Our vision is to protect and enhance our culture and history, while encouraging and protecting the natural environment and conserving biodiversity | Nari Nari Tribal Council
Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) are areas of land and sea managed by Indigenous groups as protected areas for biodiversity conservation through voluntary agreements with the Australian Government.
IPAs are an essential component of Australia’s National Reserve System, which is the network of formally recognised terrestrial parks, reserves and protected areas across Australia's landmass. There are currently 82 dedicated IPAs over 87 million hectares of land. These account for more than 50 per cent of the National Reserve System. There is also around 5 million hectares of Australia’s sea areas in dedicated IPAs and an additional 10.9 million hectares of sea in consultation IPAs.
IPAs deliver environmental benefits through implementation of agreed management plans such as threatened species protection and research, pest plant and animal management, fire management, and marine and coastal clean-ups.
Managing IPAs also helps Indigenous communities protect the cultural values of their country for future generations and results in significant health, education, economic and social benefits. IPAs create jobs for Indigenous men and women - working and looking after their land and sea country. IPAs provide employment opportunities and helps provide financial stability in the community, and Indigenous Rangers working on IPAs are a positive role model for youth. Day-to-day activities on IPAs may include interpretive activities for visitors, protection of rock art, and cultural history and language projects. Traditional bush tucker and medicine knowledge is taught on country to younger generations.
Stories from Country 2022 is a celebration of the work of Indigenous ranger and IPA teams in caring for Country and culture across Australia. The document is available at: Stories from Country 2022.
Next Phase of the IPA program
The Australian Government is providing $231.5 million over 5 years from 1 July 2023 to continue and improve the IPA program.
The funding will support First Nations peoples to continue to manage the 82 dedicated IPAs and the 28 existing consultation projects. The funding will also be used to establish 10 new IPAs and hold a national conference every two years. In addition, the funding will support and improve the monitoring and evaluation of the IPA program and increase the Department’s capacity to provide on-ground environmental expertise directly to IPAs.
The Department and NIAA will continue to jointly administer the next phase of the program.
Further information, including a map of all IPA project locations, is available on the National Indigenous Australians Agency’s Protected Areas website.
Sea Country Indigenous Protected Areas Program
$15 million Indigenous Protected Areas Program
In 2017, the Australian Government committed $15 million under the Indigenous Protected Areas Program, to assist Indigenous groups to undertake consultation and planning for the establishment of new IPAs.
19 new IPA projects are being delivered through the $15 million program, following a Discretionary Grant Opportunity held in 2018 and a Competitive Grant Opportunity held in 2019.
Five new dedicated Indigenous Protected Areas
Of the 19 new IPA projects, 5 have completed the consultation stage and are now recognised by the Australian Government as dedicated IPAs. This means Indigenous land and sea managers have committed to manage their lands as a protected area guided by the management plan, prepared during the consultation stage. All 5 IPAs have contributed to expanding the National Reserve System.
Anangu Tjutaku IPA, Great Victoria Desert, Western Australia (Pila Nguru Aboriginal Corporation)
Dedicated 22 December 2021. 9,750,507 terrestrial hectares.
Anangu Tjutaku IPA spans 3 native title determinations and is the third largest IPA in Australia. The IPA spans the north-south extent of the Great Victoria Desert – Australia’s largest desert – thereby protecting an unbroken transition in ecosystems from the Nullarbor Plain and mulga woodlands in the south, through sand hill and salt-lake country, into the breakaways and hills of the Central Ranges located in the Ngaanyatjarra IPA on the Anangu Tjutaku IPA’s northern border.
Recent surveys undertaken on the IPA have revealed 2 plant species new to western science (Grevillea sp. Victoria Desert and Dicrastylis sp. Ilkurlka), 4 of the 5 Taipan species known to exist in Australia’s western deserts, and potential habitat for several threatened species, including Greater Bilby and Black-flanked Rock Wallaby. On ground management is undertaken by IPA staff according to the Anangu Tjutaku IPA Plan of Management 2021-2026.
Crocodile Islands Maringa IPA, Arnhem Land, Northern Territory (Millingimbi Outstations Progress Resource Aboriginal Corporation)
Dedicated 21 March 2022. 78,761 terrestrial hectares and 735,419 sea hectares.
