Ownership of protected areas
CAPAD 2022 shows that 22.1 per cent of Australia’s landmass is currently protected (13,906 properties covering 169.9 million hectares) compared to 19.75 per cent from CAPAD 2020.
Over 38 per cent of the protected area estate is in over 7,200 properties that are publicly owned and managed by the Australian, state and territory governments. These protected areas cover more than 65 million hectares and over 8 per cent of Australia.
Indigenous Protected Areas are areas of Indigenous community owned and managed lands protected in Australia. They contribute the largest component (49 per cent) of the NRS covering more than 84 million hectares, which is over 10 per cent of Australia. Note that these figures are correct as at 30 June 2022, the period covered by CAPAD data. Since that date new IPAs have been dedicated.
There are over 6,270 protected areas on private land covering nearly 6 per cent of the NRS and over 1 per cent of Australia. They perform an important role in protecting biodiversity values on private land in the agricultural and pastoral regions of Australia.
Governance | Number of protected areas |
Protected area (ha) | Proportion of total protected area |
Percent of Australia |
---|---|---|---|---|
Community |
80 |
84,085,730 |
49.48% |
10.94% |
Government |
7,295 |
65,864,605 |
38.76% |
8.57% |
Joint |
255 |
9,954,951 |
5.86% |
1.29% |
Private |
6,276 |
10,035,976 |
5.91% |
1.31% |
Total |
- |
169,941,262 |
100% |
22.1% |
Download the National Reserve System - Governance Categories map (PDF 1.56 MB)
Jurisdiction | Jurisdiction area (ha) | Protected area (ha) | % of jurisdiction protected |
Contribution to NRS (%) |
Number of protected areas | Average size (ha) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ACT | 235,815 | 131,904 | 55.94% | 0.08% | 51 | 2,586 |
JBT | 6,657 | 5,597 | 84.08% | 0.00% | 2 | 2,799 |
NSW | 80,115,007 | 8,169,918 | 10.2% | 4.81% | 2,350 | 3,477 |
NT | 134,779,163 | 33,536,325 | 24.88% | 19.73% | 85 | 394,545 |
QLD | 172,974,215 | 15,275,846 | 8.83% | 8.99% | 1,222 | 12,501 |
SA | 98,432,191 | 29,721,867 | 30.2% | 17.49% | 2,014 | 14,758 |
TAS | 6,840,139 | 2,893,895 | 42.31% | 1.7% | 1,676 | 1,727 |
VIC | 22,744,373 | 4,012,888 | 17.64% | 2.36% | 4,627 | 867 |
WA | 252,701,298 | 76,142,710 | 30.13% | 44.81% | 1,857 | 41,003 |
External | 50,313 | - | 0.03% | 19 | 2,648 | |
Australia | 768,828,859 | 169,941,262 | 22.1% | 100.00% | 13,903 | 12,223 |