WARNING: Aboriginal people are warned that this web site includes pictures of people who are deceased
WARNING: Aboriginal people are warned that this web site includes pictures of people who are deceased
The Dambimangari Healthy Country Plan supports an Indigenous Protected Area covering much of the Dambimangari Native Title land. The plan is an overarching strategy for the management and development initiatives which are designed to deliver an environmentally and economically sustainable future for the region and its people. Some of the key elements include:
A team of more than 12 rangers are working on the conservation program to manage the Dambimangari Indigenous Protected Area (part of the National Reserve System) and the neighbouring lands and waters. The rangers’ expertise is based on a combination of traditional knowledge and western science with training provided by a number of government and non-government organisations and research institutions. The work includes
One of the Rangers’ current priorities is the protection of native quolls from spreading cane toads in the Kimberley Region. The team is surveying Chambers Island in the Buccaneer Archipelago as a potential refuge and breeding ground for quolls (which are important to Dambimangari culture) and other species like the golden-backed tree rat.
Dambimangari Rangers will be managing the project as part of the holistic conservation program for Dambimangari country.
The Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation has introduced a Visitors Pass to support the broad environmental and cultural management program. The authority and management arrangements are based on exclusive possession native title rights. Visitor management is about ensuring ‘right way’ visitation where visitors obtain permission to visit country and respect the conditions of Traditional Owners. Another purpose of introducing the pass is to ensure that visitors are well informed about the cultural and natural landscape providing for a safe enjoyable experience. The protocols, including a code of conduct, will help ensure that the Kimberley tourism industry is sustainable (economically, environmentally and culturally) and provide certainty to visitors about places they do, and do not, have permission to access.
Aboriginal knowledge plays a major role in the management of some of the most important parks in the Kimberley region. Traditional owners and Rangers will have key responsibilities in protecting the pristine marine and hinterland environments in Dambimangari country. The Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation and the WA Government are negotiating appropriate protocols for conservation of spectacular landscapes and habitat for unique flora, fauna and marine life.
