Young Rangers Caring for Country
This month we celebrate the first field camp in the K Farmer Dutjahn Foundation’s Youth Ranger program - an immersive experience of culture and country for young Martu custodians.
With its kaleidoscope of rich desert colours and dizzying thermal extremes, the vast arid plains of the Matuwa Karrara Karrara lands are home to a vibrant ecosystem of plants and animals cared for by traditional custodians, the Martu people.
Knowledge of this rich and biodiverse land is handed down from generation to generation, sharing ecological wisdom and landcare practice collected over millennia. To ensure the continued legacy of this custodianship, Indigenous Ranger programs play an important role, inspiring and preparing young people to responsibly manage and care for country for future generations.
This month we celebrate the first field camp in the Youth Ranger program funded by the K Farmer Dutjahn Foundation (KFDF), a not-for-profit established by Dutjahn Sandalwood Oils to ensure indigenous communities and biodiversity on sandalwood lands thrive.
“If you look after the land, the land will look after you.”
Shadowing male and female Rangers, Wiluna-based Martu children learned about weed management and monitored the endangered bilby – a small marsupial extinct in many other parts of Australia. Fusing Indigenous ecological knowledge with contemporary technologies such as GPS, the Youth Ranger program forms part of the children’s two-way STEM learning. Over time the children will learn important skills including fire management, restoration of waterholes and regeneration of native plants including Australian sandalwood.
Yet most powerful, is the opportunity for these young people to immerse themselves in Martu culture, and connect with their country.
“Being on country, being on land – for me it’s healing. With the Youth Ranger program the kids go out with the adults - the ranger men and women, on country - learning about culture, so they can be proud, so the next generation can take on caring for country,” said Clinton Farmer, Chairman of the KFDF.
Respecting Traditional Custodians
As climate change and introduced species create new threats for this precious ecosystem, the Ranger programs’ approach of combining cultural stewardship and scientific expertise is vital. Indigenous Rangers protect more than 78 million hectares of Australia’s natural and cultural assets - abating carbon, preserving sacred sites and protecting biodiversity across the country.
As an organisation, we believe that empowering traditional custodians to care for their lands is a powerful nature-based solution to climate change. It not only respects the rights of Indigenous people but acknowledges the knowledge and expertise they have amassed and adapted over thousands of years, living in harmony with flora, fauna and the land.
Sandalwood sourcing is an important enabler for this approach. By creating livelihoods on country and delivering returns to communities, sandalwood supports culture and enables wider landcare efforts. Indigenous sandalwood harvesters are trained Rangers who monitor and manage the health of these lands, while balancing sustainable harvesting with intensive replanting programs to ensure Australian sandalwood and its ecosystem flourishes, supporting its health for generations to come.
The Youth Ranger program is one of several programs developed by the KFDF in collaboration with sandalwood communities, providing knowledge, skills and support that empowers Indigenous groups to best care for their lands and people.
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