Turtle tracks tell a story
Off the coast of Western Australia and in partnership with Uunguu Rangers, we’re monitoring the impact of warmer temperatures on the future dating pool of marine turtles.
On the far north-west coast of the Kimberley are the lands and waters of the Wunambal Gaambera people.
This beautiful and remote biodiversity hotspot covers a massive 2.5 million hectares of white sandy beaches, blue seas, rocky escarpments and rugged gorges, including iconic locations such as Punamii-Uunpuu (Mitchell Falls).
Dugongs and Turtles swim the warm waters off the coast, while Humpback Whales nurse their calves around the offshore islands.
The wetlands, woodlands and savannahs provide vital habitat for vulnerable birds, animals and aquatic creatures such as Longneck Turtle (wulumara), Black Grass Wren, Scaly Tail Possum (yilangal) and Monjon– the world’s smallest rock wallaby.
The Wunambal Gaambera people have lived and hunted here for thousands of years and call it Uunguu their living home. Everything in Uunguu is looked after properly under traditional Wanjina Wunggurr law and culture.
In this stunning and remarkably healthy landscape there have been no mammal extinctions. Our actions together will help ensure this legacy continues.
Image Information
Wunambal Gaambera landscape adjoining coastline. Photo Peter Morris
Indigenous Protected Area
In May 2011, after some 20 years of struggle, the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation finally secured native title over their country. At the same time they declared the first stage of the Uunguu Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), covering 343,700 hectares, and entered into a 10-year partnership with us.
This was the first long-term agreement in Australia between traditional landowners and a non-government conservation organisation.
In 2015 the second stage of the IPA was declared, bringing the total area to 761,229 hectares.
Healthy Country Plan
The Healthy Country Plan was developed through a series of workshops and field trips facilitated by Bush Heritage and the Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation. Together, participants mapped out a vision for their Uunguu that would help identify priorities for local rangers.
These included managing fire, controlling weeds and feral animals, managing visitors, conserving cultural heritage and monitoring the health of plants and animals.
A 10-year review of the first Healthy Country Plan was completed in 2021. An expert Uunguu Monitoring and Evaluation Committee – an innovative, intercultural and interdisciplinary body – was formed. Results were positive and the plan has been consistently described by external parties as ‘the gold standard’ for IPA management planning (particularly the high level of community engagement).
A new 10-year Healthy Country Plan has now been established to guide activities until 2030.
What's protected?
Animals: Wijingarri / Northern Quoll (endangered), Balguja / Dugong (high cultural value), Flatback Turtle (endangered, high cultural value), Black Grass Wren, Yilangal / Scaly Tail Possum, Monjon – the world’s smallest rock wallaby, Golden-backed Tree Rat, Rough-scaled Python
Plants: Guru (cypress pine), Dangana / Livistona Palm (endemic), Gungurru / Cycad (endemic), Gulay / Green Plum, Barrurru / Stringybark.
Vegetation communities: Darrngala /mangroves, Wulo/ rainforest, Cyprus pine grove, Paperbark swamp, Livistona palm woodland, Savanna.
Image Information
Wunambal Gaambera rangers patrolling sea country. Courtesy WGAC.
Over 1,600 plant species occur in this region of the Kimberley and over 100 of these aren’t found anywhere else in Australia.
What we’ve helped achieve
As part of the Healthy Country Plan, Wunambal Gaambera and Bush Heritage have:
- Appointed a Healthy Country Manager (Tom Vigilante). For 14 years now this role has supported traditional landowners and rangers.
- Maintained the pristine, cattle-free status of Bougainville Peninsula and its monsoon vine thickets through a cattle-proof fence.
- Controlled weeds such as Grader Grass, which help spread wildfires and compete with native grasses.
- Recorded cultural sites and monitored populations of native animals and plants.
Preventing wildfires
Every June the Healthy Country Team set off on a ‘Right Way Fire’ walk. This is a traditional method of lighting cool burns by hand to prevent wildfires and protect vulnerable native flora and fauna.
For five days they live off the land, catching and eating bush tucker such as yams, freshwater crocodile and bream. As they walk they light fires with matches and ‘fire brands’ – a traditional tool made of gathered grass. They also record important animals, plants and birds.
PhD student Stefania Ondei has helped map more than 6,000 patches of rainforest.
– Tom Vigilante, Bush Heritage Healthy Country Manager“Now that the rainforests have been mapped we can have their locations in front of us on a tablet when rangers are doing aerial burns in the helicopter. They have information at their fingertips about where they are and how they might apply fire in that area to look after the rainforest.”
Nabarlek rediscovered
In 2018 Traditional Custodians found exciting evidence (scats) of a tiny rock-wallaby – the Nabarlek – long thought to have disappeared from the mainland.
The Nabarlek is Australia’s second smallest rock-wallaby and is roughly the length of a school ruler. These unique nocturnal animals have grey fur, a light brown brush-tipped tail and a black stripe running from their forehead to nose and under their eyes.
Previously there had been no confirmed Nabarlek records on mainland WA since the 1970s. Kimberley populations were thought to only survive on several offshore islands away from fire, feral animal and grazing threats.
Visitor management
An Uunguu Visitor Pass has been created to help manage tourists through the area. Attractions such as Punamii-Uunpuu (Mitchell Falls) and offshore islands such as Wuuyuru (Bigge Island) and Ngula-Jar (Jar Island) are popular tourist destinations. Visitors buying an Uunguu pass are helping the Wunambal Gaambera people to:
- Establish managed visitor sites at key locations, with Uunguu Rangers and Traditional Custodians welcoming, guiding and sharing culture.
- Grow the Uunguu Ranger program with a tourism focus.
- Provide cultural expertise and support for tour operators.
- Develop their own authentic tourism ventures.
