Unique conservation course for First Peoples celebrates 10 years_TEST

The next generation of First Peoples land managers have been celebrated in Melbourne. Ten students from the Warreen Beek Ranger program graduated in a ceremony at the Melbourne Museum on Wurundjeri Country on 25 June. 

The conservation course for First Peoples is celebrating 10 years since its inauguration in 2017. Over 80 students have graduated from the course. 

The Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management provides conservation training and accreditation for First Peoples. Co-designed with Traditional Owners, the course is free for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and is largely completed on Country with many Elders and conservation experts facilitating units.   

It is facilitated by Trust for Nature in collaboration with Bunurong Land Council Aboriginal Corporation, Wurundjeri Woi-wurrung Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Corporation, Wadawurrung Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation and Taungurung Land and Waters Council, accredited through Holmesglen Institute of TAFE, and supported by generous philanthropic donors and the Victorian Government’s Port Phillip Bay Fund. 

In 2026, students learned skills in Cultural Burning, water management, OHS, weed control, midden protection, chainsaw use, plant identification, growing bush foods and threatened species management.  

“It is amazing to see the journeys that people go on after completing this training. Former Warreen Beek Rangers graduates have gone into careers such as archaeology, water management, and cultural education. I am so excited to see the pathways that this year’s students take,” said Ben Cullen, course facilitator and South Central Area Manager at Trust for Nature. 

“This is part of our commitment to First Peoples’ self-determination and walking alongside First Peoples to care for Country. It’s a really unique course in that it continues to evolve with the input of Elders and students,” Ben said. 

The course is open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. Prospective students can find out more information at: https://trustfornature.org.au/priorities/working-with-first-peoples/warreen-beek-ranger-program/ 

Trust for Nature is one of Australia’s oldest conservation organisations, established to protect habitat on private land. It relies on the generosity of supporters to help protect Victoria’s biodiversity. Trust for Nature acknowledges the support of the Victorian Government.