Dambimangari

The Sanctuary

Dambimangari country is an area of international significance for conservation. Covering 800,000 hectares, the landscape features more than 3,000 kilometres of Australia’s most spectacular coastline, from dramatic sandstone cliffs that plunge into the ocean to low sandy beaches that host important sea turtle populations.

Pristine creeks and rivers, freshwater wetlands and rolling savanna woodlands interrupted by rainforest patches provide a diverse mix of habitats. It is a landscape of immense cultural significance to Dambimangari, who have lived here for thousands of years.

Wildlife at Dambimangari

Dambimangari country is a stronghold for threatened and endemic wildlife. It sits in the heart of the north-west Kimberley – the only region in Australia which has seen no extinctions since European settlement. The area is a refuge for several species of mammals that have disappeared from the rest of Northern Australia, such as the Golden-backed Tree Rat and the Golden Bandicoot, as well as species undergoing current widespread declines like the Northern Quoll.

Dambimangari country is home to some of Australia’s most highly threatened mammal species: Black-footed Tree-rat, Brush-tailed Rabbit-rat, and Kimberley Brush-tailed Phascogale.

Two of Australia’s smallest rock-wallaby species are found here: the tiny Monjon and the seldom-seen Nabarlek (each weighing about a kilogram) alongside a third, larger relative, the Short-eared Rock-wallaby.

Endemic species (found only in Dambimangari country and the northwest Kimberley) include the Wyulda (or Scaly-tailed Possum), Black Grasswren, and Kimberley Honeyeater. Other rare and threatened birds on Dambimangari country include the Gouldian Finch, Red Goshawk and Purple-crowned Fairy-wren.

AWC Field Programs at Dambimangari

The partnership involves AWC field staff and Dambimangari Rangers working hand-in-hand to deliver land management operations including fire management, feral animal control and weed control. Fire management operations will generate carbon income for DAC from savanna burning. On-the-job training will help build the capacity and expertise of Dambimangari Rangers. In turn, AWC staff will learn from Dambimangari Rangers about traditional land management practices and wildlife.

A substantial science program will involve searching in one of Australia’s most remote locations for some of the last remaining populations of species such as the Brush-tailed Rabbit-rat, the Kimberley Brush-tailed Phascogale and the Nabarlek.