growing up strong - the first 10 years of indigenous protected areas
TRANSCRIPT
Growing up StrongThe first 10 years of
Indigenous Protected Areas in Australia
Growing up StrongThe first 10 years of
Indigenous Protected Areas in Australia
Cover photo credits All photos by the Department of the Environment and Water Resources.
Left: Laynhapuy. Middle: Watarru and Walalkara. Right: Nantawarrina.
Art credit Art images from Ngura Wirura Kanyini (Caring for Country). © Eunice Nungarayi Woods.
This book is dedicated to the memory of those who did so much
during their lives to turn a dream into reality
The Department of the Environment and Water Resources thanks
all those who have contributed to the ongoing success of the
Indigenous Protected Areas programme.
The IPA programme reflects the ideas and physical hard work of
hundreds of people around the country. Their vision and enthusiastic
support has helped build an IPA network, now 23 strong, across
Australia.
The 10 year IPA anniversary is truly a momentous occasion: so many
wonderful things have been achieved on Indigenous lands, from
rejuvenating country and protecting culture, to creating stronger,
healthier and more hopeful remote and regional Indigenous
communities.
It is a great beginning, and we now look forward to the next decade,
with still closer partnerships and greater achievements protecting
country, heritage and culture.
“The concept of Indigenous Protected Areas is the product of many
people’s ideas and aspirations. It is that wide circle of kin that gives
me confidence that the infant concept will grow up strong.”
Dermot Smyth, member of Indigenous Protected Areas Advisory Group
Photo credits Opposite and above: Rock art at
Anindilyakwa, Steve Strike.
Contents
Introduction 1
Nantawarrina 2
Case study: Strengthening community at Nantawarrina 4
Preminghana 6
Risdon Cove/putalina 8
Deen Maar 10
Yalata 12
Warul Kawa 14
Watarru/Walalkara 16
Mount Chappell/Badger Island 18
Dhimurru 20
Case study: Protecting marine turtles at Dhimurru 22
Guanaba 24
Wattleridge 26
Case study: Keeping culture strong at Wattleridge 28
Paruku 30
Ngaanyatjarra Lands 32
Mount Willoughby 34
Tyrendarra 36
Toogimbie 38
Anindilyakwa 40
Case study: Tourism and training opportunites at Anindilyakwa 42
Laynhapuy 44
Ninghan 46
Northern Tanami 48
Photo credits Opposite: Laynhapuy, Steve Strike.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2007
ISBN 0 642 55352 1
This work is protected by copyright law. Apart from any use permitted
by the Copyright Act 1968 (including research or study) no part may be
reproduced by any process, re-used or redistributed for any commercial
purpose or distributed to a third party for such purpose, without prior
written permission from the Director of National Parks.
Any permitted reproduction must acknowledge the source of any such
material reproduced and include a copy of the original copyright and
disclaimer.
To order a copy of this publication visit
http://www.environment.gov.au/indigenous/publications/
Introduction
In 1997 Indigenous people and the Australian Government embarked
on a new environmental partnership with the development of
the first Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) at Nantawarrina in South
Australia.
In the 1990s several inquiries had highlighted the need for greater
Indigenous engagement in protected area management. At the
same time, there was a growing movement seeking to re-establish
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander land management traditions and a
new willingness to engage with government on conservation issues.
The Australian Government, in cooperation with the states and
territories, was building a National Reserve System to protect for future
generations examples of all the country’s landscapes, flora and fauna.
The IPA programme built on these developments by providing a
framework for Indigenous land to be managed as part of the National
Reserve System.
Ten years later the partnership that began at Nantawarinna has grown
to include 23 declared Indigenous Protected Areas covering close to
17 million hectares or 23 per cent of the National Reserve System.
In the last decade two-thirds of all additions to the National Reserve
System have come from Indigenous people through the IPA framework
– an invaluable conservation effort which benefits all Australians.
This groundbreaking programme has also provided a pathway to
meaningful jobs for remote Indigenous communities, with spin-offs
in health, education and social cohesion.
Hailed as Australia’s most successful innovation in protected area
management by a recent review, the IPA programme is now stronger
than ever.
This book presents a snapshot of the IPA programme on its 10th
anniversary and aims to share with the wider community the important
contributions IPAs make to the environment and culture of the nation.
Photo credits All photos by the Department of
the Environment and Water Resources. Opposite:
Cycad plant, Anindilyakwa. Right: Bush tucker.
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NantawarrinaSouth Australia
Australia’s first Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), Nantawarrina, spreads
across 58, 000 hectares of rugged terrain between the Flinders and
Gammon Ranges National Parks. A key attraction for visitors and
campers as they pass through the ranges, this hardy country is
characterised by stunning limestone hills, siltstone flats, springs and
waterholes.
Nantawarrina IPA is managed by the Adnyamathanha people of
the Nepabunna Aboriginal community and land titles are held by
the South Australian Aboriginal Lands Trust. As well as protecting
Australian animals, such as the yellow footed rock wallaby, the IPA is
of great cultural significance to the people as a birthplace, traditional
tribal territory and a place of mythologically important sites. With the
new life the IPA has breathed into the community, the country is now
also a source of employment for future generations.
Previous land managment practices have damaged the land, and feral
animals pose a major challenge. Through the IPA, the Nepabunna
community is addressing these challenges, restoring the landscape
and protecting its heritage sites.
The focus of Nantawarrina’s Traditional Owners is to create a balance
between conservation of natural and culture heritage, and economic
sustainability for the benefit of future generations. This is reflected
in the way they manage the IPA, working to create long-term
employment through a bush foods nursery in nearby Nepabunna and
involving the whole community in the IPA’s land management work.
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Revegetation, feral animal and weed control, cultural interpretation
and maintenance of visitor facilities are the main focuses of work on
the IPA, and great progress is being made. The number of donkeys,
goats and rabbits in the area has been dramatically reduced.
Activities are also underway to promote tourism – improving signage,
campsite facilities and access tracks, as well as installing a cultural
centre and a variety of cultural tours.
The declaration of Nantawarrina IPA in August 1998 was made under
World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category IV – Habitat/Species
Management Area: Protected Area managed mainly for conservation
through management intervention.
Photo credits All photos by Nick Rains. Opposite:
Nantwarrina. Left: Working on the IPA. Middle:
Self-composting toilet. Above: Protecting fresh
water spring.
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Strengthening community at Nantawarrina
The journey undertaken by the Adnyamathanha people to develop
and manage Nantawarrina – Australia’s first Indigenous Protected
Area (IPA) – has rehabilitated their land and revitalised their
community.
Nantawarrina’s managers say it is a happier place since its declaration
as an IPA ten years ago. Back then the small, close knit community
was struggling to keep its young people from moving away. There
were few jobs in the area, young people didn’t have much to look
forward to, and relationships between elders and the younger
generations were suffering.
The IPA has brought a sense of purpose and cultural reconnection
these days, because looking after the IPA is everybody’s business.
Elders spend time on the land teaching cultural values and bush
skills and women play an important role through seed collection and
weeding. By giving young people land management work to do, such
as fencing off waterholes and protecting cultural sites, many social
and behavioural problems are addressed.
“We take them out to the waterholes and tell them the dreaming
stories – how arkuru the rainbow serpent came into the gorge and
formed the mountains and rock holes,” Nantawarrina manager Ian
Johnson says.
“The old people take the young ones out to the burial grounds or sit
around the campfire and tell the stories.
“We’ve got strong leadership here. If there’s any trouble with the young
ones, we take them out on country. Everyone has something to do.”
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News of the IPA’s success has reached far beyond its borders. In
2000 Nantawarrina received an award from the United Nations
Environment Programme, joining the Global 500 Roll of Honour for
Environmental Achievement.
“White man brought cats, goats, rabbits and donkeys,“ Ian Johnson
says. “Now our job is to get rid of them“.
“It’s a big tidy up after sheep and cattle have been on the land, but
you can see the clean springs and the new trees. It’s a big difference
we’ve made.”
