DAMPIER PENINSULA FIRE WORKING GROUP KICKS OFF 2025 SEASON WITH COLLABORATIVE MEETING ON COUNTRY
The Dampier Peninsula Fire Working Group (DPFWG) held its first meeting of the year at Beagle Bay, on Nyul Nyul Country in March, bringing together more than 20 representatives from a wide range of organisations. The gathering marked the beginning of preparations for the upcoming prescribed fire season, with a strong focus on collaboration and planning.
Coordinated by Rangelands Natural Resource Management (NRM), the meeting was attended by representatives from the Kimberley Land Council (KLC), Nyul Nyul Rangers, Bardi Jawi Rangers, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), Yawuru Healthy Country Managers, Environs Kimberley, Kimberley Mineral Sands, the Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage (DPLH) and fire ecologist Dr. Sarah Legge.
Since the inception of the DPFWG, there have been significant improvements in fire patterns across the Peninsula. By working together and implementing strategic fire management practices, the group has seen real results in reducing the frequency and severity of destructive wildfires.
Prescribed burning - where cool, early-season burns are used to manage vegetation and reduce fuel loads - is a central strategy. These controlled burns help safeguard culturally and ecologically significant areas from intense late-season wildfires.
This year, the group will continue monitoring and surveying key indicators including tree and shrub structure, ground cover, culturally important tree species, monsoon vine thickets, and rare and threatened species such as bilbies, Gouldian finches and spectacled hare-wallabies.
The DPFWG is an example of effective Indigenous-led, community-focused, and multi-stakeholder collaboration in land management. By combining Indigenous knowledge with ecological science, the group is identifying key assets at risk and working collectively to protect them through right way fire practices.
The DPFWG is a finalist in two categories at the 2025 National Landcare Awards - a recognition of the group’s ongoing dedication to caring for Country.