Desk-Top Review of Indigenous Engagement in the National Environmental Science Program (NESP). Undertaken by SGS Economics and Planning for the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment, Canberra

SGSEP was commissioned by the then Department of the Environment and Energy (DEE) to undertake a desk-top review of Indigenous engagement in the National Environmental Science Program (NESP) to identify Indigenous environmental and climate science research themes and questions, to review existing resources to support Indigenous collaboration and to undertake some virtual consultations with Indigenous research stakeholders. Specifically, the brief required SGSEP to: § Scope Indigenous environmental and climate science research themes and questions; § Where documented research themes could not be found online, to consult with relevant Indigenous organisations; § Collate existing resources to support Indigenous collaboration in environmental and climate science research; and § Liaise with Indigenous stakeholders about the draft findings via online platforms and phone calls given the constraints on face-to-face meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report presents our findings and recommendations. However, as this research was desk-top based and the authors of this report are not Indigenous, our findings and recommendations do not represent the collective views of Indigenous peoples about their environmental and climate science research themes and questions. As we make clear in our recommendations, it will be necessary at the commencement of NESP2 to undertake consultation with Indigenous peoples around Australia to ascertain their environmental and climate science research needs and priorities.