The National Reserve System is Australia's network of protected areas. It protects examples of our natural landscapes and native plants and animals for future generations. It is made up of reserves owned by Commonwealth, state, territory and local governments, Indigenous lands and protected areas run by non-profit conservation organisations, through to ecosystems protected by farmers on their private working properties.
Based on a scientific framework, it is the nation's natural safety net against our biggest environmental challenges.
As at 30 June 2022, our National Reserve System covered 22.1 per cent of our land mass, 169.9 million hectares in 13,903 protected areas.
Since 30 June 2022, the dedication of the Martu Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) has also added over 2.1 million additional hectares to the National Reserve System.
CAPAD 2022
Changes in the National Reserve System are tracked through the Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD).
