Registrations for the 2026 IDA Conference are now open.
Since 2020 the IDA has been working to develop a method that provides desert land managers with a transparent, practical, and robust tool to evaluate large-scale land management programs occurring within Australia's spinifex dominated desert regions.
Through partnerships between IDA ecologists and Indigenous desert ranger teams, alignment between Indigenous knowledge holders and scientists has established key principles that can be measured via remote sensing to account for right way fire practices that promote the resilience of biodiversity in the desert.
The Desert Habitat Method has been accredited by Accounting for Nature and published in their Method Catalogue. It remains under embargo until April 2027.
Accredited by Accounting for Nature in 2023 (Desert Habitat Method NV-12): under embargo until April 2027.
The Desert Habitat Method is being finalised in 2026 based on contributions from Indigenous knowledge expertise contributed by Nyangumarta, Kiwirrkurra, Spinifex and Warlpiri ranger teams during the DHM pilot project. The DHM pilot project team worked with Indigenous knowledge holders from these ranger teams to confirm the alignment of Traditional Owner perspectives of culturally appropriate land management practices with the scientific approach underpinning the Desert Habitat Method.
Further publication to reflect the intercultural authorship and process for method development with IDA and partner knowledge holders is underway.
The Desert Habitat Method was developed with contributions from Hannah Cliff, Jarrad Holmes, Gareth Catt, Professor Sarah Legge, Dr. Jaume Ruscalleda-Alvarez, Professor Jeremy Russell-Smith, Dr. Neil Burrows, Dr. Rachel Paltridge, Andrew Schubert, Peter See, Chrissy Elmer and Peter Cosier AM.
IDA nature markets team includes Jarrad Holmes, Dan Johanson, Taegan Calnan, Hannah Cliff, Lara Paijmans and Anne Wayne.
Learn more about the IDA team here.
For further information please email naturemarkets@indigenousdesertalliance.com.
Under embargo until April 2027.
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