Mark Annandale

Mark joined ASI in April 2021 and is based in Australia. As ASI’s Director of Research and IPAF Adviser, he is responsible for supervising, managing and supporting various research activities across the team, as well as leading the ongoing development and activities of IPAF and other ASI projects related to Indigenous Peoples and affected communities connected with the aluminium value chain.

Mark’s career has focused on sustainable development as the interface between Indigenous community development, community forestry and mining operations. He has over 20 years’ experience in environmental management, community forestry, engaging with Indigenous people, cross cultural communication, cultural heritage management and acting as the lead for negotiations between Indigenous communities and mining projects. He holds the position of Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of the Sunshine Coast Forest Research Institute, as well as Adjunct Principal Fellow at the University of Queensland Centre For Mined Land rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute. Mark has worked on sustainability initiatives and research projects to further develop certification standards, including ecosystem services certification with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). He was a member of the FSC Australia Standards Committee that drafted the FSC Australia Standard and is a former Board member of FSC Australia New Zealand.

An environmental scientist and community forestry specialist with Australian and international experience, he has worked with Indigenous communities in developing environmental bauxite mine rehabilitation strategies. Over the past 6 years he has developed and led a number of research for development projects with Indigenous communities aimed at building capacity and increasing participation in the bauxite mining and forestry sectors. The research outcomes include an increased communication between Indigenous peoples, the mining sector and government to support Free Prior and Informed Consent principles and more sustainable bauxite mining operations. Mark has worked with the ASI Indigenous Peoples Advisory Forum from its first meeting in Malaysia in 2016, providing a technical support and facilitation role since then.