Traditional knowledge shared across the Pacific

'When women are involved in conservation, we know that it’s not just the environment that benefits,' says Rosie Goslett-King, Women Rangers Network Coordinator at WWF-Australia.

'There are healthier people, healthier families, healthier communities, and that flows onto a healthier economy, and a healthier social landscape.'

Rosie, a proud Saltwater and Freshwater Budawang woman of the Yuin Nation, was part of the group of Indigenous women who took part in a first-of-its-kind volunteer exchange.

She was joined by Azarnia Malay, Cindy-Lou Togo and Mary Blyth for a month-long visit to Solomon Islands.

During the project, the volunteers visited three communities in Solomon Islands’ Western Province, sharing their diverse experiences of conservation and caring for Country. They met with Elders, community leaders and rangers in Pusiju, Nusatuva and Sagheraghi.

The exchange was part of Indigenous Pathways, an Indigenous-led component of the Australian Volunteers Program, in partnership with WWF-Solomon Islands, WWF-Australia and the Indigenous Women’s Ranger Environmental Network (WREN).

The aims were to strengthen locally led conservation in the Pacific, and for Indigenous Australian and Pacific Island women working in conservation to identify common challenges and opportunities to support one another.

Coming from the Illawarra (southeast New South Wales), Murganella (West Arnham Land), Kuku Yalanji country (far-north Queensland), and Dambimangari (Western Australia), the women say they learnt just as much from the experience as they were able to share.

The volunteers learnt about local conservation efforts, traditional fishing methods and approaches to food security.

Cindy-Lou, a Bundjalung Traditional Owner, leads a team of women rangers at the Girringun Aboriginal Corporation in far north Queensland.

‘I loved learning about the three communities we went to', she says. ‘They all had similar cultures [to ours]. It was good learning, getting to know them, sharing knowledge and stories.’

Alice Tamang, Indigenous Programs Manager at the Australian Volunteers Program, began planning the exchange before the COVID-19 pandemic, working closely with WWF-Solomon Islands, WWF-Australia, and our program team in Solomon Islands.

Alice, a Dharug woman, says one of the best parts of the exchange was seeing the volunteers and members of the local communities taking part in ‘story’ each evening, an important part of the culture in Solomon Islands.

‘One of the greatest successes of the project was the way in which the volunteers and communities came together to learn about each other’s contexts,' says Alice.

'It was fantastic to see the volunteers and the women they met sharing knowledge of local conservation efforts and discussing how these are integrated with existing cultural practices.’

Azarnia, from Malarndoom country in the North of Dambimangari, and a biodiversity ranger with the Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation, says keeping culture alive is critical: ‘It’s very important to keep our culture and story going. Without that as Indigenous people, we feel we don’t have anything, if we don’t have a story or our culture.’

Mary, a Cultural Advisor with the Northern Land Council, reflects on the importance of women having leadership roles in conservation: ‘For women looking after Country, it gives an opportunity for an income and helps with independence, to have responsibility,’ she says.

Eve Aihunu, Solomon Islands Program Manager, accompanied the volunteers for part of the exchange.

‘This exchange allowed the Solomon Islands communities to share our simple yet effective ways of doing conservation work with limited to no resources,’ says Eve.

‘Equally, it gave the communities the opportunity to learn different ways of doing things that will help us to do what we do better.’

Eve says the exchange allowed the communities in Solomon Islands to see that women can be rangers and leaders in conservation. She observed the young people and women in the communities being inspired to get involved in conservation work, and to potentially become rangers themselves.

‘For example, in Pusiju, a few Elders – both women and men – were appreciating how the four women rangers were playing very active roles in looking after their land and marine resources, as well as cultural teaching and preservation work in their country,’ says Eve.

‘They could see that both men and women can work together to help preserve our culture and our resources whilst having the women folk also take up leadership roles with this important work.’

