The Jawoyn Rangers have been working with the Northern Territory Government to develop an approach to conducting land and fire management in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, the Federal and Northern Territory governments introduced travel restrictions to protect remote communities from the impact of COVID-19.

The restrictions are aimed to restrict travel across Aboriginal land and prevent non-essential travel to 76 communities in the Northern Territory.

Jawoyn Rangers and landowners are concerned about areas that could suffer extensive damage if the proper fire management work isn’t conducted and they’re also dedicated to ensuring everything is done to protect their families, communities and neighbours from coronavirus as much as possible.

To find an important balance, the Rangers have proposed special access permits for specific areas to enable them to conduct prescribed burns and put in strategic fire breaks.

If granted access, Jawoyn Rangers will not enter community areas or interact with anyone residing in the biosecurity area.

As you can see, Steven Andrews and Traven Shields are aware of the important issues – and they’re maintaining important social distancing while showing NT Big Rivers regional executive director Jake Quinlivan the fire risks on maps of Jawoyn country.

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