The Nepabunna people are very proud of their achievements in
land rehabilitation and believe their willingness to experiment with
different seed germination and growing techniques will result in a
superior land for future generations.
‘The IPA is the biggest thing for us. It has turned everything around.’
Nepabunna community, owners and managers
Photo credits All photos by Nick Rains. Opposite:
Looking out over country. Right: Herding feral goats.
Sober up the man
The wife wins
Sober up the wife
The child wins
Sober up the child
The family wins
The community wins
Door sign on Nepubunna Community office
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PreminghanaTasmania
Preminghana Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) covers more than
five square kilometres of land in North West Tasmania bordering the
Southern Ocean. It is managed by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Land and
Sea Council.
Formerly privately owned by the Van Diemen’s Land Company, the
land was compulsorily acquired by the Tasmanian Government in
the late 1970s because of its historic Aboriginal engraving sites. It
was made a State Reserve and a Protected Aboriginal site under
Tasmanian legislation and the land was returned to the Tasmanian
Aboriginal community under the Aboriginal Lands Act 1995.
Preminghana is of environmental, heritage and cultural significance
to Tasmanian Aboriginal people. In the 1800s Aboriginal people were
forcibly removed from the region. It is home to the beautiful Tasmanian
skipper butterfly, a rare species found nowhere else in the world.
Rich in cultural and heritage values, the land is an important cultural
and recreational asset to Tamania’s Aboriginal people, and its beautiful
wetlands, coastal grasslands, heathlands and woodlands attract
tourists and surfers.
Erosion control, weed eradication and feral animal removal are
the primary IPA land management activities carried out to protect
the land and its cultural sites. IPA land managers use traditional
burning and weed control to preserve the landscape and Aboriginal
rehabilitation techniques to protect the engravings.
Monitoring and surveying have proved useful tools in the
conservation of cultural sites. Regular gorse removal by burning, hand
removal and poisoning prevents weeds spreading into larger areas,
and fencing and vehicle restrictions help manage feral animals.
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Other land management activities carried out at Preminghana IPA
include seed collection, removal of rubbish and marine debris, and
maintenance of visitor facilities.
The declaration of Preminghana IPA in July 1999 was made under
World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category IV – Habitat/Species
Management Area: Protected Area managed mainly for conservation
through management intervention.
Photo credits All photos by the Department of
the Environment and Water Resources.
Opposite: Revegetation work on the IPA.
Left: Tasmanian tiger trappers hut. Middle: Sea
spurge removal. Above: Midden site.
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Risdon Cove and putalinaTasmania
Once the land had been returned community consultation was
undertaken to discuss the future management of Risdon Cove
and what people thought the land should be used for. We don’t
separate the cultural and the natural in the same way that many
whitefellas try to, and our management should reflect that.
Risdon Cove Management Plan
Lying on either side of Hobart, Risdon Cove and putalina (Oyster
Cove) are located along the eastern coast of Tasmania. Both
Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) are managed by the Tasmanian
Aboriginal Centre, and are important cultural and spiritual sites for the
local community.
The IPAs protect richly diverse estuarine and riparian ecosystems, as
well as areas of remnant bush, open paddocks and artefact sites. Both
environments have been modified since European settlement, with
land cleared of native vegetation. The IPAs now suffer from the effects
of introduced weeds and feral animals such as cats and rabbits.
putalina is of great importance to the Tasmanian Aboriginal
community. Midden sites along the waterways are evidence of
extensive shellfish gathering over long periods of time. It is also known
as a site where Aboriginal people were incarcerated and many died
of disease and despair. The history and the values of putalina are part
of the Aboriginal cultural heritage now managed under IPA status.
Ancestral remains formerly removed to museums overseas have been
returned and laid to rest. A community festival is held each January to
celebrate putalina’s significance to the Aboriginal community.
IPA funding helps to protect putalina’s shellfish midden sites from
erosion, and from depredation by exotic Pacific oysters. IPA activities
also include firebreak construction and maintenance, and tussock
grass burn-offs to promote new plant growth.
Lying on the Derwent River, Risdon Cove was the first place in
Tasmania to be impacted by European colonisation. The Aboriginal
community’s vision for Risdon Cove is to develop and use the IPA to
educate people about Tasmanian Aboriginal history and culture and
the impact of early European presence at this site.
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The declaration of Risdon Cove and putalina IPAs in June 1999 was
made under World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category V – Protected
Landscape/Seascape: Protected Area managed mainly for landscape/
seascape conservation and recreation.
IPA funding supports the recording and protection of cultural
sites including artefact scatters, a quarry and a rock shelter. Local
seed is being collected and propagated on site for revegetation.
A complex of buildings and outdoor spaces for cultural learning is
being developed, including a community school, and a spiral stone
community garden for food, medicinal and craft plants. The garden is
also used for performances and community gatherings.
Land management activities on both IPAs emphasise environmental
rehabilitation and sustainable land use, such as weed and feral
animal control, and revegetation programmes. Cultural activities
are enhanced with the erection of visitor interpretation signs, and
walking track construction.
Photo credits All photos by the Department of
the Environment and Water Resources. Opposite:
Revegetation area at Risdon Cove. Left: Midden
artefact site. Above left: First European settlement
house at Risdon Cove. Above right: Midden artefact
site at putalina.
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Deen MaarVictoria
“We will restore this land to its former beauty and bountifulness, so
that our people can once again be part of the land, Deen Maar.”
Lionel Harradine, Chairperson Framlingham Aboriginal Trust
Deen Maar Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) lies on the south-west
coast of Victoria, near the community of Yambuk. The property is
four and a half square kilometres of rolling sand dunes, limestone
ridges, river, lake and wetlands, located in the South East Coastal Plain
bioregion.
The area is home to many wildlife species, including the endangered
orange-bellied parrot, which has a total known population of fewer
than 200 birds.
Purchased by the Framlingham Aboriginal Trust in 1993, this land
is of special cultural significance to local Aboriginal people. It has
a spiritual and visual connection with Deen Maar Island (Lady Julie
Percy Island) where Bunjil, the Creator, left this world. The land and its
story are connected to Gariwerd (the Grampians National Park).
Deen Maar was the site of deadly conflict between Aboriginal people
and squatters in the mid-1800s, commonly known as the Eumerella
Wars. The remains of Aboriginal people involved in the conflict are
protected by the Deen Maar IPA.
From the mid-1800s the land was used for primary production. The
wetlands were drained and vegetation removed. The country became
a haven for pests such as rabbits and weeds. At the time of its purchase
the old grazing property was badly eroded and overrun by feral animals.
IPA management is helping the community revegetate the area with
native plants, restore water flows to wetlands, control rabbits and
weeds, and construct access paths and tracks.
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The wider community has been involved in field days and planting
excursions, and each winter Aboriginal elders invite people from
Melbourne to plant around 10,000 trees. The cultural exchange and
relationships built through these working bees help spread the word
about how special Deen Maar is.
Deen Maar is managed using a mix of traditional land management
practices and contemporary western techniques. This exciting
approach to landcare combines the best in current technology with
the wisdom and knowledge of the land’s traditional custodians.
Extensive restoration at Deen Maar is showing significant results, with
the return of many bird species and the germination of numerous
native grasses and herbs thought to have disappeared. About 20
orange-bellied parrots have been discovered on the Deen Maar
IPA, representing around 15 per cent of all the parrots that survive
anywhere in Australia.
The declaration of Deen Maar IPA in July 1999 was made under World
Conservation Union (IUCN) Category VI – Managed Resource Protected
Areas: Protected Area managed mainly for the sustainable use of natural
ecosystems.
Photo credits All photos by the Department of
the Environment and Water Resources. Opposite:
Deen Maar sand dunes. Left: Patch burning.
Above: Revegetation to protect orange-bellied
parrot nesting site.
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Yalata The Great Australian Bight, South Australia
Lying at the edge of the Great Victoria Desert on the southern margin
of Australia’s majestic Nullarbor Plain, Yalata Indigenous Protected
Area (IPA) covers 4,563 square kilometres of coastal dunes, limestone
cliffs, sand plains and shrublands.
