The Nyamal Traditional Owners are celebrating a significant milestone with the establishment of the Purungunya Conservation Park and Purungunya National Park. Located east of Port Hedland, these parks mark the first new conservation estate created in the Pilbara in over a decade. Celebrating the Creation of Purungunya Conservation and National Parks
These parks will be jointly managed by the Nyamal Traditional Owners and the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Attractions (DBCA). This partnership ensures that Nyamal people will have a say in how their ancestral lands are managed, reflecting their cultural perspectives and traditional knowledge in the stewardship of these areas. Nyamal Traditional Owners will take on various roles within the new parks, including management positions and ranger duties.
The Nyamal People have traditional rights over approximately 35,000 square kilometers of land in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The creation of these parks is seen by Traditional Owners as a crucial first step in embedding their perspectives in land management. Their cultural views will inform the protection of plants, animals, water, historical sites, and the land itself.
Purungunya Conservation and National Parks are situated in a national biodiversity hotspot, one of 15 in Australia. They will provide protection to 91 threatened species, including the bilby, Pilbara olive python, Pilbara leaf-nosed bat, night parrot, and northern quoll. Additionally, the parks will safeguard a world-class example of fossilized stromatolites, ancient formations that played a crucial role in transforming Earth’s atmosphere 2.72 billion years ago, enabling complex life to evolve.
The creation of these parks adds more than 200,000 hectares of Nyamal Country to Western Australia’s conservation estate, contributing to a total of 4 million hectares through the WA government’s Plan for Our Parks initiative.
Nyamal people have lived on and been connected to this land since time immemorial. The recognition of their deep ties to the land in the creation of these parks is a source of pride and a step forward in collaborative land management. Nyamal Aboriginal Corporation chief executive and Traditional Owner, Troy Eaton, emphasized the importance of this initiative.
“Caring for the Country is at the heart of all Nyamal People. The recognition of Purungunya is a step towards ensuring that our land, animals, plants, water, and culture are safeguarded for Nyamal’s future generations. Purungunya is a beautiful and significant part of our Country, and we look forward to looking after it in partnership with DBCA,” said Eaton.
Nyamal Ranger and Traditional Owner Rodney Monaghan echoed this sentiment. “We’ve just had this Country given back to us and now we’re going into a partnership with DBCA, so we want to have a say on our Country. We want to have leadership on our Country, and with everything we do on Country,” he said.
Nyamal Elder Doris Eaton highlighted the healing power of connecting with the land. “Signing of joint management will help us. Connection to our Country and our spirit by healing our Country. Healthy Country keeps us safe and our visitors,” she said.
WA Environment Minister Reece Whitby praised the initiative, noting that the Plan for Our Parks has now delivered four million hectares of new conservation areas across WA, including the newly created Purungunya Conservation Estate. “This part of the Pilbara has been used by the Nyamal People for tens of thousands of years, and the newly created reserves will protect its rich cultural and natural heritage,” said Whitby. “It’s a breathtaking area that we have protected while enabling future opportunities for cultural and nature-based tourism among the 460 species of wildlife that can be found locally.”
Dr. Bill Kruse from Pew Charitable Trusts Australia, a spokesperson for Partnership for the Outback, described the new parks as a major win for both people and nature. “Today we celebrate a huge achievement for Nyamal Traditional Owners, conservation in the Pilbara, and everyone in Western Australia,” he said. “The Pilbara region has some of the most unique biodiversity in our state, and it’s wonderful to know that wildlife, landscapes, plants, and culture will be protected for future generations to experience and enjoy.”
Dr. Kruse emphasized the importance of partnerships with Traditional Owners in supporting conservation at scale in a region of major economic importance. “The Pilbara is home to many Traditional Owner groups who hold native title to their Country and who seek to actively manage their Country for culture and conservation, alongside their involvement with the Pilbara’s mining and pastoral economies. The Purungunya parks show us what the future of the Pilbara can be – a place where partnerships with Traditional Owners such as Nyamal can support conservation at scale in a region of major economic importance.”
He concluded by congratulating the Nyamal Traditional Owners, Nyamal Aboriginal Corporation, and the WA government on this new partnership for the Pilbara.
The Nyamal people are represented by the Nyamal Aboriginal Corporation (NAC), their Registered Native Title Body Corporate (RNTBC). NAC holds native title rights and interests in trust for the Nyamal people and aims to improve the lives of Nyamal People through the preservation of their Culture, Land, and Language.
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