Abstract
Cross-cultural collaboration between Yawuru Country Managers (Rangers) and WWF-Australia ecologists led to new detections of the Spectacled Hare-wallaby (SHW), (Lagorchestes conspicillatus) in the west Kimberley region of Western Australia where it was presumed to be locally extirpated. This collaboration relied on the expertise of the Yawuru Country Managers to select specific locations for targeted field surveys and resulted in the confirmation of SHW on the Yawuru IPA for the first time in a decade. Subsequent remote camera trap surveys over a larger area included collaboration with two additional neighbouring Indigenous ranger groups, Karrajarri and Nyikina Mangala. These surveys investigated the spatial and temporal relationship between SHW and other mammals which may threaten (e.g., feral Cat [Felis catus], Dingo [Canis familiaris dingo]) or compete (e.g., Agile Wallaby [Macropus agilis]; Cattle [Bos taurus]) with them. We found a negative relationship between SHW and cat activity, suggesting that cats may limit the activity or abundance of SHW. Temporal portioning was evident between SHW and both Cattle and Agile Wallaby suggesting that SHW may avoid times when these species are most active. Further, we found a negative relationship between SHW occurrence and distance to fire scar edge burnt in current or previous fire season. This edge habitat is likely important to SHW because they may require recently burnt areas to forage and dense unburnt areas to shelter. This project highlights the benefits of cross-cultural research and monitoring partnerships with Indigenous rangers as active observers and managers of their traditional lands.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 139-149 |
| Number of pages | 11 |
| Journal | Ecological Management and Restoration |
| Volume | 23 |
| Issue number | S1 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Jan 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We acknowledge and respect the Yawuru, Karajarri and Nykina Traditional Owners past, present and future on whose lands this project took place. Staff from WWF-Australia (Jessica Koleck, Jessica Chapman, Ellie Boyle, Hamsini Bijlani and Tanya Vernes) assisted on field surveys. Support for field surveys on Unallocated Crown Lands was provided by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions Broome office. We specifically thank Nyikina Mangala ranger coordinator Damien Giles and Karajarri ranger coordinator Ewan Noakes for assistance with logistics and fieldwork. Support for field surveys was also provided by the Nyamba Buru Yawuru Environmental Services IPA team including Nathan Kay, and former Yawuru Country Managers Johani Mamid and Jacob Corpus. We also thank Steve Reynolds of Environs Kimberley for his early assistance on the project. We gratefully acknowledge funding from Lotterywest to WWF-Australia (grant number 421008692). The project was also made possible by funding for the Yawuru IPA and Country Manager programs from the Australian Government’s National Indigenous Australians Agency and the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation. The authors declare no conflict of interest with respect to the submission of this manuscript.