Country Needs People is a registered Australian non-profit working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander landholders to protect nature, support culture, create jobs and more by supporting community-based Indigenous land and sea management across Australia and beyond. We collaborate with a national and growing network of more than 41 traditional owner-led grassroots land and sea management groups, including Indigenous rangers. These groups – our partners network – manage the majority of Australia’s growing Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) estate which currently covers almost 75 million hectares of land and sea country from the temperate south to the tropical north of the continent. We also work internationally, with strong and ongoing relationships with like-minded organisations such as Land Needs Guardians and the Indigenous Leadership Initiative in Canada. Country Needs People keeps pressure on governments to deliver: ● Well-tailored, long-term and growing funding to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-based land and sea management sector ● Support for meaningful ongoing jobs where they are needed most, on traditional lands and from very remote locations (where there are few other employment opportunities) to regional and urban areas ● Appropriate policy settings to better support traditional landholders to strengthen their connection to Country and share their knowledge with future generations. We believe Australians of every background working together can help build a brighter future for our natural heritage by supporting the original owners and managers of the beautiful lands and seas we all call home.