Located on the Arnhem coast and surrounding waters, Crocodile Islands Maringa IPA is adjacent to other IPAs in the east and west, contributing to a contiguous network of protected areas in the region. The IPA makes a significant contribution to protecting exceptional marine and terrestrial habitats in northern Australia including extensive mangrove communities, intertidal mud-flats, coastal floodplains, monsoon forests, eucalypt open forests, shallow seas and reefs, and a network of near and offshore islands. The IPA protects 44 nationally listed species and 16 species listed under Northern Territory legislation, including the largest aggregation of migratory shorebirds in northern Australia. On ground management is undertaken by IPA staff and supported by the Crocodile Islands Rangers according to the Crocodile Islands Rangers Maringa IPA Strategic plan 2021-2031.
Ngadju IPA, north of Esperance, Western Australia (Ngadju Conservation Aboriginal Corporation)
Dedicated 11 September 2020. 4,399,300 terrestrial hectares.
Located within the Nullarbor, Coolgardie and Mallee bioregions, Ngadju IPA borders 5 existing protected areas but is the first IPA in the region. The IPA includes one quarter of the Great Western Woodlands, regarded as the largest remaining area of intact Mediterranean-climate woodland left on Earth. Twenty-one vertebrate and 166 plant species listed as threatened or priority species at state or national level have been recorded on the IPA. On ground management is undertaken by IPA staff according to the Ngadju Indigenous Protected Area Plan of Management 2020-2030.
Ngururrpa IPA, Great Sandy Desert, Western Australia (Desert Support Services with Parna Ngururrpa Aboriginal Corporation)
Dedicated 3 September 2020. 2,962,988 terrestrial hectares.
Located within the Great Sandy Desert bioregion and comprising a network of sandplains and dunefields, Ngururrpa IPA contains a number of state and nationally listed species including Greater Bilby, Great Desert Skink and Red-tailed Phascogale. The IPA is connected to IPAs in the north, south and east, contributing to a contiguous network of protected areas in the region. On ground management is undertaken by IPA staff according to the Ngururrpa Indigenous Protected Area Plan for Country 2020-2025.
Olkola IPA, Cape York Peninsula, Queensland (Olkola Aboriginal Corporation)
Dedicated 21 March 2022. 728,600 terrestrial hectares.
Olkola’s traditional estate covers over a million hectares of central Cape York Peninsula in remote northern Australia. Across the Great Dividing Range and including six major waterways: the westerly-flowing Alice, Coleman and King rivers and the easterly-flowing Hann, Kennedy and Morehead rivers.
The Olkola landscape is covered with diverse soils and terrain. A mosaic that extends through grasslands, heathlands to shrublands, woodlands and in deeper soils tall forests. The Olkola lands include habitats for the critically endangered Alwal (Golden-shouldered parrot), and 22 other EPBC Act listed species. On ground management will be undertaken by IPA staff according to the Olkola IPA Plan of Management 2021-2031. These works include Olkola’s fire program, ranger works, cultural recording and overall taking care of Olkola Country.
14 Indigenous Protected Area Consultation Projects
Fourteen of the 19 new IPA projects are still in the consultation stage. Combined, the 14 consultation projects cover over 21 million hectares of land and over 1.8 million hectares of sea.
750,000 hectares. The Tiwi islands are a biodiversity hotspot with at least 20 EPBC Act listed threatened species including the Brush-tailed Rabbit-rat, Northern Brush-tailed Phascogale, Butler's Dunnart and Eastern Curlew. The proposed IPA contains extensive tall tropical savanna forests, a large number of rainforest patches and coasts supporting marine turtle nesting, seabird rookeries and migratory shorebirds. The project will be managed by the Tiwi people and supported by Tiwi Indigenous rangers.
Almost 4 million hectares. Spanning traditional country of Pintupi, Luritja, Aranda and Warlpiri people, the IPA will improve connections between a cluster of protected areas that together conserve 40 million hectares of arid country in the NT, SA and WA. The project includes a focus on protecting species of cultural and environmental significance including the EPBC Act listed threatened Princess Parrot, Central Rock Rat, Black-footed Rock-wallaby, Bilby and Great Desert Skink. The project will be supported by the Anangu Luritjiku Aboriginal Rangers.
60,000 terrestrial hectares and over 300,000 sea country hectares. The proposed IPA includes foothills and coastal wetlands, ranges, islands, World Heritage listed national parks and sea country within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. The area is considered a hotspot for Australian possum diversity and supports a significant number of threatened species including the EPBC Act listed Southern Cassowary and the Ant Plant (Myrmecodia beccarii), one of 30 plants prioritised under Australia’s Threatened Species Strategy. A major focus for the Mamu people will be to develop co-management arrangements for national parks to be included in the IPA.