Minnie Rafe, the Community Based Fisheries Management Programme Coordinator at WWF-Solomon Islands, says the exchange had a significant impact on the women in the communities that took part.

'The... exchange has really helped to encourage local women to see the important role that they can play in protecting their resources and environment,' says Minnie.

Minnie says the exchange also made an impact on staff at WWF-Solomon Islands: 'It was eye opening to learn about different ways that resource owners can work with different stakeholders to look after their resources.'

Henry Kaniki, Conservation Manager at WWF-Solomon Islands, says the exchange was motivational for the community members who took part: 'That even in Australia, [the Indigenous women] are working to also conserve their resources and their environment.'

The volunteers noticed there were many common challenges between their own communities back home and the communities they visited.

Shared challenges include conservation being a male-dominated industry, remote community challenges, such as housing, food security and domestic violence, getting people in charge to listen to grassroots organisations, and a lack of support from bureaucratic agencies.

The project wrapped up with the volunteers attending the annual symposium on women's leadership in coastal fisheries management resources, arranged by WWF-Solomon Islands.

The symposium, held in Gizo, was an opportunity for the volunteers to meet women leaders working in conservation across Solomon Islands. Cindy-Lou spoke on a panel about her role managing and mentoring a team of female rangers.

Cindy-Lou says she would encourage other Indigenous women rangers to take part in future opportunities: ‘I really liked this trip and would highly recommend coming, it was a real eye opener for me, I loved every minute of it.’

Indigenous Pathways focuses on expanding and strengthening Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander involvement in international volunteering, by providing culturally safe, flexible, and tailored support. Find out more.

Meet the volunteers

Rosie Goslett-King

Rosie is a proud Saltwater and Freshwater Budawang woman of the Yuin Nation, and an experienced ranger in the Illawarra, southeast of New South Wales.  

Currently the Coordinator of the Indigenous Women Rangers Network at WWF-Australia, Rosie advocates for women rangers to increase opportunities and works to translate the gap between Western and Indigenous knowledge bases. 

She’s built her career around her love for her culture, reflected in her artistic practice, youth programs, and many years in conservation and caring for Country. 

Mary Blyth

Mary is a Cultural Advisor from Murganella in West Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, and is part of the Northern Land Council Senior Management Team and Caring for Country brand staff. She also supports the Council's ranger groups. 

Before her current role, Mary was a ranger and cultural heritage officer at Kakadu National Park for 27 years.

‘The Indigenous knowledge exchange has been an important part of building relationships for Australia and internationally to support each other in both a cultural and professional context, working together and being passionate about what we do or have done in the past and towards the future for the next generation’ says Mary.

Cindy-Lou Togo

Cindy–Lou is a Bundjalung Traditional Owner, based in far North Queensland. Cindy has been an Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger for 13 years and now leads a team of women rangers, as the Female Ranger Coordinator at Girringun Aboriginal Corporation. Girringun is made up of nine Traditional Owner groups covering an area of 1.2 million hectares of Land and Sea.  

'We look after both land and sea; we do revegetation, monitoring threatened species, traditional burns, monitoring the seagrass and mangroves, weed and feral animal control,’ explains Cindy.

Cindy was inspired to volunteer as part of the exchange as she was interested in connecting with other rangers: 'I like to learn about their culture and share my experience as a ranger', she says.

Azarnia Malay

Azarnia’s family group is Morlumbun, and she’s from Malarndoom country in the North of Dambimangari, situated in the north of Western Australia. She’s been a ranger for four years, and is focused on biodiversity and threatened species. Azarnia started this job because she wants to encourage young people and care for her Country.

‘For me, being a ranger, I wanted to go on Country and look after Country, do what the old people used to do, because it was a daily routine for our people, before white people came,’ says Azarnia.

‘My ranger job makes me who I am. My grandmother was a strong woman I always looked up to for guidance. Now she’s left us, I want to carry on what she taught me for younger ones about how to respect and look after Country.’