Pakana rangers and community members experienced a week full of fire, language and food on Lungtalanana to discuss the Lungtalanana Healthy Country project.

A group of rangers stand in a circle looking at grasslands and watching a cultural burn in the distance. The atmosphere is smoky from the burning.

Using their knowledge of the island and fire, the pakana rangers were able to gently fire the landscape to see how it behaved, where it went, and how the country responded. It was a mesmerising experience; watching the fire dance through the landscape throughout the days and nights and seeing the immediate return of the insects, birds and animals.

Rosetta Thomas from the palawa kani Language Program was there to teach us the language of the country, enabling us to speak palawa kani into the landscape as we moved across the island.

The trip culminated in a team exercise to highlight what we all valued most about the island and what we needed to consider for the Lungtalanana Health Country project. Our top priorities included:

  • Enabling community connection on the island
  • Learning about the animals we might re-introduce and how it could happen
  • Eradicating feral cats from the island
  • Cultural burning timelines and impacts on vegetation and animals
  • Maintaining the facilities for the community
  • Making sure a Health Country Mangement Plan is developed and guides the monitoring of country and all its resources.

Future opportunities to be involved with the Lungatalanana Health Country project will be arranged, keep an eye on our Facebook page and join the TAC mailing list.

Email hobart@tacinc.com.au

A night photo of four rangers standing side oh as they look at a cultural fire burning. Their faces are lit by the light of the fire. Flames and smoke rise up from the grasslands in front of the rangers.