Originally occupied by Wirangu and Mirning coastal communities,
Yalata’s Traditional Owners also comprise Kokata, Antakarinja, Pindiini,
and Ngalea western desert peoples. These groups are linked through
cultural affiliations and traditional practices. The Yalata community
identify as southern Anangu, and speak a Pitjantjatjara dialect.
Owned by the South Australian Aboriginal Lands Trust, and leased
by the Yalata Community Council, the IPA is managed by the Yalata
Community. Anangu live mainly in the small township of Yalata, and
use the land for hunting and fishing, and for cultural purposes.
Archaeological dating of cultural sites shows that Aboriginal people
have lived in the Nullarbor area for at least 40,000 years. Surrounded by national parks and reserves, and the Great Australian
Bight Marine Park, Yalata forms part of a wider region identified
for conservation purposes. Yalata protects large areas of native
vegetation that remain uncleared, and it is part of one of the largest
patches of mallee in the country.
Around 20,000 people visit Yalata each year to fish, camp and watch
the migration of southern-right whales which arrive from Antarctica
between June and October.
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The declaration of Yalata in October 1999 was made under World
Conservation Union (IUCN) Category V – Protected Landscape/Seascape:
Protected Area managed mainly for landscape/seascape conservation
and recreation.
Such large numbers of visitors put pressure on the environment,
particularly on the fragile dune systems. Environmental management
and conservation activities performed by Anangu rangers through
the IPA programme help to alleviate these impacts. Important
breeding grounds for whales and fish are being protected and
managed, and viewing platforms and boardwalks have been
constructed to protect dunes and beach areas from erosion.
Yalata’s coastal environment is also being stabilised through
revegetation, achieved by seed collection and propagation of local
species. Highly invasive boxthorn is being removed and feral animal
control work is underway. These cause the loss of native animal
habitats and reduce the levels of biodiversity on Yalata, and are the
focus of a wider invasive species management strategy.
Photo credits All photos by the Department
of the Environment and Water Resources.
Opposite: Whale observation platform.
Left: Sand dunes. Above: Boardwalk.
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Warul Kawa Island The Torres Strait, Queensland
The small tropical island of Warul Kawa lies off Cape York Peninsula in
the Torres Strait. Also known as Deliverance Island, the uninhabited
sand cay is of spiritual and cultural significance to the Indigenous
Western Island communities.
Managed by the Torres Strait Island Coordinating Council, Warul
Kawa Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) covers around 3,500 hectares
of vegetated dunes, rainforest, and dense vine thickets. The IPA
and its environs are important hunting and fishing grounds for the
Traditional Owners, particularly the Boigu Island community.
Despite forming part of Australia’s Protected Zone, the Island and
surrounding seas are visited by illegal fishermen, and also serve as
a temporary refuge for passing sailors caught in stormy weather.
IPA activities are reducing the impact of visitors on the island’s
environment through the construction of a small campsite and
permanent water supply to limit the effects of unplanned camping
and foraging on the wider landscape.
Warul Kawa supports a variety of bird habitats and plants species not
usually found on Torres Strait islands, including nesting mounds of the
orange-footed scrub fowl, and the rainforest plants Manilkara kauki,
Diospyrus maritima, and Aglaia eleagnoidea. IPA activities maintain
the health of the Island’s ecosystems by removing shipping debris
and other wastes washed up on the beaches, and by implementing
sustainable hunting practices.
The declaration of Warul Kawa IPA in April 2001 was made under
World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category VI – Managed Resource
Protected Area: Protected Area managed mainly for the sustainable use of
natural ecosystems.
Photo credits Above left: Mangroves along the sea,
Steve Szabo. Above right: Migrating green turtle,
Robert Thorn. Opposite: Placid seas near Warul
Kawa, Steve Szabo.
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Watarru and Walalkara Great Victoria Desert, South Australia
Watarru and Walalkara Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) cover 12,800
and 7,000 square kilometres respectively on Anangu Pitjantjatjara
lands. Both areas lie in the Great Victoria Desert, the traditional lands
of the Pitjantjatjara, Ngaanyatjarra and Yankunytjatjara peoples,
known as Anangu.
Anangu Traditional Owners manage their lands in accordance with
traditional law, or Tjukurpa. Tjukurpa describes a time when heroic beings
combining the attributes of humans and animals travelled across the
landscape, creating and shaping the features of the land. Their actions
established the code of behaviour followed by Anangu today.
This code regulates all aspects of life, from resource use and land
management to social relationships and personal identity. For Anangu,
the landscape embodies the stories, songs and art of Tjukurpa.
As well as being imbued with the stories of ancestors, the landscape
is the result of thousands of years of management through traditional
practices, like patch burning. During the cool season, small fires lit close
together leave burned and unburned areas, or patches. The resulting
mosaic pattern helps to provide protection for small animals, while
removing old vegetation and encouraging the growth of new shoots.
The environment on both IPAs is largely intact, with no history of
grazing and few other disturbances. IPA funding supports traditional
fire management activities and helps to maintain precious sources
of water like rockholes and soakages. Tjukurpa teaches about the
location and care of these sources, many of which are known only to
Anangu.
Traditional Owners, with the help of APY (Anangu Pitjantjatjara
Yankunytjatjara) Land Management, work with scientists to find ways
to deal with contemporary land management issues, such as weeds
and feral animals. These problems are not dealt with in Tjukurpa as
they are only relatively recent issues.
Watarru and Walalkara have a huge diversity of reptiles , including
tjakura, the great desert skink, and Australia’s largest lizard, the perentie.
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IPA funding is used to control feral animals, like cats and foxes, which
pose a threat to native animals. Although feral cat numbers are
relatively low, native wildlife populations can be devastated if the cats
are not controlled. Work is also underway to control camels, which
foul waterholes and soakages, placing extra stress on the native
animals which use the water.
The Traditional Owners are interested in developing small-scale
tourism ventures through which they can share their knowledge of
the country with visitors. Several small tourist ventures have already
been undertaken on the two IPAs, including visits to Walalkara by
Earthwatch, and Watarru by the Victorian Land Rover Club.
IPA activities help pass on traditional knowledge about country to
younger generations. Elders take younger members of the family out
into the field whenever appropriate and work with schools close to
IPAs to share traditional knowledge.
The declaration of Watarru and Walalkara IPAs in June 2000 was made
under World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category VI – Managed
Resource Protected Area: Protected Area managed mainly for the
sustainable use of natural ecosystems.
Photo credits All photos by the Department of
the Environment and Water Resources. Opposite:
Rocky landscape. Left: Tracking at Watarru.
Above left: Fire management. Above right: Looking
out over country.
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Mount Chappell Island and Badger Island Bass Strait, Tasmania
Found in the Bass Strait off the north-eastern tip of Tasmania, Mount
Chappell Island and Badger Island form part of the Furneaux Group of
islands.
The islands have long been regarded by Aboriginal people as
an important part of the seasonal food-gathering cycle, and the
Tasmanian Government handed them back to the Aboriginal
community in 1995. The two small islands are now managed as
Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) by the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre.
The introduction of exotic plants and animals has put pressure on
the land, and overgrazing, land clearing and inappropriate burning
regimes have added to this. The islands now experience a range of
environmental problems, including land degradation and the loss of
native animal and plant species.
Communities of Aboriginal families regularly visited Chappell Island
during mutton-bird breeding seasons—archaeological evidence of
occupation in the region dates back at least 20,000 years. By the 1850s
many families were living permanently on nearby islands, earning
a regular income from the mutton-bird industry up until the 1950s.
Commercial mutton-birding declined after this time, with the last
major season in 1975.
IPA funding is helping Traditional Owners remove highly invasive
boxthorn by cutting, poisoning and burning it. On Chappell Island
they are replacing it with coastal tussock and boobialla. IPA funding
also supports the regeneration of some of the island’s native species
such as island sea parsley, coastal bonefruit, pellitory and scrambling
twin-leaf.
