Reflections from 2025  
Anna Boustead
2025 was a significant year of growth for the Indigenous Carbon Industry Network (ICIN). To support this, we were pleased to welcome Tyron Bin Hitam-Keefe, Genevieve Schulz, Suzanne Munkara and Amanda Lilleyman to our growing team, enabling members to stay informed and supporting key policy and communication projects. 

It is great to see our membership continue to grow as opportunities through the carbon market expand to include new methods. A key factor supporting greater engagement has been the network’s focus on raising awareness of Indigenous rights and interests in carbon and advocacy for greater recognition of these rights and interests in government policy. 

This year has seen many highlights, including working with the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC), legal advisors and Indigenous groups with experience in agreement making to develop an ‘Indigenous Agreement Making Guide on Carbon Projects’. This resource will build on ICIN’s resource ‘Seeking the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of Indigenous Communities for a Carbon Project Best Practice Guidelines’ 

We have also been working with research partners at Charles Darwin University (CDU), the University of Queensland (UQ) and North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance (NAILSMA) on guidelines for Indigenous groups in relation to Blue Carbon rights and opportunities in coastal regions. 

Being invited by the Yothu Yindi Foundation to support the Indigenous Carbon Industry showcase at the 2025 Garma Festival held in East Arnhem Land was a real highlight of the year, bringing together ICIN Directors Dr Dean Yibarbuk, Cissy Gore-Birch OAM, Teddy Bernard with Indigenous leaders from throughout our membership and politicians from across Australia in a very special ceremony. 

ICIN also supported information booths and workshops about the Indigenous carbon industry at national and international events including the First Nations Land and Water Forum, Carbon Market Institute Annual Summit, International Conservation Biology Conference, and Territory NRM Conference. 

We hosted the 2025 Savanna Fire Forum, now it its 7th year, which supported knowledge sharing between 500 people about the savanna fire management and brought about some important developments in method development as well as direct connections between Indigenous groups. 

This year also saw ICIN partner with the Australian Government’s Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) to deliver the First Nations Carbon Farming Outreach Project (FNCFOP). This significant project will run over the next three years and includes the delivery of:  

• 30 policy consultation workshops with Indigenous groups on carbon or nature repair policies, both online and in person, to inform policy submissions 

• 30 Carbon Farming Outreach Workshops to support Indigenous groups’ understanding of carbon markets, both online and in-person. 

Perhaps of greatest impact over the last 12 months is ICIN’s work to support collaborations on carbon and nature repair method development and design, and to support our members to lead and inform this work. This includes; 

• Improved Hooved Animal Management Carbon Method (led by NAILSMA and UQ) 

• New Savanna Fire Management carbon accounting methods (led by Australian Government’s DCCEEW) which will value carbon stored in living plants for the first time. 

We continue to support our members to advocate for implementation of the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Review recommendations, including removal of ‘conditional’ registration before consent has been given by Native Title holders. 

Our members celebrated many incredible achievements throughout the year, and we were honoured to celebrate with them. Most recently, this included the launch of new Indigenous Protected Areas, on the Tiwi Islands and Arafura Swamp. Congratulations to Tiwi Rangers and Arafura Swamp Rangers! 

There was also some sad events through the year, in particular the sudden and tragic loss of our Board Director, Mr NG, which deeply affected our team and many people across the network.  

I am very grateful for the ongoing support of our hard-working team, and the leadership of our Directors and members. I look forward to working together with you all in 2026 as we continue to build the network’s capability to support its members and grow opportunities to support Indigenous land and sea managers to access carbon and environmental markets.  

I am wishing you a relaxing Christmas break.  

Our office will be reopening on 5 January.