Article Collaborative Research on the Ecology and Management of the ‘Wulo’ Monsoon Rainforest in Wunambal Gaambera Country, North Kimberley, Australia Tom Vigilante 1,2,*, Stefania Ondei 3, Catherine Goonack 1, Desmond Williams 1, Paul Young 2 and David M. J. S. Bowman 3 1 Uunguu Healthy Country Team, Wunambal Gaambera Aboriginal Corporation, PMB 16 Kalumburu via Wyndham WA 6740, Australia;
[email protected] (C.G.);
[email protected] (D.W.) 2 Science and Conservation Team, Bush Heritage Australia, Melbourne 3000 VIC, Australia;
[email protected] 3 School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay 7005 TAS, Australia;
[email protected] (S.O.);
[email protected] (D.M.J.S.B.) * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +61-427-163-080 Received: 14 August 2017; Accepted: 22 September 2017; Published: 5 October 2017 Abstract: Indigenous groups are increasingly combining traditional ecological knowledge and Western scientific approaches to inform the management of their lands. We report the outcomes of a collaborative research project focused on key ecological questions associated with monsoon vine thickets in Wunambal Gaambera country (Kimberley region, Western Australia). The study mapped monsoon rainforests and analysed the environmental correlates of their current distribution, as well as the historical drivers of patch dynamics since 1949. Remote sensing was used to chart the effectiveness of an intervention designed to re-instate Aboriginal fire regimes according to customary principles. We identified the most vulnerable patches based on size, distance from neighbouring patches, and fire frequency. More than 6000 rainforest patches were mapped. Most were small (<1 ha), occurring predominantly on nutrient-rich substrates (e.g., basalt) and fire-sheltered topographic settings (e.g., slopes and valleys).