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In June 2025, the Sydney Environment Institute (SEI) hosted the second Multispecies Justice Symposium 鈥� focusing this time on how the decision-making practices are or can better include the more than human.

The symposium comprised two parts; one dedicated to Indigenous and Earth based peoples鈥� practices and understandings of 鈥淓arthy Governance鈥�, co-curated with the and bringing together Indigenous people and allies from South Asia, Africa, East Asia, the Pacific, the Americas and Australia. This was followed by a larger gathering that brought together over 60 scholars, artists, Indigenous leaders, and community practitioners from around the globe. Curated by Professor Danielle Celermajer, Professor David Schlosberg, and Dr Blanche Verlie, the symposium was thoughtfully designed to foster deep engagement across disciplines, practices, geographies, approaches and cultures. Held across the University of Sydney and the Sydney Institute of Marine Science, the symposium asked a radical and urgent question: What does and can governance look like when all Earth beings- not just humans - are included in decision-making? In doing so, the symposium both sought to learn from the longstanding practices, protocols and philosophies of Indigenous and Earth based peoples, and the experiments and innovations being developed across the world.聽聽聽

Building on the foundations laid during SEI鈥檚 first symposium in 2019, this year鈥檚 gathering expanded the field of multispecies justice by focusing on existing and emerging practices of more-than-human governance. This included exploring Indigenous and land-based practices, artistic and embodied methodologies, and community-led frameworks that honour the agency of rivers, forests, animals, and other Earth beings. In doing so, questions about more than human governance and multispecies justice were also explicitly linked with questions of Indigenous justice and self-determination, resistance to extractive practices and collective forms of resistance and creativity.聽聽

The week opened with two days of deep listening, storytelling, and intention setting, co-designed with members of the Global Tapestry of Alternatives. Through a storytelling methodology, participants shared their communities鈥� practices and understandings, creating a rich tapestry of portraying how diverse peoples weave relationships with Earth others. These first two days opened the symposium with a spirit of openness and reciprocity, inviting participants to share stories, intentions, and the beings, places, and communities they hold close.聽

At the heart of the symposium was an emphasis on relationality, care, and joy. The 鈥淏arran Kin-ection鈥� workshop, led by Yuwaalaraay musician and storyteller Nardi Simpson, brought participants into connection through song, weaving, dance, and cultural sharing centred on the boomerang (barran) and its deep ecological ties. Artistic practice and ritual were utilised as powerful modes of multispecies knowledge sharing throughout the week.

Panels explored critical themes for multispecies governance including how to create resonance, attentiveness and understanding, the role of Indigenous and western sciences and knowledges, how deliberative practices can be transformed, what it means to radicalise law and how ancient and novel practices can address the critical ecological crises of this moment and the future. From rethinking law and scale to designing eco-social contracts, participants brought forward experimental and applied models for including the more-than-human in large and everyday decisions.聽

Experiential workshops offered opportunities to walk, grieve, listen, and plan in new ways. These activities grounded theory in practice and encouraged participants to develop sensory, emotional, and embodied modes of engagement with the more-than-human world.

The symposium concluded with collective planning and a commitment to continue the work beyond the event. A diverse and layered community was formed to explore future convenings, and participants were invited to contribute to ongoing writing, funding, and community practice efforts.聽

Throughout the week, one message was clear: addressing the biodiversity and climate crises requires more than technical solutions. It demands a transformation of how we relate - to land, to each other, and to the more-than-human world.

With its unique mix of connection, openness and imagination, the 2025 Multispecies Justice Symposium set a powerful example of what it means to research, convene, and act in ways that honour all life. As multispecies justice continues to evolve as a field and a movement, gatherings like this offer not only knowledge, but also the relationships and commitments needed to grow real change.聽