1.4 million hectares. The core of the proposed IPA comprises a vast pristine Wetland of National Importance. Considered an area of exceptional conservation value, 27 EPBC Act listed threatened species are known or likely to occur in the proposed IPA including the Eastern Curlew, Northern Quoll, Northern Hopping-mouse, Gouldian Finch and Masked Owl. The project will be supported by five Indigenous ranger teams.
Over 10 million hectares. A massive IPA proposal including parts of the Nullarbor Plain and Great Victoria Desert. The area is in excellent ecological condition with six EPBC listed threatened species known or likely to occur, including the Malleefowl and Sandhill Dunnart. The project will be supported by an Aboriginal ranger team based at Oak Valley, the largest Aboriginal Community on Maralinga Tjarutja lands.
1.8 million hectares. Located on the Arnhem Plateau, the proposed IPA includes the headwaters of the rivers feeding into the western Gulf of Carpentaria as well as three major north-flowing rivers. The area supports a large number of species listed as threatened in the Northern Territory and nationally including the EPBC Act listed Northern Hopping-mouse, Northern Quoll, Gouldian Finch, Partridge Pigeon and Leichhardt's Sawfish. An EPBC Act listed Threatened Ecological Community also occurs in the area; the Arnhem Plateau Sandstone Shrubland Complex. The project will be supported by the Mimal Rangers, an experienced Indigenous ranger team established 20 years ago.
155,000 terrestrial hectares and over 800,000 sea country hectares. The sea country contains some of the most significant Green Turtle and Dugong habitat in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. 26 EPBC Act listed threatened fauna species and 9 EPBC Act listed threatened flora species are known or likely to occur in the proposed IPA area, including the Eastern Curlew, Southern Cassowary, Palm Cockatoo, Ghost Bat and Haine’s Orange Mangrove. The Harmer River–Shelburne Bay Aggregation located within the proposed IPA is a Wetland of National Importance.
215 terrestrial hectares and 215,350 sea country hectares. Located in the Torres Strait, the area includes the populated Masig Island, 11 uninhabited coral cays, and surrounding sea. The cays have unique biodiversity values including species and ecosystems of international and national significance including six species of marine turtles which use the area for habitat and nesting.
2,655 terrestrial hectares and 246,748 sea country hectares. Located in the Torres Strait, the area includes highly biodiverse coral cays and reefs and surrounding sea including large continuous seagrass meadows, abundant tropical marine life, extensive coastal mangrove forests, internationally significant coastal and migratory birds, dugong and turtle populations.
530,699 hectares. The area includes portions of the National Heritage Listed Fitzroy River including environmentally significant tributaries, floodplains and wetlands. In the south the area extends over pindan country and extensive dune fields into the Great Sandy Desert. EPBC listed species of focus include the Purple Crowned Fairy Wren, Gouldian Finch and Black-Flanked Rock Wallaby.
293,621 hectares. The area covers a large portion of the Dampier Peninsula north of Broome. The proposed IPA will protect significant freshwater and vine thicket ecosystems, EPBC listed migratory, marine, shorebird, mammal and bird species, including Bilby and Gouldian Finch.
Over 1.9 million hectares. Situated in the Great Sandy Desert in the southern Kimberley, the area includes extensive spinifex-covered sandplains and dune fields, sandstone and siltstone ranges and isolated rocky outcrops. Water resources include a number of small fresh-water springs and soakages, isolated rockholes, and the semi-permanent Lady Elizabeth Lagoon in the north. EPBC listed species of focus include the Night Parrot and Bilby.
102,583 hectares. The area extends from the rain-forested headwaters of the McIlwraith Range to the tidal-fringe of the northern Great Barrier Reef and includes coastal foothills and sandplains. The lowlands, intersected by estuaries, rivers, lakes and freshwater swamps, host numerous rare and restricted species and communities. The area is one of only two Australian locations supporting high numbers of both endemic Gondwanan and Australo-Papuan wildlife.
13,261 terrestrial hectares and 366,842 sea country hectares. Mayala Country ties together hundreds of islands, interconnecting sea, reefs and tides in the Buccaneer Archipelago and King Sound off the West Kimberley coast. The islands contain highly diverse ecosystems with no introduced animals, few destructive fires and very few weeds. They act as a safe haven for species threatened on the mainland, including EPBC listed Northern Quoll, and guard against advancing mainland threats such as cane toads. The sea area is home to dugong and five species of marine turtle.