On Badger Island, IPA funding is helping to protect revegetation
corridors and heritage sites from grazing animals, and supports a
major revegetation program. Local seed is propagated in a small
nursery on a nearby island, and newly planted stock helps to stabilise
the soil and prevent erosion.
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IPA projects on the islands focus on feral animal control, cultural
heritage management, and the development of jetties and shelters
to allow easier access for work teams, land managers, and visits by
Traditional Owners. With Tasmania Parks and Wildlife assistance,
the local community hopes to increase mutton-bird rookeries on
Chappell Island.
The declaration of Mount Chappell and Badger Island IPAs in
September 2000 was made under World Conservation Union (IUCN)
Category V – Protected Landscape/Seascape: Protected Area managed
mainly for landscape/seascape conservation and recreation.
Photo credits All photos by the Department of
the Enivronment and Water Resources.
Opposite: Badger Island. Left: Mt Chappell Island
Ranger Station. Middle: Revegetation on Badger
Island. Above: Badger Island seascape.
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Dhimurru Arnhem Land, Northern Territory
The land will exist forever. It must be protected so that it will remain
the same, so that it can be seen in the same way that the elders saw
it in the past. Our vision and hope is that Yolngu will continue to use
the land for all the generations to come.
Roy Dadaynga Marika MBE
Dhimurru Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), covering over 920 square
kilometres of coastline and hinterland country on the western edge
of the Gulf of Carpentaria, forms part of the wider traditional lands of
the Yolngu people.
Sandy beaches, rocky coastal islands, spreading mangroves and
ancient dune systems are found along Dhimurru’s coasts. Inland, the
Guwatjurumurru (Giddy River) flows through cascades and rockpools,
before meandering through the coastal plain.
Dhimurru’s lands are held for the Traditional Owners by the
Arnhem Land Aboriginal Land Trust, and their interests are
represented by the Northern Land Council. The IPA is run by the
Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation, which was
created in 1992 to deal with increasing numbers of visitors and
growth in the local township of Nhulunbuy. They work with the
Traditional Owners, who direct land management and approve
access to their lands via a permit system. The Corporation looks
after the day to day running of the IPA, making sure things are
done in a way that reflects Yolngu cultural values.
Many Traditional Owners work as rangers on the IPA, monitoring
and protecting the wildlife. Part of their job is surveying turtle and
crocodile numbers to make sure the populations are healthy. Another
key role is the removal of marine debris washed up on beaches. Every
year the rangers remove tonnes of discarded fishing nets known
as ghost nets, rescuing turtles and other marine life entangled and
injured in the plastic mesh.
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The effectiveness of this work was recognised in 2001 by a Banksia
Award—Australia’s prestigious environmental award scheme—in
the Marine and Coastal category. This was awarded to Dhimurru for
a marine project they worked on with WWF-Australia, Conservation
Volunteers Australia and Northern Territory Fisheries.
Local schoolchildren, including students from Nhulunbuy and Yirrkala
Primary Schools, go on interpretive walks with rangers to learn about
their work, cultural traditions and how they protect the environment.
The rangers also assist Australian Quarantine and Inspection Services
with ship inspections (to guard against introduced species), and talk
to visitors about the IPA.
IPA funding helps manage visitor pressures on popular areas by
maintaining campsites and controlling access to fragile dune and
beach zones which were being damaged by vehicles, causing erosion
and destroying wildlife habitats.
The declaration of Dhimurru IPA in November 2000 was made under
World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category V – Protected Landscape/
Seascape: Protected Area managed mainly for landscape/seascape
conservation and recreation.
Photo credits All photos taken by the
Department of the Environment and Water
Resources. Opposite: Beach. Left: Ranger guided
walk.. Above right: Dune protection.
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With majestic coastlines, breathtaking views and fascinating native
plants and animals, Dhimurru Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is
one of the most beautiful places in Australia, and is renowned as an
inspiring cultural landscape.
Over the years, Dhimurru’s land and sea country have suffered from
natural and human impacts. Marine debris and ghost nets are major
problems in the area and have caused great concern for the safety of
the miyapunu (marine turtle).
Djawa Yunupingu, a senior Yolngu landowner, says miyapunu are
important to Yolngu culture.
“The turtle story tells us how miyapunu swim to their feeding
grounds and how they come up for air. These stories are told through
our songs and dance and have been passed from generation to
generation,” Djawa says.
“The IPA helps us look after miyapunu, so they can go on breeding
on our beaches and swimming in our waters. That’s important to our
country and important to us too.”
Protecting marine turtles at Dhimurru
Dhimurru Rangers are working hard to protect miyapunu and
understand their movements better. Each year large numbers of
miyapunu wash up on the shoreline entangled and trapped in fish
netting carelessly discarded by fishing boats. Exhausted, stressed and
struggling to breathe, miyapunu are often found in desperate need
of medical attention. Sadly, the rangers often reach them too late to
save their lives.
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Dhimurru Land Management Aboriginal Corporation is undertaking
a major miyapunu recovery plan with help from the Australian
Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources,
the Parks and Wildlife Commission of the Northern Territory, WWF-
Australia, the Aboriginal Benefits Account, Conservation Volunteers
Australia and other supporting organisations. Launched in 1996,
the long-term research project aims to eliminate marine debris so
miyapunu populations can recover and flourish.
A major part of the recovery plan is research and data collection, with
Dhimurru rangers capturing and tagging then releasing miyapunu
for monitoring and scientific purposes. During the dry season they
launch weekly helicopter flights over the coastline in search of
miyapunu caught in ghost nets.
“Helping miyapunu is a big part of the work we’re doing on the IPA,
but it’s not the only thing,” Djawa said.
“We’re looking at other environmental issues like land erosion too,
and working to control feral animals and weeds.”
Dhimurru Rangers have rescued around 300 miyapunu since the
project began, with over half surviving their ordeal. But despite their
best efforts, the rangers say much more work must be done.
“The helicopter patrols work well and we’ll keep them going, and we’ll try
to get rid of as many ghost nets as we can by cleaning up the beaches.
But getting people to stop dropping them in the sea is important too, so
awareness is a big thing we’ll be focusing on,” Djawa says.
“The information we’re collecting by monitoring the miyapunu will
help in the long run too, so we can work out where they go and
where they run into trouble.
“We will keep working hard to save miyapunu and find out as much
as we can about them, so they can live on as strongly in our waters as
they do in our culture.”
Photo credits Opposite: Green sea turtle on sand,
Schmida, Gunther E. Above left: Rescuing turtle
from ghost net, Department of the Environment
and Water Resources. Above right: Turtle
measuring, Department of the Environment and
Water Resources.
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Guanaba The Gold Coast, Queensland
At the foot of Mount Tamborine near the Queensland-New South
Wales border, Guanaba Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) covers one
square kilometre of dense rainforest and vine thickets, eucalypt
woodlands and picturesque creeks.
As well as protecting the land’s plants and animals, IPA funding is
helping local Aboriginal people restore their cultural traditions, which
have suffered from the changes wrought by white settlement and
removal from the land.
The IPA lands were purchased in 1998 by the Indigenous Land
Corporation on behalf of the Ngarang-Wal Land Council. Guanaba is
part of the traditional lands of the Kombumerri people, a clan of the
Yugambeh, who lived along the Gold Coast and its hinterland for at
least 24,000 years.
Land use changes including timber harvesting and cattle grazing
resulted in the disappearance of native wildlife, which the Yugambeh
relied on for food. Guanaba’s plants escaped much of this early
damage because of the steepness of the land and difficulties in
access and removing timber.
In the late 1890s, colonial government policy resulted in the removal
of many of the Gold Coast peoples to reserves. Despite this enforced
separation from their lands, Yugambeh still felt responsible for
traditional law, ceremonies and spiritual places. These traditions were
kept alive through artwork, dances and songs until the 1940s.
With the passing of this generation it has become more difficult
to keep up the traditional ways, and Guanaba is a place where the
younger generation is being educated in traditional knowledge
and cultural practices. IPA funding has supported a cultural heritage
assessment of the property to assist this ongoing community
education process.
