A program manager with the North Australian Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance at Charles Darwin University is the winner of this year’s Fulbright Northern Territory Scholarship.
Through his Fulbright, Dr Rod Kennett will spend six months at the Nature Conservancy in the United States to further his research into developing new tools and strategies to support Indigenous livelihoods in conservation.
“The growing empowerment of Indigenous peoples to create livelihoods based on the management of traditional estates is a game changer in biodiversity conservation,” Dr Kennett said.
“Intact ecosystems on Indigenous-held lands in north Australia and the Pacific United States are critical to the conservation of the world’s biodiversity.
“Effective conservation programs for Indigenous lands must bring together Indigenous knowledge and practice with the best scientific conservation methods to create Indigenous conservation-based livelihoods.”
Dr Kennett will collaborate with experts in the United States to identify tools and strategies that will inform new approaches to conservation in north Australia.
Dr Kennett holds a BSc in biological sciences from Macquarie University and a PhD from the University of Queensland. He has led award winning NAILSMA programs including three National Banksia Environment Awards and one as a finalist in the National Landcare Awards.
He was one of 27 talented Australians presented with their prestigious Fulbright and Anne Wexler Scholarships by Minister the Hon Chris Bowen MP and the U.S. Ambassador, Mr Jeffrey Bleich at the 2013 Fulbright Presentation Dinner at Parliament House in Canberra, last night.