Protected areas of Australia include Commonwealth and off-shore protected areas managed by the Australian government, as well as protected areas within each of the six states of Australia and two self-governing territories, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, which are managed by the eight state and territory governments.

Commonwealth and off-shore protected areas in the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, the Christmas Island Territory, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands Territory, the Norfolk Island Territory and the Australian Antarctic Territory are managed by Director of National Parks, an agency within the Department of the Environment and Energy, with the exception of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which is managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, a separate body within the department.

As of February 2022 protected areas cover 1,518,814.69 km2 (586,417.63 sq mi) of Australia's land area, or about 19.75% of the total land area. The Australian Capital Territory has the highest level of protection at nearly 56% of its territory, followed by Tasmania with 42% and South Australia with 30%. The lowest level of protection is in Queensland and New South Wales with 8.71% and 9.61% respectively.[1] Of all protected areas, two-thirds are considered strictly protected (IUCN categories I to IV), and the rest is mostly managed resources protected area (IUCN category VI). Over 43% of the protected area in Australia is publicly owned and managed by the Australian government or state and territory governments. The second-largest component of protected areas are the Indigenous Protected Areas, at over 44% and growing as of February 2022.[1]

Protected areas managed by the Australian government

The following list shows only the Commonwealth and off-shore protected areas that are managed by the Australian government which represents a small portion of all protected areas located in Australia. Each state and territory is responsible for the management of the protected areas under its jurisdiction with exception to protected areas such as the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory. The majority of Australian protected areas are managed by the state and territory governments.

National Parks

The following protected areas which are designated as national parks are managed by the Australian government and in some instances in conjunction with indigenous land owners:[2]

Australia's first national park - and the second in the world - is Royal National Park in New South Wales, established in 1879.[5]

National Heritage List

The National Heritage List is a heritage register, a list of national heritage places deemed to be of outstanding heritage significance to Australia, established in 2003.[6] The list includes natural and historic places, including those of cultural significance to Indigenous Australians. Once on the National Heritage List the provisions of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 apply.[7] Some of these also form part of the World Heritage Sites listed in a separate section below.

Botanical Gardens

Antarctic Specially Protected Areas

As of 2014 there are 12 Antarctic Specially Protected Areas[10]

Antarctic Specially Managed Areas

As of 2014 there is 1 Antarctic Specially Managed Area[10]

Commonwealth Marine reserves

The Australian Government manages an estate of marine protected areas known as Commonwealth marine reserves (CMR) which was established under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). These marine reserves are in Australian waters, but not state or territory waters.[11][12] A majority of the reserves are not in effect until new managements plans are released following a review of reserves established in 2012.[13][14]

In addition to the Coral Sea CMR[15] and the Heard Island and McDonald Islands CMR,[16] there are a further 57 Commonwealth marine reserves grouped into 5 geographical regions called Commonwealth marine reserve networks:

  • North network (8 reserves)[17]
  • North-west network (13 reserves)[18]
  • Temperate East network (8 reserves)[19]
  • South-east network (14 reserves)[20]
  • South-west network (14 reserves)[21]

Calperum and Taylorville Stations

Calperum and Taylorville Stations are pastoral leases located next to each other near Renmark in South Australia and which were purchased for conservation purposes using both private and Australian government funds. Calperum Station was purchased by the Chicago Zoological Society in 1993 while Taylorville Station was purchased by the Australian Landscape Trust in 2000 with the ownership of both leases being deeded to the Director of National Parks. Both properties are managed by the Australian Landscape Trust.[22][23]

Protection arising from Australian government policy and international obligations

World Heritage listed areas

As of April 2020, the following sites are listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites:[24]

Indigenous protected areas

An Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is a class of protected area formed by agreement with Indigenous Australians and formally recognised by the Australian government as being part of the National Reserve System. As of April 2020 there are 75 IPAs occupying about 67,000,000 hectares (170,000,000 acres) and comprising more than 44% of the National Reserve System.[25]

Biosphere reserves

The following biosphere reserves belonging to the UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve program are located within Australia:[26][27]

Ramsar sites

As a contracting party to the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (known as the Ramsar Convention), Australia is encouraged "to nominate sites containing representative, rare or unique wetlands, or that are important for conserving biological diversity, to the List of Wetlands of International Importance".[28] As of March 2014, the Australian Government has nominated 65 Ramsar sites.[29]

Management by Australian states and territories

Other conservation organisations

There is a number of private and government organisations involved in conservation in Australia.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Ownership of protected areas". Department of Water, Agriculture and the Environment. Australian Government. Retrieved 6 February 2022.
  2. ↑ "National Parks". Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Welcome to Booderee National Park". Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Our history". Parks Australia. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  5. ↑ Australian Government: National Reserve System, retrieved 2009-09-22
  6. ↑ "Australia's National Heritage List". Australian Government. Dept of Energy and the Environment. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  7. ↑ "Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Section 324A". Australasian Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  8. ↑ "Welcome to the Australian National Botanic Gardens". Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
  9. ↑ "Norfolk Island Botanic Garden". Parks Australia. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  10. 1 2 "CAPAD 2014 Commonwealth Summary". Australian Government - Department of the Environment. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  11. ↑ "Commonwealth marine reserves". Parks Australia, Department of the Environment. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  12. ↑ "Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (Commonwealth Marine Reserves) Proclamation 2012 - F2012L02188". Commonwealth of Australia, Comlaw. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "About the Commonwealth Marine Reserves Review". environment.gov.au. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  14. ↑ Smail, Stephanie (6 September 2016). "Conservationists critical of plan to reduce Coral Sea marine park protection". abc.net.au. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  15. ↑ "Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve". Parks Australia, Department of the Environment. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  16. ↑ "Marine reserve". Australian Antarctic Division, Department of the Environment. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  17. ↑ "North Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network". Parks Australia, Department of the Environment. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  18. ↑ "North-west Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network". Parks Australia, Department of the Environment. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  19. ↑ "Temperate East Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network". Parks Australia, Department of the Environment. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  20. ↑ "South-east Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network". Parks Australia, Department of the Environment. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  21. ↑ "South-west Commonwealth Marine Reserves Network". Parks Australia, Department of the Environment. Retrieved 18 March 2015.
  22. ↑ "Calperum and Taylorville Stations". Australian government, Department of the Environment. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
  23. ↑ "Danggali Wilderness Protection Area and Conservation Park Management Plan 2011" (PDF). Department of Environment and Natural Resources. p. 2. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  24. ↑ Centre, UNESCO World Heritage (11 October 2017). "World Heritage List". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  25. ↑ "Indigenous Protected Areas". Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
  26. ↑ "Australia's Biosphere Reserves". Parks Australia. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
  27. ↑ "Australia". Man and the Biosphere Programme. UNESCO. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  28. ↑ "Australia's Ramsar Sites". Department of the Environment (Australia). Retrieved 27 March 2014.
  29. ↑ "Australia's Ramsar Sites" (PDF). Department of the Environment (Australia). Retrieved 27 March 2014.
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