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Guanaba is linked to the state-managed Tamborine National Park by a
privately-owned vegetation corridor. IPA land management activities
reflect this relationship and are undertaken with Queensland Parks
and Wildlife Service advice and assistance. These activities focus on
conserving Guanaba’s high levels of biodiversity through a weed
removal program, and soil and catchment protection to prevent
erosion on steep slopes.
Wild dogs and cane toads are the main feral animal threats to wildlife,
and to gain a better understanding of the feral animal problem, the
Ngarang-Wal Land Council is working with students from Griffith
University’s School of Environmental and Applied Science, and
with Green Corps, on a comprehensive feral animal survey and
management strategy.
The declaration of Guanaba IPA in November 2000 was made under
World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category IV—Habitat/Species
Management Area: Protected Area managed mainly for conservation
through management intervention.
Photo credits All photos by Tony Dillon.
Opposite: Guanaba’s rainforest landscape.
Left: Guanaba Creek. Middle: The endangered
Fleay’s frog. Above: Soaring rainforest palms.
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Wattleridge New England, New South Wales
Situated about 35 kilometres north-east of the New England
township of Guyra, Wattleridge Indigenous Protected Area (IPA)
covers nearly four square kilometres of botanically diverse bushland
growing on outcropping granite country. Bounded by the Sara River
flowing to the north, the land’s rocky ridges and rolling landscape are
separated by forested valley flats, picturesque creeks and tumbling
waterfalls.
Wattleridge IPA contains the only recorded axe-grinding groove sites
and fully recorded art sites in the local area.
Prior to European settlement Wattleridge was part of the traditional
lands of the Banbai community. In 1998 the Indigenous Land
Corporation purchased the land for Banbai Land Enterprises Limited,
opening the door for its declaration as the first IPA in New South
Wales. The Traditional Owners manage the IPA as part of a larger six
and a half square kilometre property.
Property owners protect the land’s wildlife habitat and educate
visitors on the conservation values of the area. These responsibilities
are followed through as part of the wider IPA management strategy,
which extends right through to promoting biodiversity in the greater
Clarence River Catchment area.
Wattleridge contains large areas of bushland which haven’t been
logged, grazed or frequently burnt for nearly 30 years, resulting in a
wide range of plant species not found elsewhere in the region.
Although this protection from fire has resulted in largely intact
vegetation communities, it has also allowed feral animals and
weeds to multiply. The Traditional Owners are implementing a
comprehensive pest management strategy, targeting foxes and
rabbits, wild dogs, feral cats, pigs and goats, and weeds such as
blackberry, nodding thistle and fireweed.
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The historic absence of substantial fire means fire management is
now a priority. A detailed fire management plan is being developed
with assistance from the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife
Service.
The Banbai community hopes to make the Wattleridge property
self-sufficient. As part of the IPA program small business enterprises
are being developed to help provide employment and extra funds
for environmental management. The construction of walking tracks,
viewing platforms and interpretative signage is building ecotourism.
The community is also developing a native plant propagation
business, with work underway on replanting the land, training people
in horticulture and setting up seed banks.
Several sites of cultural significance, including an ancient rock art site,
scarred trees and axe-grinding grooves on granite boulders, are being
protected by IPA activities.
The declaration of Wattleridge IPA in June 2001 was made under
World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category VI – Managed Resource
Protected Area: Protected Area managed mainly for the sustainable use of
natural ecosystems.
Photo credits All photos by the Department of the
Environment and Water Resources. Opposite: The
Sara River valley. Left: Working at Wattleridge.
Above: Rock art viewing platform.
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When the Banbai people were removed from their land they lost
access to an important part of their culture. Decades on, Wattleridge
Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is helping the people reclaim their
cultural heritage just as they have reclaimed their country.
Tanya Cutmore, one of the IPA managers, says the main reason for
buying Wattleridge was to provide a land base, a real home, for the
Banbai people.
“We wanted a place on our traditional lands where Banbai people could
come and reconnect, enjoying the land that our ancestors lived on.”
Tanya says the Indigenous Land Corporation helped with that, buying
Wattleridge for the Banbai people, and now IPA funding is helping
them look after it.
“By taking care of the land we take care of the people too, keeping
culture strong so the younger generations know who they are and
where they come from.”
Pressures on culture are becoming more obvious as younger
generations of the Banbai people are drawn away from the area.
However, the community is working hard to keep language,
ceremony and other cultural practices alive and well.
All the signs on Wattleridge are written in the Banbai language, so
visitors and people from the community call things by their Banbai
names. The elders spend lots of time teaching the young generation
traditional ways of living on and managing the land, so someday they
can take over caring for the IPA.
Keeping culture strong at Wattleridge
There are limited employment opportunities in the area, but the
elders hope that doing work on country will encourage younger
generations to learn more about the land. They hope this will entice
young people to stay on the land and pass the traditional way of
doing things on to their families.
But passing on Banbai traditional knowledge doesn’t stop there. The
Black Mountain Public School in New South Wales has recently shown
interest in teaching the Banbai language. The school caters to a mix of
Indigenous and non-Indigenous students, and teaches many children
from nearby Aboriginal communities.
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The Banbai people are excited about the future, and hope their work
will keep Banbai culture strong and protect the history of this land for
future generations.
“The land is unique and so special in many ways. We want the land
to stay exactly the same for all future generations.”
Tanya Cutmore
“This is a great opportunity, and we’re really excited about it,” Tanya says.
“By teaching Banbai language and culture to local kids from all
backgrounds we can help everyone understand why this place is so
special to us.”
The Wattleridge area is known for its many important cultural sites.
Dating back thousands of years, these sites include rock art, scarred trees
and axe- grinding grooves. The IPA helps the community care for
these special places, and they have recently put up a barrier around an
ancient rock art site so it is protected from potential vandals. Photo credits All photos by the Department
of the Environment and Water Resources.
Opposite: Working on the IPA. Above left: Rock art.
Above right: Viewing platform.
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Paruku Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia
The spectacular wetlands of Paruku Indigenous Protected Area (IPA)
are an internationally renowned haven for hundreds of thousands of
birds.
Covering around 4,300 square kilometres on the borders of the Great
Sandy Desert and Tanami bioregions, Paruku IPA is located south of
the township of Halls Creek. The IPA covers a collection of aquatic
habitats known as Lake Gregory, including Mulan Lake (the largest
waterbody), Lera Waterhole, and Salt Pan and Djaluwon Creeks.
Paruku is the Walmatjarri name for Lake Gregory.
Paruku/Lake Gregory is the only lake in the region with a reliable
source of fresh water for large numbers of birds and other animals,
supporting over 70 species of waterbirds and 175 aquatic species.
Surrounded by hundreds of kilometres of arid desert lands, these
wetland oases are fed from a catchment in the south-east Kimberley
region. More than 100,000 birds visit the wetlands regularly, with up
to 60,000 estimated at Mulan Lake at any one time.Paruku IPA encompasses a variety of desert and semi-desert
landscapes—undulating red sand plains, salt pans and occasional
dunes with stunted eucalyptus. It is dotted with acacias and spinifex,
flood plains with swathes of short grasses and low shrubs, and alluvial
plains and sand rises.
The land covered by the IPA is held under two pastoral leases purchased
by the Aboriginal Lands Trust in 1978. Paruku/Lake Gregory and Billiluna
properties are managed by the Mulan community with the assistance
of the Kimberley Land Council. IPA status helps Traditional Owners
protect their places of cultural significance, to develop an ecologically
sustainable pastoral enterprise and conserve the Paruku wetlands.
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The IPA has several groups of Traditional Owners, including Walmajarri,
Jaru and Kukatja peoples. Paruku is at the end of a long Dreaming
track binding together a large number of people living across a
wide area. The way the land and waters are managed, including
the placement of fences, bores and living camps, is governed by
Tjurapalan Tingarri Law. The law also binds the Traditional Owners
together and expresses their communal ownership of native title.
IPA activities help to manage the land in accordance with traditional
ways, and support cooperative community works. Environmental
degradation caused by introduced species, along with former over-
grazing by cattle, is being addressed with the assistance of IPA funding.
