Did you know that more than 57% of Australia is part of the Indigenous Estate, with much of it cared for through Indigenous ranger programs that blend traditional knowledge with modern science? Women now make up more than a third of this workforce and play a vital role in holistic land management. They hold unique ecological knowledge and have cultural access to specific places, which enriches conservation efforts and ensures this wisdom is passed to future generations.
Yet, First Nations women in land management continue to face systemic challenges. Members of the Strong Women for Healthy Country (SWHC) Network have identified several concerns:
- Concern for the health of Country, climate impacts and community wellbeing;
- Urgent need to share and pass down women’s cultural and ecological knowledge;
- Feeling that their values and practices are overlooked by non-Indigenous people;
- Limited access to support, training and culturally safe work environments; and
- Under-representation in leadership and decision-making roles in land management.
To help address these issues, the SWHC Network received a $50,000 Small Network Grant through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, under the Helping Regional Communities Prepare for Drought Initiative. The grant helped fund the 2024 Strong Women for Healthy Country Forum – a vital event designed to strengthen connections, celebrate culture, support wellbeing and build culturally safe, resilient across communities in the Northern Territory.
The Forum brought together Indigenous women involved in land and cultural management across the NT to advocate, learn and collaborate. The movement began in 2019, when Elders from the Rembarrnga, Dalabon, and Mayili language groups (via Mimal Land Management Aboriginal Corporation) invited women from 32 ranger groups to meet, connect and share. Together, they formed a shared vision:
“We are strong Indigenous women of the Northern Territory. We stand united as one strong voice. We commit to a network that gives equal power to the rights of all our women. Strong Women means Healthy Country.”
Since then, the SWHC Network has grown to include more than 300 Indigenous women – including rangers, Elders, healers, artists and community leaders – and represents more than 40 NT communities. The annual Forum, hosted on-Country, features yarning circles, training on land and water management, knowledge-sharing with Elders and opportunities to engage in culture through dance, fibre art, painting and song.
In 2024, the Forum was held at Crab Claw Island on Larrakia Country, bringing together 260 women. Thanks to the FRRR grant, 50 Indigenous women from remote communities were able to attend, with their travel, accommodation and food costs fully covered. Without this support, these women would have missed out on the opportunity to connect with peers, grow their skills and take part in collective climate resilience efforts.
At the Forum, women participated in bush medicine making, storytelling, music, healing and collaborative art. They shared the triumphs and challenges of caring for Country and learned from each other in the process. A major feature was training with the Digital Women Rangers, an initiative supported by CSIRO and the Telstra Foundation, which empowers women to tell stories about Country using data. They explored how blending Indigenous ecological knowledge with digital tools – like mapping and data collection – can inform drought preparedness and long-term landscape conservation.
These digital and scientific skills are vital in understanding and mitigating the impacts of a drying climate. Indigenous communities in remote NT are among the most vulnerable to drought and those caring for Country are on the frontlines. Through inter-generational knowledge-sharing and Indigenous-led approaches, the SWHC Network is helping protect both communities and ecosystems.
The 2024 Forum was a powerful reminder that when Indigenous women are supported to lead, care for Country becomes stronger, more informed and more sustainable. By investing in their voices, knowledge and leadership, this initiative helps to foster environmental resilience as well as social and cultural wellbeing that will benefit generations to come.