Perch being smoked in a Eastern Sámi camp, 2006. Photo: Snowchange, 2014
Travels in Australia are winding down, this leg of the tour ending. Participation in the World Parks Congress was success, with a VIP panel discussion on the Arctic issues, mining in Finland and a opening of a letter campaign towards Metsahallitus in Havukkavaara forest – more on this in December. We joined up with the Indigenous and Local Community Conserved Areas Consortium in a five day event at the Blue Mountains, outside Sydney, prior to the WPC.
Snowchange was able to suggest a ‘Rapid Response Center for Indigenous and Local Communities‘ to be included in the Promise of Sydney final document from WPC. Then overall Skolt Saami issues to do with the Neiden River collaborative management were discussed too and the Haida cooperation strengthened after some years of a hiatus.
Now here we are in Cairns, Northern Australia with Victor Steffensen, Indigenous Australian leader, visiting Yarrabah Indigenous community, their Indigenous Protected Area and learning about cooperation possibilities, such as the Living Knowledge Place for 2015. Next up on the tour, Aoteoroa and South East Asia!