TRADITIONAL METHODS MEET CAMERA TECHNOLOGY TO RECOVER WILINGGIN COUNTRY IN THE KIMBERLEY

Ngarinyin people have looked after the remarkable lands and waters within the East Kimberley for thousands of generations. Their stories, songlines and traditional art carry ancient knowledge of living in harmony with Country. But the introduction of inappropriate fire methods, weeds, feral animals and visitors have put pressure on the ecosystem – and cultural management practices that keep it safe.

In the face of these challenges, Wilinggin and Nyaliga Aboriginal Corporations formed a ranger group in 2020 – the Nyaliga Rangers.

They are guided by their Healthy Country plan and work closely with other Traditional Owners, and work alongside other organisations in line with Ngarinyin Peoples goals.

The group uses Two-way Science (traditional methods and Western science together) to look after Wilinggin Country. This approach is getting promising results in their management activities, including right-way fire which is helping to revive Country. Now, with WWF-Australia’s support, Nyaliga Rangers are using camera technology to get a clearer picture of wildlife on their Country. This helps to inform better land management practices.

Charting precious and remote Karunjie-Durack

Helicopters are the only way to access the vast expanse of the remote East Kimberley. Lying in a transition zone between deserts and the monsoonal North Kimberley, it’s a stunning place of extremes. The deluge of seasonal rains in the wet season and southeast trade winds during the dry, created sandstone gorges and removed soil from the rugged escarpments and ridges.

In a dry corridor cutting north to south through the East Kimberley is a 639,169ha area including Karunjie and Durack River Stations. Here, on Wilinggin Country, savanna woodland, patches of rainforest and pandanus-lined waterways are oases for nearly 800 recorded species. Some you won’t see anywhere else in the world. Several are threatened.

It’s an expanse of land that has never before been surveyed with cameras. Nyaliga Rangers are taking steps to map species distributions and their habitats. Traditional Owners can match these baselines with cultural knowledge, creating a valuable map of Country to use for land management decisions and planning.

A snapshot of the issue

Silas Purcell and Clayton Victor are Nyaliga Rangers protecting vulnerable Country. The team has set up sensor cameras which detect motion and capture images of the animals nearby.

‘We’re here setting up cameras and identifying wildlife – just to see if there’s anything new or invasive species or endangered animals. There’s lots of bird loss that we want to watch,’ explains Silas.

‘It’s important to protect the animals and have the animals on Country for food, hunting and keep the ecosystem moving.’

Western Australia wildlife invaders caught on camera

There were 42 species detected by the cameras across 141 locations on Karunjie-Durack. Short-eared rock-wallabies, northern nail-tail wallabies, dunnarts, echidnas, dingos, reptiles and birds starred in their own mini documentaries.

An exciting discovery was the Ningbing false antechinus: a tiny meat-eating marsupial weighing just 15g. This was the first time the Ningbing was recorded on Karunjie-Durack.

Feral cats and cane toads did steal the spotlight at times – 256 times in the case of the toad. This could be the reason goannas were caught on camera only twice. Nyaliga Rangers believe the goannas will come back when they learn not to eat the poisonous toads.

‘It’s important to find those invasive animals too that come in,’ says Clayton.

‘Because they take all our wildlife – our important, mainly endangered wildlife. We track ‘em, then we know where they are so we can handle them and try to get rid of most of them to look after our wildlife.’

Traditional Land Management goes beyond conservation

Nyaliga Traditional Owners maintain a strong connection to Karunjie and Durack. Looking to the future, they see having sustainable businesses as a key to support looking after the natural and cultural values of Country.

Nyaliga Rangers are an important link for community, the environment and economic prosperity. They’re a pipeline for employment, plus they progress traditional knowledge. And they’re keen to keep learning how new technology can enhance their work and change the way future generations step into conservation.

‘Down the track, I’d like to see a lot more infrastructure out here – more out here, more often, doing a lot more work around the place,’ says Clayton.

‘I’d like to see my kids out here one day working. It’s for them anyway – that’s why we’re doing this. And we love it.’

This work was made possible with Lotterywest grant support.

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Did you know? Over 2,000 Aussie animals and plants are at risk of extinction. Send a message to your local member of parliament, calling for stronger nature laws and adequate funding to protect threatened wildlife and the places they call home.