Protected area locations
Protected areas by category | Maps
National Reserve System locations
Source: CAPAD 2008 Download the National Reserve System map (PDF - 545 KB)
Nearly 13 per cent of Australia's landmass is protected in the National Reserve System and is made up of over 9,300 protected areas. In all, the National Reserve System covers an area slightly bigger than South Australia.
Protected areas by World Conservation Union (IUCN) category
The largest portion (39 per cent) of the protected area estate in Australia is categorised as National Park (IUCN Category II). On average the largest size of a protected area is Wilderness (Category IB) averaging more than 63,000 hectares. The smallest category is Natural Monuments (IUCN category III), averaging just over 707 hectares.
Over 70 per cent of all protected areas are considered to be strictly protected, falling within IUCN categories I to IV. They include more than 8,000 protected areas covering more than 71 million hectares. The remaining 1200 protected areas (category V and VI) are multiple use covering more than 26 million hectares.
Downloadable maps
Protected areas by World Conservation Union (IUCN) category
| IUCN Category | Number of protected areas | Total area (ha) | Proportion of total protected area | % of Australia | Average size (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IA | 2491 | 22,008,139 | 22.35% | 2.86% | 8,835 |
| IB | 66 | 4,159,455 | 4.22% | 0.54% | 63,022 |
| II | 1000 | 39,867,825 | 40.48% | 5.19% | 39,828 |
| III | 2333 | 1,648,758 | 1.67% | 0.21% | 707 |
| IV | 2190 | 4,220,021 | 4.28% | 0.55% | 1,927 |
| V | 218 | 1,017,104 | 1.03% | 0.13% | 4,666 |
| VI | 1042 | 25,565,814 | 25.96% | 3.33% | 24,535 |
| Total | 9,340 | 98,487,116 | 100.00% | 12.81% | 10,544 |
