West Australian Government Aboriginal Ranger Program supports continued growth of the Karri Karrak Ranger Program
Karri Karrak Ranger Program will receive $2,946,900 to support growth over the next 4 years
The Karri Karrak Ranger Program does far more than Care for Country, it provides for Custodianship activity, on-Country knowledge transfers, Noongar education and leadership, and support pathways into land management careers for Noongar people.
Support through the West Australian Government’s Aboriginal Ranger Program Round 9 Sustain Fund proves that the Karri Karrak Ranger Program has grown and expanded its activities, establishing itself as a significant project in the region.
With the $2,946,900 funding, the Karri Karrak Ranger Program will deliver Traditional Custodian-led cultural values baseline mapping and integrated environmental monitoring across high-conservation landscapes within the South West Boojarah #2 Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) region. The program will focus on areas containing Matters of National Environmental Significance (MNES), threatened fauna, threatened ecological communities, Ramsar wetlands, and high-use recreation nodes within Ngari Capes Marine Park, Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, and associated reserves.
Karri Karrak CEO, Abby Phillis said;
“This investment of $2.9 million recognises the impact of the Karri Karrak Ranger Program to date. It enables us to continue growing a program that is deeply grounded in Noongar knowledge, cultural authority and caring for Country.
Through this funding, our Rangers will lead vital cultural and environmental work across some of the South West’s most significant landscapes, while strengthening pathways for Noongar people into meaningful, long-term land management careers.
The Karri Karrak Ranger Program is not only about protecting biodiversity. It is about sustaining culture, supporting community, and building the next generation of Noongar leaders on Country.”
The Program sustains existing Karri Karrak Rangers to undertake coordinated cultural and ecological baseline surveys, feral animal control, biodiversity monitoring, cave and karst assessments, and cultural mapping. The program secures long-term Karri Karrak Ranger employment, expands activities into new sites within one of Australia's most biodiverse regions, and delivers accredited training and career pathways with a strong focus on women's participation and leadership.
Todays’ success follows the Programs’ establishment with Round 8 funding for works on the conservation estate managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions’ (DBCA) Donnelly and Blackwood Districts, in the Karri Karrak region.