Traditional plant use has been recorded through ethno-botany field
trips, and visitor activities managed through the preparation of a
tourism management plan, and construction and maintenance of
lakeside campsites. Controlled burning practices, and fencing to
monitor the impacts of feral horses and cattle, are helping to care for
country and maintain the land’s health into the future.
The declaration of Paruku IPA in September 2001 was made
under World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category II – Protected
Area managed mainly for ecosystem conservation and recreation
and Category VI – Managed Resource Protected Area: Protected Area
managed mainly for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems.
Photo credits All photos by the Department
of the Environment and Water Resources.
Opposite: Paruku/Lake Gregory. Above left: Paruku
community meeting. Below left: Paruku’s red sand
plains. Below right: Paruku homestead.
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Ngaanyatjarra Lands Central Ranges, Western Australia
Things change, but the idea can remain the same. The yakirri we
wear is made of wool. It used to be made of possum skin or hair,
but now it’s made of wool, and white fellas make the wool. But it’s
still a yakirri, and it still represents the law. These IPAs could be like
this—a white fella way [of doing the job we used to do].
Ngaanyatjarra Elder
The Ngaanyatjarra Lands cover a total area of 250,000 square
kilometres, with the Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) making up
98,000 square kilometres of this. Encompassing the entire West
Australian section of the Central Ranges bioregion and parts of
the Gibson, Great Victoria and Great Sandy deserts, it is the largest
declared IPA in Australia.
The Ngaanyatjarra Lands are increasingly being recognised for their
strong cultural and natural values. Ngaanyatjarra people, Yarnangu,
have cared for their country for thousands of years, and these social
and cultural activities continue unbroken to the present day.
The IPA’s high levels of biodiversity are a direct result of traditional
land management practices.
There are about 2,000 Yarnangu living on the Lands in 11 autonomous
incorporated communities. Ngaanyatjarra Council represents them
all, and coordinates IPA activities across the Lands. IPA funding
helps Traditional Owners apply traditional ecological knowledge
to land management, and pass this knowledge and associated
responsibilities on to future generations.
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The declaration of the Ngaanyatjarra Lands IPA in August 2002 was
made under World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category VI – Managed
Resource Protected Area: Protected Area managed mainly for the
sustainable use of natural ecosystems. Several smaller zones within the
IPA are managed under Category III – Natural Monument: Protected Area
managed for the conservation of specific natural features and Category IV
– Habitat/ Species Management Area: Protected Area managed mainly
for conservation through management intervention.
Fire is used to rejuvenate the land, the water supply is protected by
maintaining rockholes, bores and windmills, and young people learn
about bush foods and their medicinal uses. Training in contemporary
ways of managing the land is underway, so the land benefits from the
best that both traditions have to offer.
IPA funding helps to monitor threatened species, and manage the
weeds and feral animals which are taking over their habitats. Warru
(black-footed wallaby) numbers are increasing as a result of fox-
baiting work by Warburton community members, in cooperation with
the South Australian Department of Environment and Conservation.
Photo credits All photos from the Ngaanyatjarra
Lands. Opposite: The Two Sisters. Left: Yarnangu
Traditional Owners. Above left: Seed collecting.
Above right: Ngarrkalya or Sandhill Wattle seeds.
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Mount Willoughby Stony Plains, South Australia
The striking arid landscape of Mount Willoughby Indigenous
Protected Area covers 3,865 square kilometres where the Stony
Plains and Great Victoria Desert bioregions meet. The former pastoral
property supports a remarkable collection of habitats, ranging from
swamps and grassland to cracking clay pans, spectacular breakaway
ranges and vivid red dune country.
Located on the Stuart Highway about 150 kilometres north of Coober
Pedy, Mount Willoughby was purchased in 1996 by the Indigenous
Land Corporation on behalf of the Tjyrilia Aboriginal Corporation, a
small family-based company.
With the state-managed Tallaringa Conservation Park bordering
the IPA, the Tjyrilia Aboriginal Corporation undertakes biodiversity
conservation and land management practices that complement
park strategies. IPA activities include habitat protection, control of
weeds and feral animals like wild cattle, foxes, camels and rabbits, and
campsite and road infrastructure maintenance.
The Mount Willoughby environment sustains numerous animal and
plant species, including many which are very rare and several listed as
endangered. An example is the Erigeron sessilifolius, a desert daisy not
found in South Australia since 1927. The plant was rediscovered on
the IPA during a recent biological survey.
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IPA funding is protecting important cultural heritage sites including
waterholes, rock pools and bush tucker sources, as well as historic
European settler structures like huts and brush yards. Traditional
knowledge about land management and cultural ways is also being
saved, through workshops with the Traditional Owners.
The declaration of Mount Willoughby IPA in November 2002 was
made under World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category VI – Managed
Resource Protected Area: Protected Area managed mainly for the
sustainable use of natural ecosystems, and Category II – Protected Area
managed mainly for ecosystem conservation and recreation.
Photo credits Opposite and left: Arid shrubland,
Department of the Environment and Water Resources.
Middle: Traditional Owners and land manager on site,
Department of the Environment and Water Resources.
Above: Perentie lizard, Robert Thorn.
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Tyrendarra Volcanic Plains, Victoria
The ancient volcanic landscape of Tyrendarra Indigenous Protected
Area (IPA) was created by the spectacular eruption of Budj Bim (Mount
Eccles) around 27,000 years ago. This region is a traditional meeting
place and camping area for the Gunditjmara people—the land is part
of major Dreaming trails and an important ceremonial site.
Owned and managed by the Winda-Mara Aboriginal Corporation on
behalf of the Gunditjmara people, Tyrendarra sits on Darlot Creek, a
tributary of Lake Condah to the north. The property covers two and a
half square kilometres in the Victorian Volcanic Plain bioregion.
Tyrendarra features the remains of a large, settled community that
systematically farmed eels for food and trade in one of Australia’s
earliest and largest aquaculture ventures. The remnants of Indigenous
engineering works include weirs, channels and eel traps, as well as
settlements of circular stone dwellings. These complex enterprises
were carried out in a landscape imbued with spiritual meaning for the
Gunditjmara.Nationally recognised for its archaeological, cultural and
environmental importance, Tyrendarra IPA forms part of the Budj Bim
National Heritage Landscape—one of the first places to be listed
on Australia’s National Heritage List in July 2004. The Winda-Mara
Aboriginal Corporation manages the Indigenous heritage values
of the landscape, in addition to land and resource management
activities carried out on the IPA.
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The management of Tyrendarra IPA centres on reinstating the
pre-1840s wetlands system, supporting the consequent regrowth
of the manna gum woodland, managing introduced plants and
animals, and establishing an eel aquaculture industry as a sustainable
business venture. A cultural rehabilitation plan is also guiding cultural
landscape restoration.
These aims are supported by IPA activities such as repairing and
upgrading infrastructure on the property, controlling weeds and feral
animals, building visitor boardwalks and interpretative signage, and
replanting trees and shrubs.
Over 5,000 trees and grasses planted in 2004 and 2005 were
destroyed by bushfires in January 2006, along with 90 per cent of the
property’s vegetation. Despite this devastating blow, new seedlings
have been planted from locally grown seed, with the assistance of
International Student Volunteers. The declaration of Tyrendarra IPA in December 2003 was made under
World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category VI – Managed Resource
Protected Area: Protected Area managed mainly for the sustainable use of
natural ecosystems.
Photo credits Opposite: Stone wall ruins,
Department of the Environment and Water
Resources. Left: Boardwalk through a ruined stone
settlement, Matthew Butt. Middle: Tyrendarra tiger
snake, Matthew Butt. Above: Tyrendarra wetlands
and volcanic rock ruins, Department of the
Environment and Water Resources.
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Toogimbie The Riverina, New South Wales
Our vision is to protect and enhance our culture and history,
while encouraging and protecting the natural environment and
conserving biodiversity.
