Willandra Lakes Region – Outcomes for Country

Key information

The Willandra Lakes Region is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site for its Outstanding Universal Values.

This project will focus on preserving these values by:

• reducing the impact of pest animals
• improving habitat resilience to climate change and extreme events  
• facilitating Aboriginal community engagement with land management activities.

Project background

The Willandra Lakes Region contains fossil remains of ancient lakes, sand formations and giant marsupials. 

The area is rich in cultural heritage with evidence of human habitation as far back as 60,000 years including skeletal remains, stone tools, hearths and grindstones. 

Much of the area comprises pastoral stations leased from the State. The remaining land contains a large part of the Mungo National Park. 

Ongoing threats to the outstanding universal values of the Willandra Lakes Region include:

• pest animals degrading soil quality and stability
• climate change.

Project objectives

The Willandra Lakes Region – Outcomes for Country project aims to:

• reduce the threat of invasive species, climate change and extreme events   
• increase leadership and/or participation of Aboriginal people in the management of threats to world heritage properties
• protect the world heritage properties listed for their natural heritage value through the implementation of priority actions.

Project delivery

Work includes:

• reducing land degradation and adverse impacts caused by pest animals, which pose significant risk to archaeology and palaeontology
• facilitating active engagement of Aboriginal communities in cultural land management across the selected work sites.  

Timeline

2023–24:

• Stakeholder engagement activities. 

2024–25:

• Stakeholder engagement activities
• pest animal surveys and management works
• Aboriginal training
• cultural heritage surveys
• Willandra Way forum
• project evaluation.

2025–26:

• Willandra Way forums
• pest animal surveys and management works
• Aboriginal training
• cultural heritage days
• stakeholder engagement activities
• outcomes reporting.

2026–27:

• Willandra Way forums
• strategic pest animal management plan
• pest animal surveys and management works
• Aboriginal training
• cultural heritage days
• stakeholder engagement activities.

2027–28:

• Willandra Way forums
• pest animal surveys and management works
• Aboriginals training
• stakeholder engagement activities
• project close (Jun 2028) and outcomes reporting. 

Work underway

• Willandra Landholder Alliance inaugural project meeting held 19 Sep 2024.
• Pest animal survey by spotlight monitoring completed Oct to Nov 2024.
• Project meetings and reporting.
• Attendance at Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Advisory Committee meeting and Willandra Way forum 22 to 23 Oct 2024.

How to get involved

General community participation in this project is not available because the work is taking place on private properties. However, you can learn more about helping to restore ecological habitats on your own property by accessing information and resources from our resource library. 

Partnerships and funding

Key delivery partners working along Local Land Services include:

• NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service World Heritage Team
• Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Aboriginal Advisory Group
• Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Advisory Committee
• Willandra Landholder Alliance.

This project is funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Western Local Land Services, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.