Birriliburu partnership update

It’s a common misconception that Australia's arid regions are uninhabitable or lacking in biodiversity. In fact, a closer look reveals an array of wandering tracks in every direction.

Here are some facts about the Greater Bilby, and reasons why the Birriliburu Rangers are working so hard to protect it. Move aside Easter Bunny, let’s make way for the Bilby!

Knowledge exchanges with other ranger groups and Aboriginal Corporations has been a focus for the Birriliburu Rangers in 2022. Every opportunity has been taken to strengthen ranger networks and learn from others.

As the year is coming to an end, it is a good time to look back on all that was accomplished by the Birriliburu Ranger team. This year has been busy with continued monitoring of threatened species and introduced predators, fire management trips, testing the new Felixers, progressing the bush tucker book, family trips, weed management and conferences.

Fire is a big part of the desert landscape and has been used as a tool for tens of thousands of years. In July and August rangers visited two areas of the Birriliburu Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) to conduct fire management activities.

The Birriliburu Rangers have completed the first of four trips to Mungarlu in the Little Sandy Desert as part of a federal government grant through the Threatened Species Fund.

Rita Cutter and her fellow Birriliburu Rangers refuse to lose the Bilby from their country.

A new species of tjanpi (spinifex) has been described and named after Birriliburu country! It's only found in a narrow area of the Little Sandy Desert Bioregion, most often occurring on sand dunes. It's listed as Priority 3 (poorly known) in Western Australia.

The Greater Bilby is one of many creatures that have benefited from the meeting of western scientific research and traditional ecological knowledge, since Bush Heritage and our many Aboriginal partners began working together in 2004.

The National Threatened Species Commissioner Gregory Andrews invited Indigenous Rangers Rita Cutter, Nolia Napangarti-Ward and her daughter Jodie Ward to Canberra. He asked them to speak about the important work Indigenous Rangers are undertaking across Australia to protect threatened species, manage threats such as feral cats and foxes and strengthen their cultural knowledge and connection to country.

I recently returned from a rewarding trip to the first ever Indigenous Bilby Festival with four Birriliburu Rangers: Ruth Wongawol, Caroline Long, Leonie Anderson and Rita Cutter.

On behalf of the Birriliburu ranger team, Senior Ranger Rita Cutter recently visited the Western Australian Herbarium to deliver a plant press full of bush tucker specimens.

Since the Birriliburu Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) was established in 2013, Bush Heritage has been fostering a partnership with the traditional owners – the Martu people – and the Central Desert Native Title Services Land and Community Team. The Martu people were granted native title to 136,000 square kilometres of their country in 2002, the largest native title determination in Australian history at the time.

A number of senior staff, including our CEO and two Board members, recently returned from a fantastic trip on country. It marked the start of a new stage for our partnership where Bush Heritage will provide funds for ranger wages and project equipment for the next three years.