress (IMPAC4) to share recent developments in Sea County Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) governance and other Sea Country management initiatives in Australia with Marine Protected Area (MPA) professionals and other Indigenous groups from around the world. The delegation was also keen to learn more about developments in this field elsewhere and to make contact with key individuals and organisations with the prospect of future collaboration.

The delegation included Girringun Aboriginal Corporation executive officer Phil Rist and Indigenous Protected Area coordinator Whitney Rassip, Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation senior cultural advisor Djalinda Ulamari, Charles Darwin University Australian Institute of Marine Science researcher Jackie Gould, and Sea Country planning consultants Melanie Dulfer-Hyams and Dermot Smyth. Girringun and Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporations are supporting organisations of the Country Needs People campaign.

Together, we've been campaigning hard for long term security for Indigenous rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas, double the funding for Indigenous ranger jobs, and a long term target of 5000 Indigenous ranger jobs... and we're making inroads.

The World Future Council has awarded the Australian Government a bronze Future Policy Award for the Indigenous ranger and Indigenous Protected Area programs in Hamburg today, recognising the programs as two of the world’s best policies combatting desertification and land degradation this year.

Click below to watch a beautiful story about how Indigenous ranger programs are changing the lives of young people all over Australia. Make sure you scroll down the page to see the full story.