In central Australia, the maintenance and restoration of waterbodies are often listed as the highest management priority by local Aboriginal Traditional Owners and rangers, often because these waterbodies have high cultural value as sacred sites and support local plant and animal species. For the past decade we have documented the severe degradation of central Australian waterbodies by large feral animals, mainly camels and horses. These waterbodies, large and small, have also suffered from a lack of active management by Traditional Owners and custodians, who historically cleaned out and protected these sites. The recent removal of large numbers of feral herbivores through various government programs has afforded an opportunity to restore some of these damaged sites. Terence Abbot and other Anangu Luritjiku rangers are leading the effort to restore Ilpili springs in the southern Tanami Desert, while Victor and Veronica Dobson are restoring springs near Ltyentye Apurte community. Terence, Victor and Veronica will discuss the history of their projects, the techniques they are using to clean out and rehabilitate the springs, and the ecological and cultural benefits expected from helping these fragile and rare sites. Restoration efforts such as these are essential if aquatic biodiversity is to be recovered and maintained in this arid region.