The Martuwarra River Keepers

The Martuwarra carves a 700km path through the West Kimberley, along deep sandstone gorges, savannah woodland and open floodplains. The River has sustained nature and First Nations people for countless millennia. For the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council, representing Traditional Custodians from Bunuba, Gooniyandi, Nyikina, Wangkatjunka and Walmajarri groups, Martuwarra is a living, ancestral being.

The Martuwarra River Keepers program is a First Nations-led initiative that will protect and regenerate the natural and cultural values of Martuwarra through Indigenous knowledge-gathering and the development of a local cultural conservation economy.

The initiative transitions Indigenous community members into a sustainable career pathway that provides the opportunity to live and work on Country.

The Martuwarra Fitzroy River Council, with the support of their inaugural partner, The Wilderness Society, formed the River Keepers in response to a growing number of threats to the Kimberley region. These include large-scale water extraction, gas fracking, degradation of Country, lack of River management, and the impacts of climate change, such as flooding and soaring temperatures.

The River Keepers will rely on a two way science approach to prioritise Indigenous science in conservation efforts, and encourage emerging leaders to work with elders to map Traditional Ecological Knowledge─the environmental, cultural and spiritual knowledge of the River.

"[It’s] like our ancestors before us. They protected the River. They were living in the River. We'd like to do the same. Other people can come, they can see how this River runs, and then get more experience and a clear understanding of what the River means to Indigenous people," says Lloyd Kwilla, one of the new River Keepers. "We’re sharing knowledge to non-Indigenous people as well, you know, so they can really feel the River and the knowledge of what our father would teach us.”

“As the inaugural partner of the Martuwarra Fitzroy River Keepers Project, the Wilderness Society is proud to support this inspiring initiative which is a result of First Nations self-determination," says Amelia Young, the Wilderness Society's National Campaigns Director. "Listening to Country, and to voices of traditional cultural knowledge holders, is vital for establishing new economies that protect and restore natural and cultural values."

The River Keepers are a group of 12 Traditional Custodians working on Country to research, manage and protect the globally unique Martuwarra/Fitzroy River system in the West Kimberley. This initial project is planned over a three-year period.

The concept of Martuwarra River Keepers arose from the ‘Circle of Wisdom’ - a series of dialogues between Martuwarra Elders and young Indigenous leaders in 2021.

“When we go back to Country, it lifts our spirits. We feel alive, because the land itself is alive. It's a spiritual connection that we share with the River, the trees and the animals. It's like a healing place. We want to keep that continuing into the next generation.”─Patricia Riley, Martuwarra River Keeper & CEO of Panadanus Park Community

Three of the new River Keepers share their thoughts: