News edition for 27 August 2026. Added to Nungya on 22 October 2026 as part of our retrospective news archive. Reporting reflects information available by the edition date.
Waterholes are precious places in the desert, and the animals and plants around them are part of a much wider responsibility. A new profile of Spinifex Land Management brings that work into focus.
Country Needs People published the feature on 26 August. Spinifex Land Management is part of Pila Nguru Aboriginal Corporation in Western Australia’s Great Victoria Desert, including the remote community of Tjuntjuntjara.
Spinifex people manage the Anangu Tjutaku Indigenous Protected Area, covering 9.75 million hectares. Its Country includes spinifex grasslands, desert trees, dunes, rock holes and dry lakes that hold water after rain.
The Rangers’ work covers fire, water, vegetation, native foods, threatened species and invasive species. The profile identifies buffel grass and feral camels as significant pressures, including damage to waterholes and foods such as quandongs.
That description shows why desert land management cannot be reduced to a single task. Looking after water, managing introduced species and supporting the condition of plants and animals connect with cultural responsibilities.
The profile is a useful introduction to a large protected area that many Australians will never see firsthand, and to the community organisation caring for it.
