Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara National Park

Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara is being jointly managed as a National Park with the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, owned and managed by the Wiluna Native Title holders, the Martu people. The Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara National Park covers 569,754 hectares of Native Title-determined Martu country in Western Australia, 160 kilometers north-east of Wiluna.

The Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara IPA Country Management Plan (IPA Plan) identifies values (what Martu care about), threats (what Martu worry about) and strategies relating to culture, employment, wellbeing, visitors and looking after Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara Country.

One of the key principles underscoring the management of the National Park is kanyirninpa, which means ‘holding’, ‘looking after’ or ‘nurturing’. According to the Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara Traditional Owners, Martu (people), ngurra (country) and tjukurrpa (law/culture) exist as indivisible realms of existence. Because of this, people have a responsibility to hold, look after or nurture country and the underlying creative force and system (the Law) that underwrites it.

Parks and Wildlife began active management of Matuwa and Kurrara Kurrara in 2001 for feral species management, and to recover threatened mammal species. The IPA Plan requires that an IPA Management Team be established to oversee implementation of the plan. The team has been meeting since 2015. Wiluna Martu Rangers have been working on Country to implement the IPA Plan since 2013.

Why do we need a Plan?

• To tell other people about Martu looking after ngurra (country) and what is important
• To say what is important for the men and women ranger teams to work on
• To say what support we need to provide for the ranger teams
• To help get money for Martu to look after ngurra
• To know if we are achieving what Martu want