BIODIVERSITY FUND
- Northern Australia Targeted Investment 2013-14
Project Title
Applicant Name
Indigenous Fire and
Invasives in the North
Kimberley
Kimberley Land
Council
Strategic control of
invasive grasses &
riparian weeds at 4
regional sites
Australian
Wildlife
Conservancy
Indigenous Fire and
Weed Management in
the Lower Gulf;
Traditional Knowledge
& Best Practice
Carpentaria Land
Council Aboriginal
Corporation
Description
IFINK will enhance and protect 40,000 km2 of intact native vegetation in the North Kimberley, an area of
exceptional biodiversity. 87% of the IFINK area is declared or imminent Indigenous Protected Areas. IFINK will
establish a regionally coordinated and implemented approach to fire, invasive species and biodiversity
management, building ecosystem resilience to climate change. In three years IFINK will develop the operational
capacity of the Balanggarra, Dambimangari, Wunambal Gaambera and Willingin Native Title Groups (NTG) to
register savanna burning projects eligible under the CFI. Commercialisation under the CFI will ensure the North
Kimberley remains a nationally significant conservation corridor with long-term funding for management.
The project will deliver strategic weed control at 4 sites in each of the 4 major regions of Nth Australia (Kimberley,
Top End, Gulf, Cape York). The project will focus on weeds with greatest potential impact on ecological health &
landscape connectivity – invasive grasses that disrupt fire regimes & riparian weeds that degrade veg structure. At
each site, these weeds are present at relatively low infestations; reducing densities below target levels will prevent
them from being unmanageable in the future. Sites include multiple properties of mixed tenure that link to
protected areas. Sufficient preliminary work (mapping, trial control, stakeholder engagement) has been carried out
over the past 1-3 years to ensure the project’s success.
This project focuses on fire and weed management actions across the lower Gulf of Carpentaria, over approx.
68,400 km², in QLD and the NT. Indigenous fire knowledge and best practice scientific methods will be used
together to protect and enhance landscape values, manage land more effectively and reduce carbon emissions. The
project will protect against uncontrolled wildfire and be the last line of defence against the westerly spread of
WONS species to the Northern Territory. The project will build the long-term capacity of local Indigenous rangers to
deliver on fire and weed issues into the future and provide an opportunity for enterprise development.
1
Total
(GST incl)
State
$4,718,470
WA
$1,601,600
NT
$2,721,330
QLD