Nantawarrina IPA, South Australia
Over 43 per cent of the protected area estate that is counted towards the area of the National Reserve System (NRS) on the landmass of Australia is in over 7,250 properties that are publicly owned and managed by the Australian government or state and territory governments. These protected areas cover more than 65 million hectares and over eight per cent of Australia.
Indigenous Protected Areas are areas of Indigenous community owned and managed lands protected in Australia. They contribute the largest component (44 per cent) of the NRS covering more than 66 million hectares, which is over eight per cent of Australia. Note that these figures are a representation at the date CAPAD data was acquired and have increased since with new IPA dedications.
There are over 4,250 NRS protected areas on private land covering nearly six per cent of the NRS and over one per cent of Australia. They perform an important role in protecting biodiversity value on private land in the agricultural and pastoral regions of Australia.
| Governance | Number of protected areas |
Total area (ha) | Proportion of total protected area |
Percent of Australia | Average size (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Community |
75 |
66,678,669 |
43.90% |
8.67% |
889,049 |
| Government |
7,254 |
65,505,877 |
43.13% |
8.52% |
9,030 |
| Joint |
1,810 |
10,775,813 |
7.09% |
1.40% |
5,953 |
| Private |
4,253 |
8,921,111 |
5.87% |
1.16% |
2,098 |
| Total |
13,392 |
151,881,469 |
100% |
19.75% |
11,341 |
| Region | Area (ha) | NRS (ha) | % of Jurisdiction Protected |
Contribution to NRS (%) |
Number of areas | Average size (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACT | 235,815 | 131,721 | 55.86% | 0.09% | 50 | 2,634 |
| JBT | 6,657 | 5,597 | 84.08% | 0.00% | 2 | 2,799 |
| NSW | 80,115,007 | 7,696,641 | 9.61% | 5.07% | 2136 | 3,603 |
| NT | 134,779,163 | 33,505,136 | 24.86% | 22.06% | 84 | 398,871 |
| QLD | 172,974,215 | 15,070,242 | 8.71% | 9.92% | 1,219 | 12,363 |
| SA | 98,432,191 | 29,654,594 | 30.13% | 19.52% | 1,991 | 14,894 |
| TAS | 6,840,139 | 2,893,241 | 42.30% | 1.90% | 1,598 | 1,811 |
| VIC | 22,744,373 | 3,996,874 | 17.57% | 2.63% | 4,468 | 895 |
| WA | 252,701,298 | 58,887,225 | 23.30% | 38.77% | 1,823 | 32,302 |
| External | 40,167 | 0.00 | 0.03% | 18 | 2,231 | |
| Australia | 768,828,859 | 151,881,469 | 19.75% | 100.00% | 13,389 | 11,344 |