Karajarri country is in the West Kimberley, south of Broome . The Karajarri people have native title over 33,000 square kilometres of their country – country made up of diverse landscapes – from pristine coastal waters to the Great Sandy Desert.

The Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS) have been working with Karajarri native title holders and their Registered Native Title Body Corporate (also known as a Prescribed Body Corporate or ‘PBC’), the Karajarri Traditional Lands Association RNTBC (KTLA) since 2007. 

Initially the relationship was formed as part of the research action partnership, where AIATSIS worked with the KTLA to document their experience holding and managing native title, and the challenges running a native title corporation. During this partnership AIATSIS worked with the KTLA to develop planning tools, streamline office processes and prepare funding submissions.

More recently AIATSIS received a research grant from the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility to work with the KTLA to understand the barriers facing native title holders and RNTBCs in facilitating community driven climate change adaptation, what will help them to achieve this goal, and to develop best practice for climate change decision-making.

The KTLA has also participated in regional and national RNTBC meetings coordinated by AIATSIS since 2007, which have brought RNTBCs together to discuss issues of shared concern and also to meet with key government and other stakeholders.