The Western Australian Aboriginal Ranger Program (ARP) provides funding to Aboriginal organisations leading ranger programs through the allocation of competitive grants.  

Administered by the Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA), it is one of the cornerstones of this Government’s commitment to working with Traditional Owners.

By offering meaningful employment on Country, the ARP significantly contributes to the WA Aboriginal Empowerment Strategy 2021-2029 and the State’s Closing the Gap commitments.  

The program helps Aboriginal organisations keep Country and people healthy and creates broader community outcomes by providing funding for employment, training, planning, equipment and other cultural and social expenses according to local priorities and aspirations. Research has shown that ranger participation is strongly associated with positive health and wellbeing outcomes for individuals and families, and to play a role in the continuation of Culture.

The ARP is largely funded by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s Royalties for Regions. To date, $103 million has been allocated to the program.

• Phase 1 (2017-2021) $20 million over 3 rounds
• Phase 2 (2021-2026) $83 million over 5 rounds

A total of 112 individual ranger programs were funded in Phases 1 and 2.  

In 2025 the Cook government committed $69.5 million over four years for Phase 3. It is anticipated that the first round/s of Phase 3 will be open early 2026.  

The ARP difference

The program has funded Aboriginal organisations to employ and train rangers and other staff, to undertake activities including:

• biodiversity monitoring and research
• cultural knowledge transfer
• fire management
• mapping
• cultural site management
• feral animal and weed management
• cultural awareness for visitors
• guided Welcome to Country tours and talks for visitors
• management of visitors and tourism assets  
• education programs and mentoring
• restoration and rehabilitation works
• seed collecting
• traditional ecological knowledge preservation
• threatened/priority species management
• water management and monitoring
• carbon activities and climate adaptation projects
• business development
• provision of community and health services

The ARP provides flexibility and advantages for Aboriginal organisations running ranger programs:

• Programs are designed and managed by Aboriginal people, incorporating local knowledge, aspirations and protocols.
• Organisations set their own key performance indicators, responding to the unique needs of community, Culture and Country.
• Programs can operate on any type of tenure.
• ARP Regional Support Officers are available to provide assistance at any stage from start up through establishment.
• APR provides small grant funding for planning and feasibility studies.

The ARP does not directly employ individual rangers. To investigate options for a career in Aboriginal ranger work, refer to the maps of funded groups and contact a ranger program in your area directly.

Please register here if you would like to be notified of funding rounds under Phase 3.

Strategic links  

The ARP supports the delivery of a number of State and Federal objectives, including:

• Closing the Gap Outcome 7 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth are engaged in employment or education targets
• Closing the Gap Outcome 8 - Strong economic participation and development of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities  
• Closing the Gap Outcome 15 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people maintain a distinctive cultural, spiritual, physical and economic relationship with their land and waters  
• Closing the Gap Outcome 16 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and languages are strong, supported and flourishing  
• Climate Adaptation Strategy - Building WA’s climate resilient future (DWER) 2023  
• Foundations for a Stronger Tomorrow State Infrastructure Strategy 2022  
• Aboriginal Empowerment Strategy 2021-2029  
• WA State of the Environment Report 2021  
• Stronger Together: WA’s Plan for Gender Equality  

Achievements  

Phase 1 of the ARP resulted in a number of demonstratable achievements. Phase 2 is currently underway so data will be available when it is complete.

Some key highlights of Phase 1 included:  

• employment of 1257 people, 98 per cent of whom where Aboriginal and 45 per cent were women;
• half of employees completed formal training qualifications;  
• organisations leveraged just over $11 million of additional funds;  
• creation of 166 fee-for-service contracts and development of 186 other partnerships;  
• active management of almost 80,000ha including 2588km of tracks and support of 1157 trips to cultural sites with 680 visits to manage these sites.

Collated key achievements of Phase 1 projects are represented in this infographic.

Following Phase 1, DBCA conducted a scientific qualitative case study analysis of the ARP which included the calculation of a social return on investment for a case study ranger program funded by the ARP. This study showed that for every $1 invested, approximately $3 of social, economic, cultural and environmental value was created. See Monitoring and Evaluation page.

The collective achievements reported by Phase 1 Aboriginal organisations demonstrate the positive social, environmental and cultural impact that Aboriginal ranger programs are having across the State. The impact is far reaching in terms of landscape and people with ranger programs known to enhance wellbeing and have a broader positive social impact on Aboriginal communities and Culture.

The State Government acknowledged the importance of funding Aboriginal ranger teams and the success of Phase 1 by committing $83 million to the ARP to implement Phase 2 from 2021-2026 and a further $69.5 million to roll out Phase 3 from 2026-2030. This investment has enabled the ARP to continue to provide opportunities to Close the Gap and deliver other key outcomes for Aboriginal people, communities and the State.

DBCA would like to acknowledge the commitment of the 28 Aboriginal organisations that were part of Phase 1 to their communities and Country particularly during the COVID pandemic. All groups showed resilience, and many have been able to grow even stronger in the preceding years continuing to work with the ARP through Phase 2.