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Putting the desert on the map

Connect with Traditional Owners, Indigenous rangers and local experts from the Australian desert for news that matters in the global movement for a nature positive future. 

Local ecological defenders tackle the rising tide of invasive species

05 Feb 2025 | Published on ABC News

According to the Indigenous Desert Alliance, feral cats are a major threat to the vulnerable bilby. Dr Rachel Paltridge, an ecologist from the Indigenous Desert Alliance, works alongside the Kiwirrkurra rangers to help combat the cat problem. "The rangers can track down the actual cats that are hunting around the bilby burrows," she told ABC iview's Eat The Invaders.

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Eat the Invaders Episode 5 – Cat

13 Jan 2025 | Published on ABC iview

Kiwirrkurra Rangers feature in the new ABC series Eat the Invaders hosted by Tony Armstrong. The series is full of fun, feral facts and feral feasts. In the Cat Episode 5, the Kiwirrkurra Rangers show Tony how they hunt cats to protect bilbies and other native animals.

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ICTV News coverage from the 2024 IDA Conference

13 Dec 2024 | Published on Indigenous Community Television – ICTV

The 2024 IDA Conference was featured on Indigenous Community Television – ICTV. Watch the full story from 05:26.

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Female leaders stand strong, have voices heard at Indigenous Desert Alliance conference at Uluru

14 Nov 2024 | Published on ABC News

More than 400 Indigenous rangers have attended a conference at Uluru to share important cultural and land management knowledge. The event is a way to elevate stories from the middle of Australia and put desert work on the map. The conference included female rangers who were keen to make sure their voices were heard.

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A patchwork of spinifex: how we returned cultural burning to the Great Sandy Desert

14 Oct 2024 | Published on The Conversation

We are Karajarri and Ngurrara rangers who care for 110,000 square kilometres of the Great Sandy Desert. Our techniques have changed – we now drop incendiaries from helicopters to cover more distance – but our goals are similar. Guided by our elders, we are combining traditional knowledge with modern technologies and science to refine how we manage fire in a changing world.

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From Papunya to France: Indigenous rangers on global stage for world conference

08 Oct 2024 | Published on NITV

"Indigenous-led conservation is now being recognised globally as the best form of conservation because it is collaborative and Aboriginal people have always worked this way."

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Indigenous rangers and scientists discover largest known population of night parrot in the Pilbara

04 Oct 2024 | Published on Pilbara News

A groundbreaking discovery by Indigenous rangers and scientists has revealed the largest known population of the critically endangered night parrot in the Pilbara, marking a major milestone in conservation efforts.

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Reading desert sands – Indigenous wildlife tracking skills underpin vast monitoring project

27 Sep 2024 | Published on The Conversation

As animals move across the desert, they leave tracks, diggings and droppings. For skilled trackers, reading these signs is like watching a movie. A story of who was there and what they were doing unfolds in front of them.

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The IDA facilitates the largest Indigenous-led and culturally connected conservation network on Earth to enable a strong and united voice for desert rangers, to build strong and sustainable ranger teams and to ensure the future health of the Australian desert. 

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