Today, we announced 12 new Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) to better protect and conserve Australia's lands and seas.
IPAs are areas of land and sea Country managed by First Nations groups to deliver better nature protections through conservation and cultural activities. Activities include:
- monitoring and protecting threatened species
- weed and pest animal management
- cultural site management.
These new IPAs, once dedicated, will protect 7.5 million hectares of land - an area larger than the size of Tasmania - and 450,000 hectares of sea Country. They'll safeguard biodiversity, providing habitats for our iconic koala and threatened native species such as the greater bilby, princess parrot and eastern curlew.
IPAs represent more than half of Australia's National Reserve System - our network of protected areas. The new IPAs contribute to our commitment to protect 30% of land by 2030.
For a full list of the new IPAs, go to Indigenous Protected Areas program grants.
The Minister for the Environment and Water visited the Yurruungga Aboriginal Corporation Bellinger Valley IPA in northeast NSW, which was one of new IPAs included in this announcement.
Transcript
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: Well, today's a really exciting day. We're here announcing 12 new Indigenous Protected Areas. That's an area about the size of Tasmania that'll get better protection for the plants and animals and landscapes that are so precious to all of us. We're talking about here in the Bellinger Valley, but, you know, Coober Pedy, East Arnhem Land, the Pilbara, Cape York, right across Australia, different landscapes protecting different precious parts of Australia and not just the environment. There's a great jobs benefit that comes from this, particularly in remote communities.
DEAN KELLY: Oh, it's life changing. The fact that our ancestors could see this today, and the opportunity that we're given to be able to protect our sacred lands and all of the values that means so much to us. It's truly life changing.
MINISTER PLIBERSEK: We are so fortunate in Australia to have 65,000 years of first class environmental management to learn from. That's what we're doing with Indigenous Protected Areas and with our expanded Indigenous Rangers program.
