In remote West & Central Arnhem Land, women are playing an important & growing role managing Country & supporting their communities as Indigenous rangers. Women-specific Traditional Knowledge & responsibilities are crucial to effective & holistic Indigenous land management. However, in West & Central Arnhem Land men have taken up most of the government-funded ranger positions, as programs developed around traditionally male tasks like fire & feral animal management. This issue is compounded by the that Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) receive approximately 6% of federal conservation estate funding, despite forming nearly half of the Australia’s conservation estate.
The combination of philanthropy & carbon abatement income is changing the story for women in our region. Dedicated women’s ranger teams are building the capacity of remote land management workforces, providing women with the opportunity to use & share their traditional knowledge, & increase their skills, wellbeing and confidence. Donations are used to further the ongoing development of strong women’s ranger teams on Nawarddeken, Rembarrnga, Dalabon & Mayili country in West & Central Arnhem Land, working with our partners Warddeken Land Management (Warddeken) and Mimal Land Management (Mimal). It would also support the development of the Strong Women for Healthy Country Network which is focused on improving conditions & opportunities for Indigenous women working in land management across the NT.
Through this project we will support the continued growth of the Warddeken and Mimal women’s ranger teams, who are supported by four dedicated women’s ranger coordinators. Across the two organisations this will impact approximately 150 women aged from teenagers to Elders who are connected to Country in this region.
KKT works closely with our partners Warddeken and Mimal to collect data and stories from the work we are supporting. Including:
-Number of women participating in the ranger workforces; proportion of total ranger hours worked by women (target: women comprise >35% of workforces)
-Number of women ranger coordinators employed (target Mimal: 1; Warddeken: 3)
-Number of ceremonies, women’s camps and other women-only events supported
-Number of external training opportunities available to women For the SWHC Network data collected includes
-Delivery of an SWHC forum (current target: 1 major event every year)
-Number of smaller regional events supporting women rangers (training, women’s camps, ceremonies etc)
-Number of ranger groups and other relevant stakeholders engaged (target: >30 ranger groups)
The SWHC Network will be a major forum for sharing knowledge, training opportunites, healing between women rangers across the NT and nationally as connections are built with other state networks.
The Karrkad Kanjdji Trust (KKT) works to protect, restore, and enhance the unique natural environment of West and Central Arnhem Land. KKT acts as the philanthropic fundraising arm of Indigenous ranger groups, partnering with on-ground land management organisations to realise our mission. Our name, Karrkad Kanjdji (pronounced gar-gut gun-jee), refers to the stone country highlands and savanna lowlands of Arnhem Land that we work together to protect. KKT was established by Traditional Owners of the Warddeken and Djelk Indigenous Protected Areas in 2010. Our approach to conservation is holistic – our projects span 6 key focus areas:
It’s not always easy to convince someone a need exists, if they don’t have that need themselves.
Also known as Australian Women Donors Network (ABN: 28 141 197 471), Australians Investing in Women is a registered charity endorsed by the Australian Tax Office as a deductible gift recipient (DGR1) under a special listing, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.