Indigenous Ranger Djaama (work): insights from two leading Indigenous land and sea organisations in NE Arnhem Land, Northern Territory

About the project

The proposed research will add to an emerging, yet important, body of knowledge and practice in Australia and internationally (see Australian Government 2021) on understanding the value and contribution of Indigenous land and sea management to biodiversity conservation along with social and cultural wellbeing. The overall aim of the research is to understand and explore how Indigenous Ranger work can be developed and organised in ways that empower Rangers to honour, perform and continuously enact and develop their responsibilities, knowledge/s to manage Indigenous Country effectively. It is a collaboration involving two leading Yolngu (Indigenous) land and sea management organisations in NE Arnhem Land, the Dhimurru Aboriginal Corporation and Yirralka Rangers who employ over 80 Yolngu (Indigenous) Rangers to implement management and monitoring actions in the Dhimurru and Laynhapuy Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs). It involves a team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers and knowledge experts from Dhimurru, Yirralka Rangers and the University of Melbourne who will work together to deliver: a validated and robust Protocol for Yolngu Ranger Work  (Yolngu Ranger Rom'gu Djäka Protocol) for the Dhimurru and Laynhapuy Indigenous Protected Areas; increased capacity of Yolngu Rangers to effectively practice Yolngu caring for Country for sustainability and cultural and Yolngu community health and wellbeing outcomes; new insights for practice and policy on how to support effective Indigenous Ranger work; and, a future larger grant proposal to further understand and represent the critical contribution of Indigenous Rangers worldwide to objectives for sustainable development, OneHealth and Indigenous self-determination.