The Karajarri people are Traditional Owners of the land and intertidal zone along the south-west Kimberley coast, WA, and extending several hundred kilometres eastwards into the Great Sandy Desert.
The Port Smith Bird Park, purchased by the ILSC, lies 25 kilometres north of the Bidyadanga community and 170 kilometres south of Broome. It is an acknowledged tourism ‘hotspot’, featuring a diversity of marine life, flora and fauna.
KTLA has a vision to transform the property into the Kimberley’s ‘Southern Indigenous Cultural Gateway’. Benefits from the acquisition and subsequent development will include intergenerational employment, economic participation, wealth creation, social inclusion, cultural preservation, environmental conservation and, most importantly, regaining control over traditional lands. The 13-member KTLA ranger team now has a functional base for management of its Indigenous Protected Area and other environmental works.
The acquisition is a testament to the success of collaborative, cross-sector partnerships, in this case involving tourism operators, training and employment organisations, government and the corporate and philanthropic investment sectors. This model has resulted in the total value of additional partnership funding leveraged since acquisition now exceeding the purchase price for the property.
The ILSC currently holds the property title and has entered into a three-year lease arrangement with KTLA, with the granting of the property to occur during that period.