Imagine waking to the sun filtering through pristine bushland and the resounding chorus of wildlife in one of the only places in Australia untouched by extinctions since European colonisation. For a dedicated team of Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) ecologists and Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation (DAC) rangers, this was the rhythm of daily life for a month, as they embarked on a vital survey deep in the remote Kimberley, focusing on threatened and previously unrecorded species.
Larissa Potter/AWC Conservation In Action
Arriving by helicopter onto Dambimangari Country, the team quickly got to work. They set up arrays of pitfall, funnel, elliott, and cage traps which captured 86 individuals across nearly 20 species. Morning trap checks and afternoon baiting were routine, as was the deployment and retrieval of 150 camera traps. This included new arboreal set-ups, designed to increase captures of the elusive and endangered Wungarnban (Black-footed Tree-rat). The team also trialled the use of a thermal scope, using the technology as part of 30 hours of spotlighting to target ground-dwelling species. Additionally, to gain a better understanding of habitat requirements for threatened species, detailed habitat assessments were undertaken.
Jake Barker/AWC Among the highlights were species like the Vulnerable Garimba (Golden Bandicoot), Red-cheeked Dunnart, a rare find for the Dambimangari Partnership, and the Coppery Skink, a first find for the Partnership. Elliott traps set near camp yielded notable results as well, including a young Western Chestnut Mouse-a species only previously captured on camera.
Larissa Potter/AWC Live captures are essential to distinguish this mouse from similar species, making this our first official record of the species for the Partnership. Observations made of wildlife while on Country also increased the species inventory for the Dambimangari Partnership Area by three frogs, eight birds and two reptiles.
Robyn Davies/AWC Excitingly, Wungarnban (Black-footed Tree-rats) were photographed on cameras across seven sites. First detected on Dambimangari Country in 2021, this survey recorded the most detections of Wungarnban and doubled the known number of locations for this species on Dambimangari Country.
AWC Other threatened species detected include the Barbarnguny (Western Partridge Pigeon) and Wijeengadda (Northern Quoll), the latter a culturally significant species for Dambeemangaddee People which has declined across northern Australia with the invasion of cane toads. Cane toads have been in this part of Dambimangari Country for three years, so to continue to see Wijeengadda is promising for the long-term persistence of this species.
Jake Barker/AWC The team was also pleased to observe Dumbi (Northern Masked Owl)-a species listed as threatened-nesting near camp for the second year in a row. Despite their original nest tree being burnt, the resilient pair had relocated just 100 meters downstream, continuing to thrive in the area. Over the course of the trip, at least three owls were spotted, and the deployed acoustic recorder confirmed that two of these were chicks that had successfully fledged. This is the second consecutive year that the pair have successfully raised chicks, a reflection of healthy mammal populations nearby and a great sign for this threatened species. Another Dumbi was also observed during a spotlight survey at a site 20 km away, a new recorded location for the species on Dambimangari Country.
Connecting past and present
For some team members, the survey held additional personal significance. Rihanna, a young ranger from DAC, experienced live trapping for the first time. Though nervous at first, she soon became involved in animal processing, learning valuable skills quickly.
Larissa Potter/AWC The trip's highlight for her was spotting Dumbi:
"Dumbi is an important species and story for the Wandjina People, so I was excited to finally see him after hearing his story."
Having grown up spending time on Country, Cultural Advisor Inga was able to share many memories of the area with the team. In one, her uncle was sitting under a big mango tree one night when a large rat jumped out of the tree and landed on his lap. In fright he threw his nalija (tea) everywhere. The rat was an Wungarnban (Black-footed Tree-rat), not scientifically recorded in the Kimberley from the 1980s until 2017, making this story a very important record of the species.
Larissa Potter/AWC AWC Senior Field Ecologist Larissa says Inga was central to the team's daily operations, not only guiding the work but also sharing cultural knowledge. Each evening at the campfire, she taught the team wularn (language) – "sometimes we had to ask which language because she can speak so many!"
"It was a great opportunity for the young rangers, plus us AWC folk to learn some useful Worrorra words, like milk, water, plant and animal names, and our favourite -'budai' or 'budai nunga' which means 'nothing' and was used when we found our traps were empty."
One of the most impactful moments of the survey was the visit to four important art sites by Inga and AWC and DAC Biodiversity Ranger Azarnia. This was Inga and Azarnia's first time visiting these sacred places, which hold their ancestors.
"It was important to check the condition of the caves and art," Azarnia says, "so we can look after these places. Two had fire come close, so this was a useful learning for how we conduct our early burning."
Azarnia also noted that the artwork in the caves sometimes directly reflected the wildlife the team had encountered at nearby trap sites, drawing a tangible connection between ancient cultural knowledge and modern conservation efforts. One painting depicted a bandicoot with pouch young, which echoed a recent capture of a bandicoot carrying young.
AWC "This painting was in the women's site which is a birthing area. Birthing is very important, not just for our people, but also animals, it's the cycle of life."
Cultural knowledge at the forefront
Larissa Potter/AWC For DAC and AWC staff alike, Azarnia says visiting these places with the right people provided invaluable insight into the cultural significance of the land, as well as guidance on the 'right way' to visit these places.
"It's important to think about Dambimangari Country in a holistic way-not just the habitats and wildlife, but also the stories, history, and connections that make this place so special."
The collaboration between AWC and DAC continues to demonstrate the value of combining scientific rigour with cultural knowledge. This survey not only advanced our understanding of Dambimangari Country's biodiversity, but also deepened the partnerships that are crucial to protecting it.
Larissa Potter/AWC 
