Weed management project at Tharra (Woodstock Abydos Aboriginal Reserve)

The Budadee Rangers recently delivered the first project through the Pilbara Environmental Offsets Fund
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Weed management project at Tharra
Pilbara Environmental Offsets Fund, DBCA and Terra Rosa team members, Budadee Rangers and Elders (including Stephen Stewart Snr and Irene Roberts) yarning on Country.

The Budadee Rangers delivered the first project through the Pilbara Environmental Offsets Fund which saw them map and remove invasive weeds at Tharra, also known as the Woodstock Abydos Protected Reserve. 

The reserve covers 154,000 ha and is about 150 km south of Port Hedland, between the Roebourne plains in the north and the Chichester Range in the south. It is one of the most archeologically and culturally significant places in Western Australia.

In 2020, we granted the Budadee Aboriginal Corporation $600,000 over three years to deliver a weed management program at Tharra, to respond to the recent increase in Calotropis procera along rivers at the reserve.

The Budadee Aboriginal Rangers have now completed two years of the project, identified monitoring points, and developed a long-term weed control plan. The Rangers undertook five weed control trips throughout 2022, with the expectation that Calotropis procera will be managed across 1,000 ha of Tharra.

In 2022, the PEOF team spent time on Country with Elders and Budadee Rangers. We discussed ideas for the next round of projects at Tharra to improve vegetation and habitat for species like northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus), Pilbara leaf nosed bat (Rhinonicteris aurantia) and greater bilby (Macrotis lagotis).

Budadee Rangers are now delivering their third year of weed control activities at Tharra.

You can read more about the Pilbara Environmental Offsets Fund and other projects being delivered through the fund.