Djelk Rangers - Welcome to Djelk Rangers Website.

Welcome to the Djelk Ranger website. Djelk Rangers manage and monitor the recently declared Djelk Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) in central Northern Arnhem Land. The Djelk IPA covers 6732.2 sq km of land and is managed by a team of over 30 male and female rangers. Djelk Rangers work with a range of partners on a number of projects that control invasive species, maintain historical fire regimes, monitor marine resources and prevent pests entering Australia.

Djelk rangers continue to develop positive relationships with government agencies and funding partners to ensure the realization of the Djelk Rangers goals and vision.

Djelk’s  Logo 

“Djelk” is a Gurrgoni (a central Arnhem Land language) word for “land” and “caring for the land”. The Djelk logo embodies the land management approach of the rangers and their supporting community.

The fish trap represents the groups’ role in bringing landowners together to make decisions about the land.

The water lily links the earth, water, air and people - it is a plant of both beauty and a source of food.

The two stems represent the dual laws Djelk recognize – Bininj (traditional Aboriginal) and Balanda (non Indigenous).

The lily bulbs and roots represent the many landowning clans in the area.

The dilly bag holds important messages for the people, alluding to the contemporary land management knowledge Djelk can offer landowners.

History:

The Djelk Rangers was established in 1991 with 8 men working on a variety of land management projects which services an area approximately 10 000sq kilometers of central Arnhem Land and servicing approximately 34 regional outstations. Their land management activities included: fire management, weed control, feral animal control, preventing damage to sacred sites, water monitoring  and the set up of junior ranger camps.

Since 2002 the Djelk Rangers have expanded their management activities to include managing marine areas in the area  for the purpose of conservation. The sea monitoring undertakes a variety of duties on behalf of Customs, Quarantine and Fisheries. The rangers undertake patrols of the Liverpool Estuary, Blyth River and Rolling Bay to monitor commercial fishing, monitor and removal of marine debris, sea rescues, monitoring of sea turtles, control of marine weeds and to report on any unusual sightings.

Today the group undertakes surveillance of an area of approximately one million hectares includes sea and islands up to three nautical miles off the coast. 

The Women Rangers formed in 2002 to work on conservation projects which are of particular concern to women. These ongoing projects involve seed collecting for the BAC nursery, harvest of bush food for old people which is distributed through BAC Aged Care Program, monitoring of the Mimosa control sites, collection of the Kakadu Plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana), aluminum recycling programs, contracts with Australian Quarantine and Inspections Service, fauna and flora surveys, working with NLC to initiate bush food enterprises, harvesting cycads to sell in to Darwin and participation in the junior ranger camps and training.

In 2005 the new ranger facilities was built which enable the rangers to collaborate in one building. The building includes generous and well equipped offices, a kitchen/meeting room, undercover parking for boats and trucks, storage for equipment and incubators for hatching of crocodiles.

The Djelk Rangers continue to focus on the structured Natural Resource Management. Over the last few years the Rangers have focused on developing income streams independent of CDEP. Rangers have moved from CDEP positions to salaried employment. A bigger operational budget has ensured the groups are well resourced for the expanding work load.

The rangers continue to conduct controlled burning as part of the WALFA (West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement) project, ongoing regular coastal surveillance patrols for Australian Customs and AQIS (Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service), and monitor target species for NHT ( Natural Heritage Trust).

Location:

 The Djelk Indigenous Protected Area covers 6732.2 Square Kilometers in Northern Central Arnhem land. This is equivalent to 0.5% of the land mass of the Northern Territory and is largely made up of the two bioregions Arnhem land Coast and Arnhem Plateau. The rangers are currently based out of the ranger shed in Maningrida, a town of around 1800 within the IPA. From here ranger activities are coordinated and the ranger vehicles and boats are housed. Also covered by the IPA are 32 outstations. Rangers work in consultation with land owners to ensure appropriate land management in conjunction with land owners wishes. Djelk rangers utilize remote sensing data tools to log and record their activities to ensure effective management such a large area.