Significant investment secured for Indigenous-held farmland

Almost 4,000 hectares of farmland across Western Australia's Esperance-Goldfields region is now owned by a local First Nations corporation – a milestone formally celebrated by community leaders and project partners this week.

Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC (ETNTAC) is a Native Title Body Corporate which holds and manages the native title rights of more than 30,000 square kilometres, on the ancestral lands of the Wudjari Nyungar peoples.

And now, they are the proud, rightful owners of an additional 1,135 hectares of farmlands, following a $2.2m funding injection from the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC) which has helped adjoin the group’s existing landholdings on Kardutjaanup Farm.

Located on Wudjari Country, Kardutjaanup Farm is home to ETNTAC’s 'Rejuvenation Trees' project, which sees First Nations peoples restore biodiversity by planting Australian native plants matching the values of the surrounding bush. As they grow, the plants will generate long-term income through carbon credits.

Since 2023, ETNTAC’s ranger teams have already planted over two million native seeds and seedlings across their amalgamated landholdings, comprising approximately 80 different species.

The carbon sequestration from these seeds and seedlings, as well as all future plantings, will provide a revenue stream from the sale of carbon credits. ETNTAC will use these to pursue community development initiatives.

Support from the ILSC enabled ETNTAC to control the whole farmland, creating additional on-Country employment opportunities and long-term, reliable income streams for the Kepa Kurl (Esperance) community and the region’s Traditional Owners.

ETNTAC’s objective is to be a sustainable enterprise that invests in Wudjari priorities each year. Through ownership of income-producing land, Wudjari cultural authority on Country can be strengthened and restored, supporting ETNTAC’s self-determination.

ETNTAC Chairperson, Ms Gail Reynolds-Adamson AM, said securing freehold title to Kardutjaanup Farm delivered on the aspirations of Wudjari Elders.

“The farm is located within the upper Benwenerup cultural landscape. An area of immense importance to Wudjari people stretching from the farm down to the coast and into our Wardarn Boodja (sea Country).

“It is one of our ‘spiritual highways’ – a landscape of sacred, spiritual, and ecological importance. Freehold ownership of part of this landscape enables us to re-establish our protocols for the care of Country and the resources within it,” said Ms Reynolds-Adamson AM.

ILSC Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr Joe Morrison, said the ILSC works to support knowledge sharing and bolster Indigenous voices in all environment-related activities.

“This acquisition is a major milestone for the Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation, one the ILSC was proud to support.

“Securing this additional farmland will help ensure cultural practices can be passed on to future Indigenous generations, preserving cultural knowledge for years to come.

“Ultimately, this project is about strengthening the Wudjari peoples' connection to and ownership of their Country, which lies at the heart of the ILSC's mission,” said Mr Morrison.

The work on Kardutjaanup Farm will advance regenerative agricultural skills. This includes restoring biodiversity across 2,000 hectares of land and safeguarding around 80 endangered plant and animal species that are only found across Australia.