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Warreen Beek Ranger Program

The Warreen Beek Rangers Program provides a culturally safe and hands-on learning experience for First Peoples interested in conservation and land management.

Established in 2016 through the vision of Traditional Owners around Melbourne, the program offers a Certificate III in Conservation and Ecosystem Management. Delivered primarily on Country, it blends traditional ecological knowledge with contemporary conservation techniques. With guidance from Elders, cultural practitioners, and industry experts, students develop skills in prescribed burning, land management, threatened species conservation, and more.

The program is open to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, creating a supportive learning environment that values knowledge-sharing and community connection. Running two days per week aligned with the school term, participants engage in both fieldwork and classroom learning.

Apply for the Program
The Warreen Beek Rangers Program is fully funded for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participants, thanks to generous grants and donations. Graduates leave with industry-recognised skills and a pathway to employment in conservation, land management, and cultural heritage protection. Many past students describe the program as life-changing, with deep cultural and personal connections formed along the way.

If you’re interested in joining, contact Trust for Nature to learn more and apply.

Read about some of the graduates from the course:
MArissa WIlliamson
Champion boxer, proud Ngarrindjeri woman, and now certified land manager: Marissa Williamson is one of nine Indigenous students from Victoria who graduated from the Warreen Beek Rangers in 2021.
HUDSON FRASER
Torres Strait Islander student Hudson Fraser said he enjoyed everything about the course, particularly field trips to undertake cultural burning at Coranderrk and monitoring the Little Penguin colony at St Kilda.
GEMMA CADD
Yorta Yorta and Dja Dja Wurrung woman Gemma Cadd already had Bachelor and Masters degrees in environmental science under her belt when she started the Warreen Beek Rangers program with Trust for Nature.