LOTTERYWEST

Lotterywest have supported WWF’s partnership with Indigenous rangers in the Kimberly since 2017. In 2019, a grant of $2.2m helped establish the Innovation and Equity Program where WWF-Australia and partner organisations worked together to strengthen the conservation leadership of Indigenous ranger teams in the Kimberley to ensure long-term environmental stewardship that delivers community benefits. The program had the vision to maintain the Kimberley as a stronghold for natural and cultural values. The main goals focused on innovative management of key threats to natural and cultural resources at a landscape scale, as identified by Traditional Owners. This included uncontrolled fire, invasive species, and other challenges in undertaking conservation in the Kimberley. The work also included capacity building activities among Ranger groups and the development of the Indigenous Women’s Rangers Environmental Network (WREN) for the Kimberley. This work was collaboratively delivered through supporting ranger team operations in the Dampierland and North Kimberley bio-regions. We did this by engaging eight different ranger groups across six partners including:

• Kimberley Land Council (Nyul Nyul Rangers and Bardi Jawi Rangers)
• Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation (Dambimangari Rangers)
• Nyamba Buru Yawuru Aboriginal Corporation (Yawuru Country Managers)
• Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation (Nyikina Mangala Rangers)
• Wilinngin Aboriginal Corporation (Wungurr and Nyaliga Rangers)
• Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation (Uunguu Rangers).

Through the significant support of Lotterywest, and together with Indigenous rangers in the Kimberley we have been able to:

• Work across 16.3m hectares of landscape in the Dampierland and North Kimberley bio-regions.
• Protect 16+ culturally important threatened species through the program including nabarlek, golden bandicoot, Gouldian finch, wiliji, spectacled hare-wallaby and northern quoll.
• Employ 63 rangers on average each year to undertake conservation and fire management activities, with a third being women rangers.
• Hold 12 ranger training workshops to empower Indigenous ranger-led innovation and knowledge sharing.
• Check out the blogs below to learn more about our achievements.