Reflecting on the Ramsar Project this Reconciliation Week

NRM NEWS – MAY 2020 – GENERAL INFORMATION

By Keisha Egan                                
Land Services Officer P: 03 5881 9945 | M: 0428 062 369 | E: keisha.egan@lls.nsw.gov.au

Its been a busy year for the Ramsar project and the various Indigenous individuals and groups involved with the project. Below is an overview of some of the project's achievement over the past year.

Training and information days

The Ramsar Project has provided two training sessions for Aboriginal participants to assist them in undertaking work ‘on country’:

• A three-day fencing training program delivered by the Aboriginal Rural Training Program, and
• A rabbit control training day provided by Murray LLS biosecurity team.

The Ramsar project covers lands traditionally managed by the Wamba Wamba/Barapa Barapa and Yorta Yorta people. The Moama, Deniliquin and Cummeragunga Local Aboriginal Land Councils, Yarkuwa Indigenous Knowledge Centre and the Werai Land and Water Corporation all operate within the Ramsar site area. Several Ramsar Project partner gatherings and information sessions with these Aboriginal Groups have occurred over the past year.

Aboriginal youth education

Discussions with Aboriginal groups and local schools, identified school retention rates as an important issue impacting on the education and employability of local Aboriginal people. The Ramsar project initiated the development of an NRM activity focussed education program by Petaurus Education Group to encourage Aboriginal students to stay at school longer.

Increasing Ramsar site biodiversity

Moama Local Aboriginal Land Council completed weed control, rabbit warren fumigation and fencing on three sandhills in the Koondrook-Perricoota forest. The sandhills, covering 60ha, were direct-seeded to re-establish sandhill species.

Fox baiting

Spread over two eight week periods and with almost 300 individual bait stations regularly checked and baits replaced, the Moama Local Aboriginal Land Council has just completed the 19/20 fox baiting program in the Koondrook-Perricoota forest. A total of 654 fox baits were taken, indicating the removal of more than 400 foxes from the system. The baiting program is supported by Forestry Corporation NSW.

Boxthorn control

Cummeragunja Indigenous community and Womboota landholders completed boxthorn control to reduce the spread of boxthorn into the Ramsar forests from neighbouring areas. Over 1,200 ha of boxthorn was controlled across five properties.