Caring for our Country

National Reserve System

National Reserve System

environment.gov.au/parks/nrs

NANTAWARRINA INDIGENOUS PROTECTED AREA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA | Nick Rains

Ownership of protected areas

Ownership of protected areas map

Ownership of protected areas
Source: CAPAD 2010 Download the Ownership map (PDF - 1.28 MB)

Governance of protected areas | State and territory levels of protection

Nearly two thirds of the protected area estate in Australia is publicly owned and managed by the Australian government or state and territory governments. This includes over 9700 protected areas covering more than 103 million hectares or 13.4 per cent of Australia.

Indigenous community owned and managed lands are protected as Indigenous Protected Areas in Australia. They form the second largest component of the National Reserve System covering three per cent of Australia.

There are 2492 protected areas on private land covering 0.8 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 of protected areas (source: CAPAD 2010)
Governance Number of protected areas Total area (ha) Proportion of total protected area Percent of Australia Average size (ha)
Government

7.025

65,235,146

63.15%

8.49%

9,286
Indigenous

41

23,581,827

22.83%

3.07%

575,167
Joint

161

8,325,751

8.06%

1.08%

51,713
Private

2,492

6,156,226

5.96%

0.80%

2,470
Total

9,719

103,298,950

100%

13.43%

10,629

State and territory levels of protection (source: CAPAD 2010)
Region Area (ha) NRS (ha) % of the NRS Proportion Number of areas Average size (ha)
ACT 235,813 129,530 54.93% 0.13% 45 2,878
NSW 80,121,268 7,081,783 8.84% 6.86% 867 8,168
NT 134,778,762 14,795,437 10.98% 14.32% 105 140,909
QLD 172,973,671 11,505,188 6.65% 11.14% 1,073 10,722
SA 98,422,137 27,246,888 27,68% 26.38% 1,946 14,001
TAS 6,840,133 2,845,157 41.60% 2.75% 1,202 2,367
VIC 22,754,364 3,991,600 17.54% 3.86% 2,897 1,378
WA 252,700,808 35,643,205 14.10% 34.51% 1,562 22,819
Australia 768,826,956 103,298,950 13.43% 100.00% 9,719 10,630