Mike Hill (left) is a traditional owner of his mother's country, the Bubbulmun-Wardandi, where he lives in the Busselton area, and of his father's country through the Wollum family in the Wheatbelt. He is on the United Nations' roster of experts on coastal and aquatic biodiversity and has been a delegate to national and international forums on the rights of indigenous peoples, in debates on biodiversity, intellectual property, and customary land management practices.

"Biodiversity, conservation, indigenous caring for country, stewardship and sound practices of sustainable environmental management are the cornerstones of the social and cultural order and well-being of indigenous peoples. Such is the inter-relatedness that to destroy one is to destroy the other. The state of the environment also reflects the state of the community. Indigenous knowledge about traditional land management practices needs to be acknowledged and incorporated in the principles of caring for country. Those who possess this knowledge are precious living libraries of information."

Susanne Dennings (right) is a fourth generation wheat and sheep farmer at Ongerup. She is also the secretary of the Malleefowl Preservation Group, dedicated to protecting this ground dwelling bird and conserving its habitats.

“I remember when you could see malleefowl on the way to school. Not so any more. In 1992 I joined the first bush meeting to discuss the decline of the gnow (the Noongar name) or malleefowl.
As farmers we have an important role to play in ensuring our own long-term survival by conserving species like the malleefowl and the valuable bushland we still have. It’s ‘gnow’ or never!”

FACTFILE
• Western Australia has a wide variety of plants and animals and is home to some unique and very ancient species.
• The South West is called a biodiversity ‘hot spot’, meaning that it is one of the most biologically diverse places on earth.
• Our biodiversity is under pressure. We have altered and destroyed habitats by activities such as over-clearing, and the introduction of weeds, feral animals, and plant disease.
• Some endangered species like the numbat, have been brought back from the edge of extinction.