NT Aboriginal Ranger program to receive $24m boost

The Aboriginal Ranger Grants Program, founded in 2017 to support the conservation and land management work of Aboriginal rangers and organisations, is set to receive a major boost from the natural gas industry.

An initiative of the Northern Territory Government, the program’s latest funding round will see the support of INPEX, operator of the Ichthys LNG project in Northern Australia. The company is donating $24 million in sponsorship as part of a recent agreement with the NT Government.

The funds are intended to help Aboriginal Rangers and sea managers with their Coastal Offsets Program, which will help to protect protected marine life such as dugongs and cetaceans. This is in keeping with a current INPEX program in the Top End over the next 22 years to protect ‘threatened marine matters of environmental significance’, referred to as MNES for short.

The Aboriginal Rangers Program supports roughly 1,000 Rangers from 47 different groups that are carrying out their important environmental work on Aboriginal land. It includes two types of funds: capital funding for the purchase of vehicles, equipment and other infrastructure; and conservation land management funding for assistance with environmental and cultural activities, animal protection, and skills and training development.

“From the ocean to the bush, our Aboriginal Rangers do such an important job protecting our unique environments, ensuring they can be enjoyed by generations to come,” said Northern Territory Minister for Parks and Rangers, Selena Uibo.

“I am delighted that INPEX is partnering with Government to add more value to the work of this remarkable group of Territorians.”

The next round of grants for the Aboriginal Ranger Grants Program will occur from 24 July–20 August.

Minister for Indigenous Australians Ken Wyatt and Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley announced last year that $102 million would be made available each year to 2020 for Aboriginal Rangers.

For more information about the program, visit the NT Department of Environment, Parks, and Water Security (DPWS) website here.