Ecology

Wilinggin country stretches across a vast and sparsely populated area the size of the main island of Tasmania. It is comprised of dramatic and relatively undisturbed landscapes that are home to immense biological diversity. With sheer escarpments and pristine rivers that cut through sandstone plateaus and ancient coral reefs to create spectacular waterfalls and deep gorges, the area's remoteness has created a haven that supports plant and animal species found nowhere else on the Australian continent. This includes many rare, threatened and endangered species, such as the Golden-backed Tree Rat, Kimberley Rock Rat, Golden Bandicoot, Scaly-tailed Possum, Monjon, Black Grass-wren, Gouldian Finch and Purple-crowned Fairy-wren.

 

Wilinggin country forms part of the West Kimberley National Heritage Listing which was established to list places of outstanding heritage significance to Australia. The north Kimberley is now the only area of mainland Australia where no mammal extinctions have been recorded since European settlement. The Ngarinyin Traditional Owners maintain a strong connection to this country and continue to care for it as part of the world's oldest continuous culture.

 

While the area’s remoteness means that populations of many species remain abundant, Wilinggin country faces a variety of threats from changed fire regimes, weeds and feral animals (including cattle, pigs, cats and cane toads). These threats are being actively mitigated by Ngarinyin Traditional Owners on their Exclusive Possession Native Title country which has been declared an Indigenous Protected Area.