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Welcome to Rangelands NRM
Overview
What is Natural Resource Management?
Natural Resource Management — or NRM — is how we look after the natural world around us. It covers the land we farm and graze, the water we drink, the plants and animals that make Australia unique, and the ancient landscapes that have been cared for by Indigenous Australians for tens of thousands of years.
In simple terms, NRM is the ongoing, coordinated work of protecting and restoring the natural systems that all life depends on.
Why it matters
Australia’s natural landscapes do more than look beautiful. They filter and store our water, regulate our climate, store carbon, support extraordinary biodiversity and underpin billions of dollars in agricultural and pastoral industries. They also carry the living cultures of the world’s oldest civilisations.
But these landscapes are under real and growing pressure. Climate change, invasive species, land degradation, fire and drought are pushing ecosystems to their limits. Without active, long-term care, the damage becomes permanent — and the consequences reach far beyond the environment into food security, regional economies and cultural heritage.
Where Rangelands NRM fits in
Rangelands NRM is an independent, not-for-profit organisation — not a government body. We are a trusted, on-ground delivery partner that sits between policy and action, bringing the right people together to get things done across WA’s vast outback.
We work across approximately 227 million hectares — 87 percent of Western Australia — spanning the Kimberley, Pilbara, Gascoyne, Murchison, Western Desert and Goldfields-Nullarbor regions. This makes us one of the few organisations in the country with the scale, experience and partnerships needed to tackle the challenges facing the rangelands at the level they demand.
We partner with Traditional Custodians, pastoralists, land, water and sea managers, communities, researchers, industry and governments to co-design and co-deliver place-based, science-led solutions that are locally informed and delivered.
Our work spans sustainable land management, environmental surveys, fire and feral animal control, water and biodiversity programs, Indigenous ranger support, and the technology needed to manage landscapes at scale.
Independent. Trusted. Long-term.
Rangelands NRM was established in 1997, to help spearhead ecological preservation and sustainability activity across the Australian Rangelands in WA by developing and managing ongoing relationships and partnerships with communities, businesses, schools, universities, government and industry; driving research leading to the implementation of activities and programs. As an organisation, we work to improve land and sea management practices. with a focus on active sustainability to repair and protect our stunningly beautiful, unique and delicate natural environment.<p What sets Rangelands NRM apart is our independence. We are not driven by government policy cycles or commercial agendas. We are driven by a deep commitment to keeping WA’s outback healthy, resilient and prosperous — for the communities, cultures and generations who depend on it.
The Rangelands is often referred to as the outback, it comprises;
Significant environmental assets;
UNESCO Word Heritage sites
Shark Bay
Ningaloo Coast
Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungle Range)
Murujuga, (Burrup Peninsular) – candidate
Ramsar sites
Roebuck Bay
80 Mile Beach
Ord River Floodplain
Lake Argyle
Lake Kununurra
Priority Place
Yampi Sounds and surrounds
493 Natural Resource Assets including the spectacular natural sites of
Karijini National Park
Great Western Woodlands
Dampier Archipelago and surrounds
Fitzroy River