Project Update: Protecting the Wiliji - A Powerful Partnership in Action

Thanks to your support, FAME’s partnership with WWF-Australia and the Walalakoo Aboriginal Corporation is helping to turn the tide for one of Australia’s most endangered, and culturally important, marsupials: the Wiliji (West Kimberley Rock-wallaby).

Endemic to Nyikina Mangala country, the Wiliji has suffered dramatic declines in recent decades. In 2023, devastating wildfires tore through vital habitat on the Grant and Erskine Ranges, prompting urgent action. With your help, a powerful collaboration is now delivering on-the-ground conservation, driven by the Nyikina Mangala rangers and Traditional Owners.

This work is a testament to the strength of partnerships, where traditional knowledge, science and shared purpose come together to protect country and species.

Image: Nyikina Mangala Ranger Jeremiah Green deploying a camera on the Grant Range. (WWF-Australia)

We’re pleased with the latest project progress:

• Vital fire-management planning has been carried out, with elders, rangers and land managers working together to develop and implement strategic controlled burns that protect Wiliji habitat and cultural sites.

• A major camera survey on the Grant Range has recorded Wiliji at nearly half of the 96 surveyed sites, providing crucial data for estimating population size and understanding Wiliji movement across the landscape.

• Feral predator control is underway. Five humane Felixer traps have been deployed, targeting feral cats without harming native wildlife. 

• Hot off the press! A peer-reviewed scientific journal article has just been published in Wildlife Research, co-authored by the Nyikina Mangala Rangers, Traditional Owners, WWF-Australia and trusted scientists. Drawing on nearly a decade of camera survey data, the article introduces innovative data modelling techniques to estimate Wiliji abundance and demonstrates how respectful, cross-cultural collaboration leads to more effective and culturally grounded conservation outcomes.

Image: Camera images from the Grant Range survey (clockwise from left) Wiliji and joey, feral cat, Northern Blue-tongued Lizard and Short-Beaked Echidna. (WWF-Australia)