Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2026

Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2026

5–12 July is NAIDOC Week, a time of celebration and action.

It’s an opportunity for all Australians to learn, recognise and celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples – the oldest continuous living cultures on earth and our first conservationists.

This year’s theme is 50 Years of Deadly – a milestone honouring five decades of NAIDOC Week, and the people, communities and culture that are leading this national movement. For 50 years, NAIDOC Week has been a platform for truth-telling, a protest, a celebration of identity and a statement of resilience and survival.

This week, and every week, we recognise the immense contribution of First Nations People to the knowledge and conservation of Australia’s birds. BirdLife Australia works with First Nations People across Australia to share knowledge and manage, protect and care for birds and Country, and our Indigenous Grant for Bird Research and Conservation supports the monitoring and conservation efforts of community and Indigenous Ranger groups across the country.

Indigenous Grant recipient announced

These grants provide $5,000 worth of resources and training for Indigenous groups, including field work equipment. BirdLife Australia staff members also facilitate in-person workshops on Country with grant recipients, promoting knowledge sharing and a culturally sensitive, “right-way” approach to science and conservation.

BirdLife Australia is proud to announce the recipients of our Indigenous Grant for Bird Research and Conservation, the Arafura Swamp Rangers Aboriginal Corporation (ASRAC).

Located in North East Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, ASRAC is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that supports eight ranger groups in caring for 14,000 square kilometres of Country for Yolŋu people from 46 clans. This includes the Arafura Swamp Key Biodiversity Area, home to internationally significant populations of waterbirds and shorebirds. Arafura Swamp – known as Gurruwiling by Yolŋu and Bi People – is the largest freshwater ecosystem in Arnhem Land and the largest paperbark swamp in Australia.

Gurruwiling and its catchment share an unbroken history of Aboriginal ownership and management. Last year, Yolngu, Bininji and Rembarrnga people dedicated 1.3 million hectares of their land and sea Country as an Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), making it one of the largest tropical protected areas on earth. ASRAC oversees management and administration of this IPA.

ASRAC will use this Grant to monitor the shorebirds and waterbirds of Gurruwiling, its catchment and adjacent sea Country. The funds will support Indigenous Rangers in identifying, surveying and protecting wetland birds through optical equipment and knowledge-sharing workshops, while creating training and employment opportunities. This work is also vital in monitoring and preparing for the potential arrival of H5 bird flu in northern eastern Australia and other biosecurity threats to native wildlife.

Stay tuned – we’ll be announcing the next round of the BirdLife Australia Indigenous Grant for Bird Research and Conservation soon!