On Country for NAIDOC Week
Fishing lines cast into clear water, lunch prepared in a campfire oven and conversations shared on Country - for the Weed Management Branch (WMB) and the Djurrubu Rangers, this was NAIDOC Week in its simplest and most meaningful form.
While communities across the Northern Territory gathered for NAIDOC Week celebrations, WMB’s Michelle Franklin, Lyndall Neate and Gerald Danao travelled to Kakadu from 7 to 9 July to continue a longstanding partnership with Djurrubu Ranger Management through the salvinia biological control program.
A highlight of the visit was Mula Billabong, where low salvinia levels provided an encouraging sign of the program's success. Salvinia is a highly invasive floating aquatic fern that can rapidly cover waterways, reducing water quality and impacting native plants and animals, making effective management critical to maintaining healthy wetlands. Around the campfire, rangers and staff shared knowledge, discussed priorities for healthy waterways and helped shape the next phase of salvinia management across Kakadu.
Future focus
The trip also focused on the future, with discussions centred on supporting younger rangers to build their skills and participate in the Australasian Weeds Conference in New Zealand later this year. Following the field visit, rangers and WMB staff came together to rehearse their joint presentation, ensuring both scientific and on-Country perspectives will be represented.
For WMB and the Djurrubu Rangers, NAIDOC Week was about being on Country together: listening, learning and planning for the future of Kakadu's waterways. Supported through Australia’s Future Drought Fund, Resilient Landscapes Program, the partnership continues to bring together science and local knowledge to support resilient landscapes and healthy waterways.
