By Craig Olejnik, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions WA, Parks and Wildlife Service and Darryl Smith, Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation and Traditional Owner

The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) is committed to the involvement of first nations people in fire and land management in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia.  With the increase in Joint Management of the conservation estate ~30% of the Parks and Wildlife Service Kimberley workforce are Aboriginal employees. 

DBCA has two savanna carbon projects registered under the Caron Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011.  Recently, for one of these projects DBCA has entered a benefit sharing agreement with two Registered Native Title Body Corporates to reinvest the carbon revenue generated from Drysdale River National Park.  The agreement provides for 90% of the revenue that is generated from this project to go towards employment of Balanggarra and Wilinggin people and additional fire mitigation activities within the National Park and surrounding Indigenous Protected Areas.  This includes prescribed burns in the late wet and early dry seasons (EDS, March/April to June/July) around cultural sites to provide site protection ahead of broader scale aerial burning. 

This presentation will focus on the partnership with the Balanggarra people and will be co-presented with a director from Balanggarra Aboriginal Corporation. It will cover the journey from negotiating the agreement, to the establishment of the Dalunga Working Group that guides the implementation of the agreement, through to the employment and training of six new rangers from the remote aboriginal community of Kalumburu who are now working on country to help manage Drysdale River National Park.