ABSTRACT
In 2000 the Western Australian Government, in partnership with the Wiluna Martu Aboriginal community, commenced a joint management programme for the 321,000ha Kurrara Kurrara (Earaheedy) and 244,000ha Matuwa (Lorna Glen) ex-pastoral leases in the arid rangelands of Western Australia to restore habitats and native mammal fauna. The area is now an exclusive possession Native Title determined Indigenous Protected Area (IPA).
In this chapter, we summarise the Rangelands Restoration project, a rewilding project initiated and led by the public land management agency, the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). This case study is an example of the application of Western science and traditional Aboriginal knowledge to underpin on-ground operations to re-establish locally extinct native fauna, and to protect extant flora and fauna. It is also an example of how partnerships between scientists, traditional owners, public land managers, and the corporate sector can deliver co-benefits, including fauna conservation and socio-economic benefits for Aboriginal communities.
