Declared Indigenous Protected Areas in Western Australia
Balanggarra Indigenous Protected Area
The Balanggarra Indigenous Protected Area covers about 2.6 million hectares of land and sea country. The northern part of Balanggarra is 'blue water' country and includes Cape Londonderry, several rivers such as the lower Drysdale and King George, saltwater, reefs, and offshore islands, like Sir Graham Moore and the Governor Islands. The southern part is 'brown water' country and includes land drained by the Forrest River system, the muddy waters of the Cambridge Gulf and Adolphus Island.
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Bardi Jawi Indigenous Protected Area
The 95,000 hectare Bardi Jawi Indigenous Protected Area is surrounded by sea on three sides and is 160 kilometres north of Broome. Crystal clear sea water that can reach temperatures of 26 degrees Celsius and golden beaches where Indigenous people, young and old, fish and share culture.
In 2011, parts of Bardi Jawi were registered on the national heritage list. The reasons behind the listing include the area's natural beauty, and the historic usage of galwa (double log raft) for transport and guwarn (pearl shell) for trading.
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Birriliburu Indigenous Protected Area
Birriliburu Indigenous Protected Area stretches over 6.6 million hectares of striking desert from the nationally significant Carnarvon Range to Constance Headland along Western Australia's famous Canning Stock Route.
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Dambimangari Indigenous Protected Area
The Dambimangari Indigenous Protected Area is located on the rugged, dramatic Kimberley coast between Broome and Darwin. Situated north of Derby, it stretches east to the Prince Regent area, covering more than 1.4 million hectares.
Dambimangari provides a refuge to animals that have disappeared from other parts of Australia. Endangered animals include wijingarra, northern quoll, a good hunter with a powerful cultural story, and the brightly coloured Gouldian finch.
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Ninghan Indigenous Protected Area
Rising 678 metres from the surrounding plains, the gently sloping form of Mount Singleton - nyingarn, or echidna - lends its character and traditional name to Ninghan. Sitting at the junction of four bioregions, the property marks the transition from remnant eucalyptus woodlands to expansive mala plains.
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Paruku Indigenous Protected Area
The spectacular wetlands of Paruku are an internationally renowned haven for hundreds of thousands of birds. Covering around 4,300 square kilometres on the borders of the Great Sandy Desert and Tanami bioregions, Paruku is located south of the township of Halls Creek.
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Uunguu Indigenous Protected Area
In May 2011, the Wunambal Gaambera people formally declared stage one of the Uunguu Indigenous Protected Area. Uunguu stretches over about 343,515 hectares of the northern Kimberley - one of the most remote and spectacular coastlines in the world.
There are many diverse habitats here - from rainforest-filled gorges to freshwater holes, culturally-significant coastal islands and saltwater country. Uunguu is home to many threatened plants and animals - dugong, marine turtles, dolphins and the smallest rock wallaby in the world, called monjon, are all found here.
Uunguu also forms one of the biggest open air galleries in Western Australia - world-famous rock art is found here, speaking of the Wanjina spirits and Wunggurr spirits who made the language and the law for each family to look after a traditional part of country.
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Warlu Jilajaa Jumu Indigenous Protected Area
Warlu Jilajaa Jumu covers an incredible 1.6 million hectares of arid scrub and desert wetlands in the north-west of Western Australia's Great Sandy Desert. Cared for by its traditional owners, the Ngurrara, the area is named after the fire they use to keep the land healthy (warlu) and the permanent waterholes ('jila' or 'living water') and seasonal soaks (jumu) that are their key source of water.
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Wilinggin Indigenous Protected Area
Wilinggin Indigenous Protected Area is located in the central-north Kimberley and spreads over 2,417,416 hectares. Wilinggin is made up of a wide variety of landscapes from basalt ranges and sandstone cliffs, which rise up to 250 metres high, through to wooded grasslands and pockets of rainforests, all of which are crisscrossed by rivers, creeks and billabongs.
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