Endangered Mulyamiji gets training spotlight

The Punmu ranger and Families Program teams hosted this year’s Threatened Species Workshop.

KJ teams, and a visiting ranger team from Desert Support Services in Kiwirrkurra, all came together over the three days to share information and conduct surveys; using Indigenous expert knowledge and a monitoring method designed by ecologist, Rachel Paltridge. 

Each group provided an update on their monitoring of the Mulyamiji (Great Desert Skink): 

• Parnngurr team had recently found a good population near Warntili

• Kunawarritji rangers will begin to search for any sign Mulyamiji by revisiting sites where they occurred back in Pujiman times and using fire satellite imagery to located potential habitat

• Punmu team lost some burrows after fires in 2018, but during the surveys found a few new ones this year; and

• Kiwirrkurra has a large stable population near their community, but more distant sites have been impacted by fire.

The outcome from this monitoring provides further evidence of the detrimental impacts of fire on Mulyamiji and also reiterates the critical importance of including a fire management strategy, and respecting Indigenous priorities, aspirations and culture within monitoring programs.