Protected Areas
West MacDonnell National Park, Northern Territory looking toward Mount Sonder
© NT Parks and Wildlife Service
Protected areas include National Parks and other types of reserves dedicated to nature protection with various forms of ownership and management like private lands under nature covenants. They are the best available means to ensure the recovery and survival of our threatened native animals and plants.
In addition to conserving biodiversity protected areas provide enormous benefits, such as countering the unfolding crisis of climate change, providing clean air and water, and generating billions of dollars from nature-tourism every year.
Our work on protected areas
We have long sought a national strategic approach to declaring and managing protected areas for both lands and waters. Protected areas complement off-reserve natural resource management and water resource planning.
Pressure for a strategic approach bore fruit with the birth of the National Reserve System in 1992 and the adoption of National Reserve System targets by all governments, most recently through the Directions for the National Reserve System.
We closely track progress toward these targets through the Building Nature's Safety Net reviews, the second review completed in 2008.
Our direct engagement with state and federal governments and submissions to the recent evaluation of the National Reserve System and the Senate Inquiry into National Parks keep up pressure so that progress is maintained. We also engage with indigenous groups, governments and other stakeholders to develop policies and plans that help Indigenous Owners and local communities realise the enormous economic and social promise of protected areas.
We are currently developing an integrated five-year plan for nature conservation. This plan includes expansion of the reserve system across northern Australia which has the highest priority bioregions for protection in reserves. A similar plan was developed for Queensland in 2003.
Find out more
Our work on protected areas forms part of much of our work across Australia.
- Our water program works to protect Australia's wetlands.
- We have teams working on climate change and invasive weeds and pests, two of the biggest threats to our protected areas.
- Our oceans program is working to increase and improve marine protected areas.
Download the Building Nature's Safety Net report for more information on Australia's progress on land protected areas.
Donate to Nature's Safety Net appeal
