Oz based Indigenous Desert Alliance are among three finalists globally in the Protect and Restore Nature category of the prestigious Earthshot Prize 2026.
The Earthshot Prize, founded in 2020 by HRH Prince William, has been searching this increasingly fragile globe for game-changing projects and initiatives that deliver sustainable change. Prince William drew inspiration from President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot ambition. At the dawn of the 1960’s, JFK stated “Now it is time to take longer strides – time for this nation to take a clearly leading role in space achievement, which in many ways may hold the key to our future on Earth.” Prince William in a 2020 TED said…“…we must harness the spirit of human ingenuity and purpose and turn it with laser-sharp focus and urgency on the most pressing challenge we have ever faced: Repairing our planet.”
An alliance of 70 Indigenous ranger groups, Indigenous Desert Alliance (IDA) is an Indigenous controlled, member- based organisation and described by Earthshot Prize chief executive Jason Knauf as “…a slam dunk to make the top three…and we’re really, really excited about what we’re going to be able to do with them over the next few years.”
Mumbai is hosting the 2026 Earthshot Prize in November and media attention continues to build for IDA, reflected in coverage across national platforms that include ABC, SBS and The National Indigenous Times…the latter ran a great piece September headlined ‘Desert rangers are deadly’: Aussies up for world prize’…https://nit.com.au/19-09-2026/26574/desert-rangers-are-deadly-aussies-up-for-world-prize
IDA’s Right Way Desert Fire program cares for 270 million hectares of Country – an area equivalent in size to Argentina – through a combination of collaborative and sustainable practices, traditional and emmerging. IDA keep the desert connected and build resilience, achieving this by the use of traditional knowledge that spans tens of thousands of years, in conjunction with more recent techniques such as aerial burning.
The ethos of The Earthshot Prize…Urgent Optimism to Repair our Planet…the efficacy of The Earthshot Prize well evidenced by their 2025/2026 Impact Report – highlights include the following…:
…107 countries reached with their solutions
…18 million tonnes of carbon emissions avoided or captured
…140 million hectares of land and oceans protected and restored
…$800 million raised by early-stage finalists and NGOs
…600 million people living in regions where Earthshot Finalists are improving air quality
…21 million tonnes of water saved and recycled
The Earthshot Prize’s 2026 finalists and winners will doubtless add to these achievements.
More at https://earthshotprize.org/winners-finalists/2026/ and https://www.indigenousdesertalliance.com/what-we-do/desert-projects/right-way-fire
…Oz has been well represented over the years with Earthshot Prize winners and finalists…Living Seawalls, a flagship program of the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, were a 2021 finalist and create vital sea defences using habitat panels – designed to mimic natural formations.
Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef were winners of the 2022 Earthshot Prize to Revive our Oceans and their work brings together ancient intergenerational knowledge combined with modern tools, such as drones that monitor coral changes.
In 2024, Australia’s Coast 4C was a finalist (one of three finalists) in the Revive Our Oceans category, setting up co-operatives to support seaweed farmers …
Sydney’s Quay Quarter Tower, the world’s first fully upcycled skyscraper, a 2025 Finalist in the Build a Waste-free World.