Nari Nari Tribal Council
Covering around 46 square kilometres, Toogimbie Indigenous
Protected Area (IPA) is owned and managed by the Nari Nari Tribal
Council.
Situated north of the famous Hay Plain, the Toogimbie landscape
includes flat former pasture lands contrasting with eucalypt-lined
creeks and waterways, and a nearby floodplain. The traditional life of
the Nari Nari people revolves around Toogimbie’s wetlands, which are
home to totem animals and traditional medicines.
Much of the cultural history of the local Indigenous people was lost
upon assimilation into European society. IPA activities are protecting
the scarred trees, campsites and burial mounds found on Toogimbie,
as well as helping reconnect the people to their land. Toogimbie IPA
represents both a visual and spiritual link between the health of the
land, its water systems and its people.
The local ecosystem and wildlife habitats have been affected by
former farming practices, and by timbercutting along waterways.
As a result, the Toogimbie wetlands are environmentally degraded
and fragile, and are the main focus of land management activities.
Managed intervention by the Tribal Council supports the recovery of
the land, and is helping to ensure a sustainable future for both the
Nari Nari and their environment.
IPA funded activities include improving wetland inundation,
replanting vegetation, and controlling weeds and feral animals like
foxes, rabbits and pigs. Areas that have been fenced to keep stock and
feral animals out are showing improvements in the level of cover and
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in environmental health. The Tribal Council aims to continue timber
harvesting using sustainable methods, for community use.
The location and details of important cultural sites are also being
recorded. These sites are being protected by removing stock from the
area, controlling visitor access and revegetating the sites to repair the
feral animal damage.
Overall revegetation works are another major IPA activity. In 2005
alone, 2.5 kilograms of local seed was collected, 8,500 seedlings were
planted, 8,000 clay seed balls distributed and 4,000 plants propagated.
The Tribal Council has also erected bird hides in the wetlands, and
constructed a bush tucker garden to improve community access to
native foods and medicinal plants.
The declaration of Toogimbie IPA in March 2004 was made under
World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category IV – Habitat/Species
Management Area: Protected Area managed mainly for conservation
through management intervention.
Photo credits All photos taken by the
Department of the Environment and Water
Resources. Opposite: The Murrumbidgee River
at Toogimbie. Left: Entrance to the IPA.
Above: Toogimbie Homestead.
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Anindilyakwa Arnhem Land, Northern Territory
We must protect our sacred places and our way of living. We want to
be able to live on our country in peace as our elders did and we want
to be able to pass on our country to our children so that it guides and
sustains them.
Groote Archipelago Traditional Owners
Spreading across the Groote Eylandt Archipelago in the Gulf of
Carpentaria, Anindilyakwa Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) covers
around 3,000 square kilometres of land surrounded by another 7,000
square kilometres of sea country.
The Anindilyakwa IPA strikes a balance between protecting the land
for conservation purposes and allowing for sustainable economic
development and traditional resource use.
Since IPA declaration in 2001, the Anindilyakwa community has
focused on protecting and valuing traditional ecological knowledge,
as well as protecting cultural and visitor sites and marine estates.
It has built resource management partnerships and capacity in
its ranger workforce, and is working hard to maintain the high
biodiversity and pest free status of the country.
The archipelago’s land and sea country is owned and managed by the
Anindilyakwa clans. This ownership was not recognised until the last
quarter of the twentieth century, and Groote Eylandt was part of the
Arnhem Land Aboriginal Reserve for much of the last hundred years.
In 1976 the Commonwealth passed the Aboriginal Land Rights (NT)
Act 1976 and unalienable freehold title in the archipelago lands
was delivered to the Groote Eylandt Aboriginal Land Trust. The
Anindilyakwa Land Council was established under the same Act in
1991, and are administrators of Anindilyakwa IPA.
Along with Dhimurru IPA in north-east Arnhem Land, which was
also declared in 2001, Anindilyakwa forms an important part of
the Arnhem Coast Bioregion. The IPA is managed under World
Conservation Union (IUCN) Category VI – Protected Area managed
mainly for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems.
Photo credits All photos on this page by the
Department of the Environment and Water
Resources. Above left: Bush Tucker. Above Right:
Looking out over the IPA. Opposite: Coastline at
Anindilyakwa, Steve Strike.
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Tourism and training opportunities at Anindilyakwa
On Groote Eylandt, the Anindilyakwa Indigenous Protected Area
(IPA) is creating new employment opportunities from biodiversity
conservation. The community is developing plans for a four star luxury
retreat on the island, which will be called the Dugong Beach Resort.
The resort will allow small numbers of eco-tourists to enjoy the
island’s stunning marine life and unspoilt coasts, as well as giving local
mine workers a place to stay.
Thomas Amagula from the Anindilyakwa Land Council says the
community will manage the resort very carefully so the extra visitors
don’t damage the environment, but they think the resort and the IPA
will complement each other.
“We are sea people and the sea and the coast are a major part of our
lives and our belief systems. Protecting the marine environment is
one of our highest priorities,” Mr Amagula says.
“But we welcome visitors to our country too, and we want all of
Australia to discover how special it is.
“The resort will bring people here to enjoy this beautiful place, and
that will bring in some money to help us keep it beautiful. Really the
resort will be good for everybody.”
Thomas says the work the IPA rangers do will be a key part of the
resort’s success.
“Through the IPA we are protecting the natural and cultural life of our
island, which is what visitors come to see,” he says.
“Our rangers protect turtle nesting areas and keep the sea and
beaches free of ghost nets and marine debris, so the environment
stays healthy for visitors to enjoy. They will help keep visitors safe too,
by removing crocodiles from the resort area.”
Kristy Gostelow from the Anindilyakwa Land Council coordinates
employment and training across the archipelago for the Anindilyakwa
Land Council and Groote Eylandt Bickerton Island Enterprises. She
says the resort is expected to bring significant business, employment
and tourism opportunities to the Anindilyakwa IPA.
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“We’re all really excited about the resort. The training project will assist
Indigenous people develop skills and create all kinds of opportunities
for them, and the resort is helping us do just that.”
The resort is being developed by an Aboriginal commercial
corporation called Groote Eylandt and Bickerton Island Enterprises. It
handles social programmes on the island and explores commercial,
employment and training opportunities.
Working together, Anindilyakwa Land Council and Groote Eylandt
and Bickerton Island Enterprises have set up the Dugong Beach
Training Project. With assistance from Charles Darwin University, the
NT Department of Education, Training and Employment and Tourism
NT, 36 people are being trained in hospitality and tourism, so people
have the right skills for the jobs the resort will bring.
As they are trained up to work in the resort, participants will also
benefit from first aid courses, occupational health and safety training,
drug and alcohol awareness, as well as literacy, numeracy and
computer support.
Kristy said non-hospitality jobs will also be available in a planned
Culture Centre through art, dance and tour guiding.
“Dugong Beach Resort will present another employment option for
the people of Groote Eylandt, and brings with it an exciting career
opportunity for the younger generation” Kristy said.
“Through ventures like these, we can make the land a better and
brighter place for our families and younger generations.”
The resort is expected to open in 2007.
Photo credits Opposite: Beach clean up, WWF
Australia. Above: Beach, Department of the
Environment and Water Resources.
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Laynhapuy Arnhem Land, Northern Territory
We want to protect our country and pass it on to our children in
good shape but we also want to be able to live on it and to be
nurtured by it as our ancestors always have done.
Laynhapuy Homelands Association
Located in north-east Arnhem Land, Laynhapuy Indigenous Protected
Area’s (IPA’s) natural environment and rare flora and fauna are virtually
intact. The IPA protects internationally significant wetlands and
coastal landforms, and its sea country is home to endangered turtles
and dugong.
Laynhapuy IPA is administered by the Laynhapuy Homelands
Association Incorporated. Adjacent to the Dhimurru and
Anindilyakwa IPAs, the three groups of Traditional Owners are linked
by family, ceremonial and other cultural connections. Members of the
three land management groups share information and cooperate on
management and training programs.The local Yolngu people are guardians of one of the oldest living
cultures in the world. It is believed that interactions with outsiders first
occurred around the sixteenth century through trade relations with
Macassan fishermen. Many of the sites central to this relationship will
be protected by IPA activities.
