Four reptiles that can brave the desert
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.
The Birriliburu Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) in the Little Sandy and Gibson Deserts of Western Australia is roughly the size of Tasmania.
The landscape is astonishingly diverse, ranging from sand dunes and sandstone mountain ranges to salt lakes and claypans.
It covers three bio‑geographic regions – the Little Sandy Desert, Gibson Desert and Gascoyne.
The area is home to many nationally significant species such as the Greater Bilby, Mulgara and Marsupial Mole to name just a few.
The Birriliburu Traditional Custodians are the Martu people, whose traditional, ecological and cultural knowledge stretches back more than 40,000 years. They’re determined to continue to protect and preserve the plants, animals and landscapes of the Western Desert region.
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Birriliburu rangers, Vanessa Westcott & Hamish Morgan. Photo Annette Ruzicka.
The Martu were granted native title to 66,000km2 of their country in 2008. They then established an Indigenous ranger program employing locals from Wiluna and surrounds.
The rangers lead land management activities in the Birriliburu IPA, including reinstating traditional fire patterns, threatened species monitoring and baseline fauna surveys.
Two way learning
We’ve proudly supported the Birriliburu ranger team since 2013, using ‘two-way’ learning that combines traditional knowledge with western science, particularly with fire ecology. The partnership has provided a chance for cross‑cultural exchange and better outcomes for the people and their land.
Bush Heritage has provided funds for equipment, project resourcing and ranger wages, and the continued support of our Healthy Country Manager to work with the rangers.
Desert Support Services are also key partners, working with us on a science and monitoring program focused on fire management, feral animals, threatened species and bush tucker.
Embracing traditional knowledge
Birriliburu researchers, land managers and the Birriliburu rangers have brought together science and traditional knowledge to establish a bush tucker database with over 100 plants. Our Healthy Country Manager has been working closely with Martu rangers such as Rita Cutter and Lena Long, to document this knowledge for the first time; recording traditional and scientific names and uses for desert food and medicine plants unique to the region.
In 2024 the Birriliburu Bush Tucker book was launched (available by order) with photographs and explanations to share some of this knowledge.
– Rita Cutter, Martu ranger“Every time we come out with different elders, we fill in some gaps because they remember different names. And that’s really important – to document that knowledge – to make sure it gets passed on.”
Fire management
The Birriliburu team are using fire management, informed by both traditional knowledge and modern science, to protect areas with significant rock art sites and important habitat.
Mapping of fire scars using satellite imagery enables us to build up an understanding of the fire history of priority areas. We’re also now able to distinguish between fire scars created by ranger burns and those created by wildfire. This mapping allows the rangers to demonstrate the difference they’re making. Gradually, as we create a patchwork of spinifex ages, we expect to see a reduction in the areas impacted by wildfire.
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Zareth Long controlled burning. Photo Annette Ruzicka.
Tjakura
The Great Desert Skink (Tjakura) is another threatened species protected on the IPA. As part of a broader Recovery Plan led by the Indigenous Desert Alliance, monitoring is conducted each March across vast desert regions of Australia.
This image, taken in 2021, of an adult and juvenile in front of their burrow was the first recording of the skinks in the Birriliburu IPA. Motion sensor cameras were installed where burrows and latrine sites seemed to confirm their presence.
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Photo of an adult and juvenile Tjakura (Great Desert Skink) in front of their burrow. Photo Stella Shipway.
The area they were found in had been a focus for Waru (fire) management for the past 10 years. (Their spinifex habitat is vulnerable to wildfires). This shows the great work the Rangers are doing to help protect Country!
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Bilbies. Photo Bruce Thomson.
Bilbies
In the south-western pocket of the Birriliburu IPA is Katjarra – a vast landscape and area of significant cultural and ecological value. The hard, red sands provide an ideal breeding habitat for the Greater Bilby (Macrotis lagotis).
Bilby numbers have declined dramatically since European settlement and the population is now estimated to be fewer than 10,000.
Katjarra represents one of the only remaining, confirmed Bilby populations in the south-western extent of their current range, so the Birriliburu rangers, Desert Support Services and Bush Heritage are working together to protect them.
Listen: The bilby, the moon and the Birriliburu Rangers >>
Hear from Ann Jones on ABC Radio’s Off Track program, as she chats with Birriliburu Rangers looking after bilbies and Bush Heritage’s own Dr Vanessa Westcott.
