Gunduwa Fire Forum: Walking with Elders, Rangers and Partners

NACC NRM’s Aboriginal Custodianship Project Officer Taj Mamid recently attended the Gunduwa Fire Forum, accompanied by Midwest Aboriginal Ranger Program (MARP) Rangers from Western Mulga.
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NACC NRM’s Aboriginal Custodianship Project Officer Taj Mamid recently attended the Gunduwa Fire Forum, accompanied by Midwest Aboriginal Ranger Program (MARP) Rangers from Western Mulga.

Hosted by Gunduwa Regional Conservation Association and Bush Heritage Australia, the forum was held at Charles Darwin Reserve and brought together respected local Elders, Aboriginal organisations, local Ranger groups, conservation groups, landholders and regional industry representatives. The focus of this event was fostering and advancing discussions around the safe use of fire in conservation activities, sharing knowledge and experiences.

Attendees hit the road and took a drive to Ninghan Station, where Badimia Elder Ashley Bell spoke about the impacts of recent bushfires on the property and surrounding areas. Ashley also shared preventative measures for bushfires he had learned from his Elders, and how this knowledge helped inform his approach to battling bushfires today. Over the past three years, NACC NRM has contributed to this sharing of understanding regionally and on Badimia country, implementing dedicated fire activities through the support of Beach Energy and Mitsui E&P Australia.

Through past collaboration and partnership, the Kaurna Kardla crew from Adelaide were also supported to attend. Their participation provided the opportunity to delve further into cultural burning demonstrations and techniques that can be implemented to prevent excessive harm being done to Country. The Kaurna Kardla team have a great depth of knowledge on fire in a cultural context and how it can be used to create positive and sustainable outcomes to care for Country; their contributions to the forum were invaluable.

The NACC team came away from the day with a better understanding of fire, its cultural significance, and how it can be safely employed to assist in environmental efforts. The Gunduwa Fire Forum fostered productive discussion, connection, and knowledge sharing –thanks to all involved and we look forward to attending more of these events in the future!

Participation of Kaurna Kardla and Western Mulga in this Gunduwa Regional Conservation Association event was supported by NACC NRM, Beach Energy and Mitsui E&P Australia.

Taj Mamid – Aboriginal Custodianship Project Officer

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To this end, Western Mulga rangers have improved management across 19,000 ha for the conservation of Malleefowl through firebreak and access management. They completed the maintenance of water holes and supported the monitoring of over 90 Malleefowl mounds.

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This planning work links to existing NACC NRM on-ground projects, including Beyond Reasonable Drought and the Chapman Catchment Collaborative regeneration project.

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