Central Land Council

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Rangers

 

 


The Muru-warinyi Ankkul ranger sready for weed control
action


Rangers groups in remote areas of the Central Land Council region have been an effective way of preparing people for work, but now, ranger groups are becoming a self sustaining workforce winning contracts for park maintenance and infrastructure installation, weed control, flora and fauna conservation surveys and other work essential to land management in Central Australia.

The growth of the groups has been rapid in recent years and ranger work is very attractive to young people who view it as legitimate work in an environment they are familiar with and enjoy. Their involvement is also strongly supported by senior Aboriginal people who see it as helping to care for their traditional country and maintain links to it.


Tjuwanpa


The Tjuwanpa Rangers from Ntaria won a merit award at the 2007 NT Landcare Awards for their work in the ranges near Hermannsburg, west of Alice Springs, and have developed a sound working relationship with Parks and Wildlife rangers in the Finke Gorge and West MacDonnell national parks through the Territory Government’s Flexible Employment Program.


TheTjuwanpa rangers at work in the Palm Valley reserve
west of Alice Springs


Coordinated by the CLC in partnership with the Tjuwanpa Outstation Resource Centre, the Tjuwanpa Rangers receive core funding from the Indigenous Land Corporation, the Northern Territory Government and the Aboriginal Benefits Account.
The Tjuwanpa rangers’ work has been wide and varied and included the discovery of the largest known population of the threatened Slaters Skink (Egernia slateri) on Aboriginal Land Trust land near Hermannsburg. They’ll also undertake surveys of
the marsupial mole.


A successful athel pine control program was conducted by the rangers in the upper Finke River catchment and they won and completed their first commercial contract by installing 400 bollards and large boulders at the Palm Valley campground. The rangers have also been contracted by Tourism NT to develop campgrounds for tourists at three outstations.

In cooperation with Magellan Petroleum Australia, the rangers are conducting an environmental survey of the Palm Valley gas field and completing a strategic firebreak to protect fire-sensitive flora.

The Tjuwanpa Rangers’ progress was disrupted by the federal intervention and the scrapping of CDEP but eight rangers are now moving into paid part-time positions through the Australian Government’s Working on Country program.


Kaltukatjara


The Kaltukatjara Rangers from Docker River have contributed to future conservation efforts by collecting rare and endangered plant seeds in the western desert region of the Northern Territory.

The Kaltukatjara Rangers are developing a strategic fire management plan for the Petermann Aboriginal Land Trust which is providing ongoing work by mixing traditional knowledge and contemporary fire management practices.

They’re also fencing significant waterholes from feral camels and working with the Water for Life Project monitoring and evaluating waterholes and rockholes for their conservation significance.

Training and skill sharing has been one of the benefits of cooperation with the Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park rangers.
The establishment of an Indigenous Protected Area for the Petermann and Katiti land trusts has provided ongoing funding for natural and cultural resource management as well as the ranger program and last week rangers discovered what seems to be a viable population of the threatened Tjakurra or giant desert skink.

Conservation efforts have extended to collecting rare and endangered plant seeds for the Millennium Seed Bank Project and attending the National Indigenous Land and Sea Management Conference in Queensland during 2007.


Muru-warinyi Ankkul

The Muru-warinyi Ankkul Rangers are a ranger group of men and women from various locations in and around Tennant Creek. Their name is translated from Warumungu and means “From the bush”. Since the group’s inception in 2003 the rangers have undertaken a large number of land management activities and have received wide recognition for their work, most notably a Landcare Award in 2005.
In recent years the rangers have undertaken a range of land management initiatives, including:
Construction of a $40,000 tourist facility at Kunjarra/The Pebbles, 18 km northwest of Tennant Creek;

Through their work the ranger’s have gained valuable hands-on experience in various aspects of land management. For some, the ranger group has acted as an important stepping-stone for pursuing careers within the NT Parks & Wildlife service. For others, the ranger group has provided an opportunity to change their lives around.
To compliment their practical experience the rangers receive accredited training through Batchelor Institute for Indigenous Tertiary Education.

To date, four rangers have completed Certificate II in Conservation & Land Management. Rangers have also received training in 4WD and quad-bike safety, computer skills, and bushfire awareness.
The success of the ranger group’s work was recognised in 2008 by the Federal Government with their funding 5 part-time, properly paid positions through the Working on Country program.

The group has also attracted significant funding from the Indigenous Land Corporation for support with the rangers’ operations. With this long-term funding the rangers are now well placed to develop themselves and their work further.