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Indigenous women across Australia have been looking after their country for thousands of years. Caring for country is a cultural responsibility that has been passed down by elders to younger generations and Indigenous women continue to have an important role in this today.

The Australian Government recognises that womens roles in caring for country vary across language groups and landscapes. In some regions, mens and womens ranger groups work separately, with each undertaking identified cultural and environmental management activities. In other regions, women rangers work alongside the men.

The responsibilities undertaken by women rangers include: heritage managementlooking after sites or places significant for women or associated with womens stories; assisting with public education; environmental monitoring; collecting bush tucker; collecting and propagating plants and recording traditional knowledge.

Indigenous women rangers play a vital part in environmental management and cultural heritage.

Indigenous women make up approximately one quarter of the Working on Country ranger workforce. The following case studies show how these women are working as rangers.

Case Studies Working on CountryINDIGENOUS WOMEN RANGERS

Nursery djama (work), Dhimurru Rangers, NT (Photo: Lisa Roeger)

INDIGENOUS WOMEN RANGERSCase Studies Working on Country

Anindilyakwa Women Rangers, Groote Eylandt, Northern Territory

Ranger, Jocelyn Yantarrnga, tracking the location of a rehabilitated koala on Stradbroke Island (Photo: Courtesy Anindilyakwa

Women Rangers)

The Anindilyakwa Women Rangers on Groote Eylandt are passionate about preserving the health of their country for future generations. They work in the Anindilyakwa Indigenous Protected Area, which extends across the Groote Eylandt Archipelago. With relatively few introduced pests and no cane toads on the Eylandt, the Women Rangers are in a unique position to be strongly involved in biodiversity research and conservation activities.

The Warnindilyakwa women work closely with scientists from two Queensland universities researching the ecology of Northern Quoll, Northern Hopping Mouse and Hawksbill Turtle populations on the Eylandt. After spending time with researchers on Stradbroke Island in southeast Queensland, the women say that Seeing how badly invasive species can affect the environment makes us want to protect our country more.

The Women Rangers also help to protect marine and freshwater species by collecting and removing marine debris and ghost nets from coastal regions and inland waterways. These nets are then given to the local arts centre where they are transformed into beautiful mats and baskets for sale with profits returning back to the community.

I like to be a woman ranger because we get to work out on country Jocelyn Yantarrnga, Ranger

Nimbin Rocks Aboriginal Rangers Womens Team, New South Wales

Rangers Keisha Gordon, Linda Phillips and Monica Laurie (left to right) plant the 10,000th tree, a Brush Cherry

(Photo: Richard Burer)

The Nimbin Rocks Aboriginal Rangers are working to protect and restore the biodiversity around a significant cultural and sacred site of the Bundjalung Nation, in northern New South Wales. The womens particular responsibilities include collecting, storing and propagating seeds endemic to the local region. A flourishing nursery with over 51 species of seedlings has been established by the womens team as well as a demonstration bush tucker orchard featuring finger limes, Davison plums, black beans and lemon myrtle. On-country visits by female Bundjalung elders have helped to pass on traditional knowledge about native plants and their uses.

Hosting school and community days is important in sharing their culture and pride in country.

Occasionally the women work with the male rangers to establish new plantings and support environmental restoration in degraded riparian zones, subtropical rainforests and sclerophyll forests. They also monitor weed management, using CyberTracker.

For me to be out there working on my countrywhich I am a Bundjalung/Widjabul woman of that countryits a privilege to be working there and showing people and teaching them about our elders and our country and about how important our plants and our food and our animals are to us. Linda Phillips, Ranger

INDIGENOUS WOMEN RANGERSCase Studies Working on Country

Photo credits (front page): Caring for country, Dhimurru Rangers, NT (Lisa Roeger), Linda selecting seeds to be re-potted, Nimbin Rock Rangers, NSW (Keshia Gordon), Bringing life back to the land, Nipapanha Rangers group, SA (Dulcie Wilton), turtle tagging and monitoring, Bowen (Photo Courtesy of the Girringun Rangers)

Commonwealth of Australia 2013Published February 2013This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth. Requests and enquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Populations and Communities, Public Affairs, GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2601 or email public.affairs@environment.gov.au

Nanum Wungthim Land and Sea Rangers, Cape York, Queensland

Ranger, Bronwyn Hall, monitoring turtle populations (Photo: Courtesy Nanum Wungthim Land and Sea Rangers)

Located in Napranum on the West Coast of Cape York, the Nanum Wungthim Land and Sea Rangers are dedicated to looking after their country. Male and female rangers in Naprunum generally work

alongside each other on country that is fragmented around a large bauxite mining lease. Together, these rangers patrol coastal areas to remove ghost nets and debris and monitor the significant populations of turtles which include species such as the vulnerable Flatback and Hawksbill and the endangered Olive Ridley. The rangers also monitor water quality and sea grass populations in estuaries and mangroves. Inland in the eucalyptus forests the rangers work together controlling weeds. Mapping and maintaining significant womens cultural heritage sites however, is a female-only responsibility. When asked about their motivation for doing this work the women rangers said:

I love learning about our country and culture

I feel proud to carry on the work of our ancestors before us

Muru-warinyi Ankkul Ranger Lisa Rex and family follow an old travelling route during an Indigenous ecological knowledge walk near Tennant Creek, Central Australia

(Photo: Anna Cadden)

Other examples of women rangers work can be found in Indigenous women rangers talking: Sharing ideas and information about women rangers work here.