Protected Areas in Australia
The Australian Government, through the Director of National Parks, manages Commonwealth parks and reserves including areas located on external island territories and within Australian waters. Each Australian State and Territory Government also has their own protected area management agencies.
Currently, 22 Commonwealth reserves are declared under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act), comprising:
- 6 Commonwealth National Parks
- 14 Commonwealth Marine Protected Areas
- 2 Botanic Gardens
Three of the six Commonwealth National Parks, namely Kakadu National Park and Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park in the Northern Territory and Booderee National Park in the Jervis Bay Territory are managed jointly with their Aboriginal Traditional Owners. The other three national parks protect unique island ecosystems within Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Christmas Island (located in the Indian Ocean) and the Norfolk Island Territory (in the South Pacific).
Marine Protected Areas
The majority of Commonwealth Marine Protected Areas declared under the EPBC Act are managed by the Marine and Biodiversity Division of the Australian Government Department of the Environment and Water Resources under delegation from the Director of National Parks. The Heard Island and McDonald Islands Marine Reserve is managed by the Australian Antarctic Division under delegation from the Director.
These parks and reserves, which are located generally in remote areas, protect tropical islands as well as cays and temperate and sub-Antarctic marine environments.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority under separate legislation.
Indigenous Protected Areas
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians have managed their lands for tens of thousands of years. Land is central to their lives and well-being. It provides an economic base, it underpins Indigenous history, innovation and culture, and is fundamental to spiritual beliefs.
The Indigenous Protected Areas Program is one of the ways in which Indigenous Australians are being supported to meet their cultural responsibility to care for their country and to pass on their knowledge about the land and its resources to future generations.
Sources: Australian Government - Department of the Environment and Water Resources - Parks Australia - Australian Antarctic Division - Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority - Natural Heritage Trust
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