Balanggarra and Nyaliga Traditional Owners host Healthy Country Forum at Home Valley Station
Aug 01, 2016
More than 150 land and sea managers, Kimberley Land Council staff, partners and special guests attended the annual Healthy Country Forum event at Home Valley Station.
More than 150 land and sea managers, Kimberley Land Council staff, partners and special guests attended the annual Healthy Country Forum discussion and networking event at Home Valley Station.
Balanggarra and Nyaliga Traditional Owners hosted the forum which focused on professional development and networking and included workshops on fire operations, carbon projects, tourism, CyberTracker technology, ranger safety, Native Title rights, visitor management and permit systems, regional monitoring and evaluation and conflict negotiation.
The forum also included an art workshop in which a blank canvas was provided for people to record their important moments in the development of Indigenous land and sea management in the Kimberley. The canvas will be used as a record of the meeting and as a communication document that illustrates how the Kimberley Ranger Network has grown over the past decade and what lies ahead.
Member for the Kimberley Josie Farrer attended the event and said she was pleased to see the active involvement of the corporate sector and their interest in the Kimberley Ranger Network.
“It’s good to see involvement from the business sector and to understand how they are trying to improve their business model by gaining knowledge from our rangers. It looks like they are enjoying their time here at the Forum which is exciting.”
Mrs Josie Farrer says she is also very pleased to see more female rangers at this year’s event.
“The number of female rangers has doubled and there is more (women) still to join. The network helps women to build self-esteem and fulfill their obligations to country.”
The event also included a ranger expo, a looking after country video night, an open mic evening and field trips to El Questro Station and Jacks Waterhole.
In between sessions and at the end of each day, Ranger groups spent their time networking and sharing knowledge with one another, and casting a line into the Pentecost River, only stone’s throw away from the forum and campground.
Special guests at the forum included representatives from Qantas, Allens, EY, Woodside, Australian Government Department of Premier and Cabinet, the WA Department of Agriculture and Food, WWF, PEW Charitable Trusts, Australian Conservation Foundation, Bush Heritage Australia, WWF Australia, Australian Wildlife Conservancy, US Consulate, The Nature Conservancy, Department of Environment (Cth), Indigenous Land Corporate and the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services.
The event was supported by the Indigenous Land Corporation and staff at Home Valley Station.
Since the first Kimberley Ranger Forum at Home Valley Station in 2010, the event continues to grow to cater for an increase in participants and includes a wide range of knowledge sharing, skill development and targeted training.
