VIDEO: One year in, Indigital’s Caring for Country program across the Western Cape is already driving real impact, offering a glimpse of what happens when a new approach takes shape.
In partnership with Rio Tinto, we co-created the Caring for Country: Growing Conservation through Digital Literacy program, a long-term commitment grounded in cultural authority and practical action.
Our approach is designed to embed capability, grow economic opportunity, and deliver lasting impact. Our phased approach in action:
Collective foundations
Community leads the way. Traditional Owners and local leaders shape the vision, and we work alongside them, and with industry, to co-create a shared path forward. In the Western Cape, we didn’t arrive with a plan, we started with listening. Across Mapoon, Aurukun, Napranum and Weipa, Traditional Owners led deep yarning sessions that shaped a community-driven vision for the future. These early conversations laid the foundations of the program. “We didn’t arrive with pre-packaged solutions. We listened. We learned. And together we built the foundations for a program shaped by community priorities.” Cassandra Rowe, Indigital Community Success ManagerGovernance and leadership
Together, we build governance structures that ensure decision-making sits with community, supporting local ownership and leadership from the start. In the Western Cape, a dedicated Aboriginal Community Reference Group (ACRG), made up of Elders and Traditional Owners, guides the direction of the program, ensuring decisions are grounded in cultural authority and community priorities. This group has shaped everything from project timelines to knowledge protection, helping ensure Indigenous Cultural Intellectual Property (ICIP) is respected and upheld.
Image: Wathayn/Alngith Traditional Owner Uncle Herbert and Thanakwith Wathayn Traditional Owner Aunty Lorraine Coconut.
- Action on the ground
We do the work side by side with communities. In Cape York, we’re delivering on-Country workshops that upskill rangers, Elders, and young people in conservation technology. That includes mapping, environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling, and digital storytelling. These are practical tools to care for Country, support cultural knowledge transfer, and prepare for real-world roles in land rehabilitation and Nature Repair Market opportunities.
- Growing an ecosystem
As skills grow, so do opportunities. We support communities to turn their ideas into action, from local conservation services to storytelling-based enterprises, helping connect the dots between cultural knowledge, capability and economy, all driven and led by community and supported by an ecosystem of partners. As cultural knowledge and conservation skills grow, so too does the appetite for long-term opportunity. In Cape York, we're seeing the early signs of a local ecosystem, one where community-owned ideas, from site monitoring to storytelling, could grow into sustainable enterprises with the right ecosystem partner.
Why this work matters for the sector
Cape York is showing us what works, and why it matters. This program isn't about ticking boxes. It's about building something real, together. And it’s changing what partnership looks like in the mining sector. For companies ready to move beyond transactional engagement, this is a different model.
Key takeaways:
Benefits for Community
Community-led design ensures priorities are set by Traditional Owners, not imposed by outsiders.
Real skills for real opportunities preparing people for future-facing jobs in conservation, land care, and enterprise.
Cultural knowledge is respected and protected, with governance structures (like the ACRG) placing decision-making in community hands.
Seeded pathways to enterprise, with support to turn local ideas into sustainable businesses grounded in Country and Culture.
Benefits for Industry
Social licence is protected through genuine, long-term partnership.
Operational risk is reduced, with issues surfaced early and addressed collaboratively.
Local capability strengthens your supply chain, creating a skilled ecosystem around operations.
Reputation is enhanced as a values-led operator delivering measurable social, cultural, and environmental impact.
