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 peoples 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
2023–28:
- pest animal surveys and management works
- deliver a strategic pest animal management plan
- stakeholder engagement activities
- cultural heritage surveys
- cultural heritage days
- Aboriginal training
- Willandra Way forums
- project evaluation
- project close (June 2028) and outcomes reporting.
Work underway
Building on the success of what has already been delivered, there are many activities planned to 30 June 2026, including:
- follow-up pest animal shooting program in spring 2025
- rabbit baiting
- rabbit warren treatment evaluation
- stakeholder meetings (Willandra Way Forums)
- development of the Strategic Pest Animal Management Plan
- training workshop for Willandra Landholder Alliance members
- follow-up pest animal survey.
Project updates
On-ground pest animal control works
Throughout the second year of the project (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025), on-ground pest control works commenced with a spotlight monitoring project to determine a baseline of pest animals, using existing transects on 7 properties.
The survey recorded a total of:
- 1,092 wild rabbits
- 112 foxes
- 2 feral cats
- 2 feral pigs
- 144 unmanaged rangeland goats.
Following this, a contract team was engaged over a 6-week period in April and May to conduct a coordinated shooting program for pest animals.
Over an area of more than 50,000 ha, a total of 2,163 pest animals were controlled, including:
- 1,954 rabbits
- 168 foxes
- 30 feral cats
- 2 feral pigs.
Further pest animal control works are planned in spring 2025.
Willandra Landholder Alliance workshop
Willandra Landholder Alliance members at the Improving Tactical Decision Making workshop, held on 8 July 2025, where they gained insights into grazing management and strategies to manage groundcover in the world heritage area.
Willandra Way Forum
The project co-hosted the Willandra Way Forum in May 2025 with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service's Aboriginal Partnerships, Planning and Heritage Branch.
The event included a project update delivered to all stakeholders and facilitated a scoping session for the development of a Strategic Pest Animal Management Plan.
There will be further Willandra Way Forums held in the coming 12 months.
- Willandra Landholder Alliance inaugural project meeting held 19 September 2024.
- Pest animal survey by spotlight monitoring completed October to November 2024.
- Project meetings and reporting.
- Attendance at Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Advisory Committee meeting and Willandra Way Forum 22 to 23 October 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.
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Funding and partnerships
Key delivery partners working alongside 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. All outcomes for this project are recorded in MERIT.
For more information contact the project lead Kaye Gottschutzke, Senior Land Services Officer at kaye.gottschutzke@lls.nsw.gov.au or on 0429 981 331
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