Commonwealth Bank Continues Its Support Of Traditional Fire Practice
Commonwealth Bank supports traditional fire practice for second year running as part of its carbon neutral commitment.
As part of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s (CBA) carbon neutrality, the bank supports traditional Aboriginal fire management generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCU) for the second year running.
The Aboriginal Carbon Foundation (AbCF) supports Aboriginal Rangers from Kowanyama community and Traditional Owners to undertake their savanna burning carbon farming project.
AbCF CEO Rowan Foley said the CBA committing to a second year of purchasing carbon credits was testament to the rigour of Traditional Owner fire management to generate ACCU with verified environmental, social and cultural co-benefits.
“Our nature-based solutions support the Traditional Owners and rangers look after Country and provide local jobs,” Mr Foley said. “We are as much in the people business as we are in the carbon farming business.”
Pictured above: Ranger Justin Dick.
“While the International Panel on Climate Change has identified the protection and restoration of natural ecosystems could play an important role in limiting global warming to below 2°C, it is also about valuing environmental, social and cultural co-benefits for both First Nations people and the corporate sector.”
“It’s partnerships like ours with CBA that is helping to address the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Our peer-to-peer strengths-based approach, contained in the Core Benefits Verification Framework, enables local expertise to lead the verification process – rather than it being done by non-Indigenous external parties.”
“People have been talking about generating natural based solutions, and we are consistently demonstrating that this model works. It is generating economic opportunity for Traditional Owners in regional areas while also strengthening culture and cultural practice,” Mr Foley said.
CBA’s partnership with AbCF will directly support the Oriners & Sefton Carbon Project in Cape York Queensland, where the cultural practice of mosaic fire practice takes place early in the dry season – when the weather is cooler – so that less country is burnt, and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.
Pictured above: Ranger Quinton Dick & Clarita Frank.
Jennifer Saiz, Executive General Manager, Group Corporate Services, said: “As Australia’s largest bank, we are mindful of how our actions impact the environment and the wellbeing of our community.”
“With the extension of our partnership with the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation, we are pleased to play a role in helping to preserve local ethical, cultural and ecological practices, while also supporting the responsible global transition to net zero emissions by 2050.”
The idea of carbon farming which involves implementing practices that are known to improve the rate at which CO2 is removed from the atmosphere and converted to plant material and soil organic matter is not a new one, but doing it using Aboriginal cultural burning, that has been practiced for over 65,000 years and is not a new approach.
A full member of industry peak body the Carbon Market Institute and a Founding member of the Voluntary Code of Conduct, the AbCF is the only Indigenous, Supply Nation listed organisation in Australia to provide third-party verified Indigenous carbon credits. ENDS.
For more information or to arrange interviews, please contact: Rowan Foley CEO Aboriginal Carbon Foundation 0427 013 318 Or download a copy of the media release here.
