Aboriginal Nanda Country elders take tour of Mid West protected land following 325,000ha expansion

Aboriginal elders from the Mid West have been given a tour of protected land following the expansion of WA’s conservation estate. In July, it was announced more than 325,000ha of land would be added to the protected area, which included land north of Kalbarri. New national parks will be jointly managed by Nanda traditional owners, as well as the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions’ Parks and Wildlife service. According to the Yamatji Marlpa Aboriginal Corporation, Nanda country encompasses Kalbarri, Zuytdorp National Park, and parts of the Murchison River, among others. In late September, Nanda elders were given a tour of the added protected area north of Kalbarri. They took to a helicopter to get a bird’s-eye view of the area, and exchanged knowledge with representatives from the DBCA. Nanda traditional owner Jack Capewell said it was important to recognise the area as part of their own country. “It’s an area that I consider, and a few of us consider, the last frontier. It’s untouched,” he said. “It’s good for the Nanda people on their own country to actually have a say in what happens on Nanda country. “It makes me feel good because we can have a say in the way this place is managed and look after it, and my mother and all (her family), they were born here, they worked here, they all lived on here.” Fellow Nanda traditional owner Jenny Clayton said she would like to see the flora and fauna protected, as it brought its own sense of peace. “It’ll be like educating the wider community on what’s on the land, and this is why we protect it for future generations,” she said. “I feel peaceful, the tranquillity of it, serenity. It’s just, I feel really good inside, my inner being feels inside, when I’m out on country, out in the bush listening to the birds.” The expansion was part of the State Government’s Plan For Our Parks initiative, which set a goal of adding 5 million hectares of nature and marine parks and reserves in 2019. The scheme received $73 million in funding in the 2024-25 State Budget, to be delivered over four years.