The importance of the IPA lies in the coming together of natural values
and the fact that we continue to live on our lands and keep strong our
culture, our traditional knowledge and our use and management of
our country. Our country continues to nurture us as it did our ancestors
and this we also wish for our children. This is our home.
Laynhapuy Homelands Association
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On Laynhapuy IPA, only senior Traditional Owners are able to
speak for their country and approve land management activities.
Representative Traditional Owners guide the management of
the Laynhapuy Homelands Association, and set priorities for the
management program and ranger activities.
The Laynhapuy community is committed to the development of
visitor management activities and a sustainable tourism plan. They
are working to protect culture and cultural sites, and to control feral
weeds, pigs and buffalo. Traditional burning techniques are used on
the IPA and management of the sea and coast is a priority, including
removal of marine debris and monitoring of turtle habitats.
The local Yirralka Rangers assist with these activities, addressing
threats to cultural and environmental values.
Laynhapuy IPA is managed in accordance with the principles of World
Conservation Union (IUCN) Category VI – Protected Area managed
mainly for the sustainable use of natural ecosystems.
Photo credits Opposite: Gaywaratja River near
Dhuruputjpi, Yirralka Rangers. Left: Ceremony
to launch IPA, Department of the Environment
and Water Resources. Middle: Fire management
training near Gurrumurru, Yirralka Rangers.
Above: Removal of ghost nets, Yirralka Rangers.
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Ninghan Yalgoo, Western Australia
When we came to Ninghan, the land was degraded. My uncle used
to say that we were put here to look after the land and everything
on it. I think it’s good that I learn about the IPA now so that when it
is my calling to run the station I will have the knowledge to carry on
the responsibilities.
Drew Bell, Traditional Owner
Rising 678 metres from the surrounding plains, the gently sloping
form of Mount Singleton—nyingarn, or echidna—lends its character
and traditional name to Ninghan Indigenous Protected Area (IPA).
Sitting at the junction of four bioregions, the property marks the
transition from remnant eucalyptus woodlands to expansive mulga
plains. The rolling Ninghan Ridge landscape embraces a system
of smaller hills, with the verdant green ribbons of natural drainage
courses leading to creamy yellow sandplains, and salt lake margins
bounded with shrublands.
Ninghan IPA covers an area of around 480 square kilometres within
a larger pastoral station which sits on the Great Northern Highway,
350 kilometres from Perth. The former Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander Commission purchased the property’s lease for the Pindiddy
Aboriginal Corporation in 1993.
The Ninghan area served as a traditional meeting place for the
Badimaya, Nyoongar, Yamatji and Wongai peoples, with the locals
trading balga gum for spearheads and ochre from outlying country.
One of the IPA’s significant cultural sites, Warrdagga Rock, is a huge
granite dome featuring rock pools with semi-permanent water, and
plants that flourish in the Rock’s run-off.
Three generations of the local Bell family are caring for Ninghan
and using their traditional knowledge to manage the land. They
have reduced sheep numbers on the property from 18,000 in 1993
to around 2,300 a decade later, and the environmental benefits of
reducing pressure on the land are now being seen in landscape
regeneration and erosion reduction.
IPA funding is helping Traditional Owners to compile a list of
Aboriginal and English plant names and their uses, to help others
understand the natural and cultural significance of the Ninghan flora.
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One of the main IPA objectives is to maintain the existing high level
of biodiversity by fixing environmental damage caused by feral goats,
and preventing the spread of weeds. IPA funding has helped the
Traditional Owners find a solution, using portable goat trap yards and
permanent fencing to aid the ongoing removal of goats and other
feral animals. Around 9,000 feral goats have been removed from the
property over a 10 year period.
IPA funding is also used for the development and implementation
of fire regimes, and the installation of vegetation monitoring sites.
Native sandalwood is widespread on the property, and a sustainable
business venture using this renewable resource is being investigated.
Ninghan forms part of a larger area managed for conservation
purposes, with two adjacent properties at Mount Gibson (managed
by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy) and the Charles Darwin/White
Wells Reserve (managed by the Australian Bush Heritage Fund)
boding well for long-term environmental stewardship in the region.
The declaration of Ninghan IPA in October 2006 was made under
World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category III – Natural Monument:
Protected Area managed for conservation of specific natural features
(700 hectares) and Category IV – Habitat/Species Management Area:
Protected Area managed mainly for conservation through management
intervention (47,000 hectares).
Photo credits All photos by the Department of
the Environment and Water Resources. Opposite:
Ninghan Ridge. Left: Entrance to Ninghan IPA. Above
left: Coolabah tree growing on Ninghan’s rocky slopes.
Above right: Ninghan’s spring flowering desert daisy.
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Northern Tanami Northern Tanami Desert, Northern Territory
Where the desert meets sub-tropical savannah, the plains and
wetlands of the Northern Tanami Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) are
teeming with life.
Covering around 40,000 square kilometres of the northern Tanami
Desert, this vast IPA is managed from the small community of Lajamanu
in the Northern Territory, around 900 kilometres south of Darwin.
Around two thirds of the IPA is of high conservation value and has
been identified in the Northern Territory Parks Masterplan as being a
Biodiversity Conservation Hotspot. The land is a refuge for vulnerable
species including the greater bilby and great desert skink, and is a
haven for the endangered Gouldian finch.
The IPA encompasses a dramatic array of landscapes, from alluvial
sandplains and broad paleodrainage channels in the south to
sandstone outcrops and laterite plateaus, finally giving way to
the escarpments and black soil plains of the upper Victoria River
catchment in the north.
Arid zone wetlands are an outstanding feature of this desert
landscape. Ephemeral aquatic ecosystems explode into new life
with monsoonal rainfalls, supporting wallabies and emus (traditional
resources of the Aboriginal landowners), and providing breeding
habitat for colonies of stunning migratory waterbirds and waders.
The IPA supports more than 30 threatened species of plants, and
includes vast areas of hummock grassland which is otherwise poorly
protected in the Northern Territory.
This region’s rare and healthy ecosystems are the result of generations
of Indigenous owners caring for country. Today’s IPA activities
continue land management practices that stretch back tens of
thousands of years. Traditional ways of managing the land, like
controlled burning, are used alongside contemporary western land
management methods so the IPA gets the best of both approaches.
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Much of the IPA land is in extremely good condition, but it is under
threat from wildfire, weeds and feral animals. The day to day work
controlling these threats is carried out by the local Wulaign Rangers, a
group set up by the Central Land Council and the Wulaign Outstation
Resource Centre.
Controlled burning prevents property damage as well as reducing
the impact of wildfire to ecologically and culturally important areas.
Rangers also monitor native wildlife, control pests and fence off
key areas to protect native species habitats and areas of cultural
significance.
The declaration of the IPA will provide employment opportunities
for the Wulaign Rangers and will build on their specialist land
management skills, which have already won them contracts with
government and the regional mining industry.
The declaration of Northern Tanami IPA in April 2007 was made
under World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category VI - area containing
predominantly unmodified natural systems, managed to ensure long
term protection and maintenance of biological diversity, while providing
at the same time a sustainable flow of natural products and services to
meet community needs.
Photo credits All photos by the Central Land
Council. Opposite: Wilson’s Creek floodout.
Left: Crimson finch. Middle: IPA ranger.
Above: Women’s ceremony at launch of IPA.
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Art credit: Art images from Ngura Wirura Kanyini (Caring for Country). © Eunice Nungarayi Woods.
Eunice is a talented young artist, who painted this story at the Walkatjara Art Centre in Mutitjulu, which
provides women with the opportunity to paint together in their community. Up to four generations
of women sit down to work, and much traditional knowledge is shared. The younger ones listen to the
ancestors’ songs and adventures recounted by the older women while the Tjukurpa stories are being
painted. Eunice has a large extended family from both Pitjantjatjara and Warlpiri speaking country.