Dedication ceremony for protected area in the Kimberley

The dedication of the Nyul Nyul Indigenous Protected Area has been celebrated with a ceremony – locking in traditional land management practices and delivering local jobs in the Kimberley.

The new IPA covers 144,493 hectares of land and sea Country over which Nyul Nyul people have sole native title rights, extending the Kimberley IPA network across the Dampier Peninsula.

The diverse landscape is home to threatened species, including the greater bilby, the short-nosed sea snake and the freshwater sawfish, as well at the threatened ecological community of the monsoon vine thicket.

“Congratulations to the Nyul Nyul Traditional Owners on this remarkable achievement in the long journey of caring for Country,” Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy said.

“We also acknowledge the hard work in encouraging the next generation to follow in your footsteps.

“The government is proud to support Traditional Owners and First Nations communities to manage land and sea Country through our Indigenous Protected Areas and Indigenous Rangers Programs, delivering positive outcomes for the environment as well as employment and economic development opportunities.”

The Kimberley Land Council will continue to work with Nyul Nyul Traditional Owners to manage the Nyul Nyul IPA.

The dedication will enable important conservation work including community planning, fire management, a two-way science program to engage youth in ranger work and western science practices for managing Country, establishing a green turtle monitoring program, and seed collection to protect the monsoon vine thicket.

The government has set a target to protect and conserve 30 per cent of our land and 30 per cent of our oceans by 2030, the Nyul Nyul IPA means almost 24.5 per cent of Australia’s total landmass is now protected.

“Nyul Nyul Country is a stunningly diverse part of the country and home to iconic native species like the greater bilby,” Environment and Water Minister Murray Watt said.

“First Nations people have been successfully looking after Country for 65,000 years. We want to see more Traditional Owners protecting more of our land.”