Rangers play part in desert burns

Traditional and contemporary fire-burning techniques have merged to conserve the land of the Western Desert.

Martu rangers from Jigalong and Parnngurr are currently working with Department of Environment and Conservation to conduct small, controlled burnings of the land to prevent large bush fires spreading through sacred sites and threatening remote communities.

Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa culture, heritage and media coordinator Zan King said in the past, hot wildfires had caused traditional rock art to be lost.

Environment and Conservation regional manager Allisdair Macdonald said working with the Martu people was beneficial, to determine safe areas for burning.

“The Martu people have an intimate knowledge of the area and the values of the area,” he said.

“We work together to identify sites of cultural significance where they point out areas that are safe to burn and those that aren’t.”

Funded through Rangelands NRM and the Federal Government’s Caring for Our Country program, helicopters are used to transport the rangers to places that would usually be inaccessible by vehicles.

A variety of techniques are being used to start the fire, including incendiary bombing from the air.

Mr Macdonald said the dry season was the perfect time to carry out the project, as grasses were not yet totally dry and evening temperature-drops meant the likelihood fire would burn out was is much greater.

He said controlled-burning achieved a “mosaic” landscape, with stimulated plant growth.

“This means animals have access to more food resources for the medium and long term,” he said.