Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs)

Back to Indigenous Protected Areas (IPA)

Grants for new or expanding Indigenous Protected Areas are available.                                                       
The grant opportunity opens on 28 July 2023 and closes on 6 October 2023.                                            
Apply on the GrantConnect website.                            

DCCEEW are managing the application process.

To find out more about the new grant stakeholders visit Indigenous Protected Areas Program grants, email ipaapplication@dcceew.gov.au or phone: 1800 920 528.

Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) are areas of land and sea country managed by First Nations groups. They are created through voluntary agreements with the Australian Government and managed under the objectives of the IPA traditional owners. IPAs deliver biodiversity conservation outcomes for the benefit of all Australians.

The IPA Program has been supporting First Nations communities to dedicate their land as protected areas since 1997. Program participants report that the benefits include:

environmental resilience
cultural heritage protection
empowerment
cultural connection and wellbeing
broader socio-economic benefits for local communities.

Some areas of IPA land are part of the National Reserve System, which protects the nation’s biodiversity and cultural heritage.

Most IPAs are dedicated under International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categories V and VI. These balance conservation with other sustainable uses to deliver social, cultural and economic benefits for local Indigenous communities.

IPAs provide a framework for First Nations communities to:

Combine traditional and contemporary knowledge to collaboratively manage their land and sea Country.
Leverage partnerships with conservation and commercial organisations.
Provide employment, education and training opportunities for First Nations people.

IPA projects are supported through multi-year funding agreements. Many Indigenous organisations also supplement this funding through:

fee-for-service or other income generating activities
support from private sector and philanthropic organisations.

Some examples of IPA projects can be found at Stories from Country 2022.

Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs)	2023
Dedicated IPAs	82
Total terrestrial area	More than 87 million hectares
Percentage of National Reserve System	50%

Project locations

Interactive map of summaries of Indigenous land and sea management projects supported by the Australian Government.
Indigenous Protected Areas National Map - PDF 3.23MB
Indigenous Protected Areas and Commonwealth Funded Ranger Groups Map - PDF 2MB

Progress

The IPA Program was established by the Australian Government in 1997.
On 2 September 2023, the Nantawarrina IPA celebrated its 25^th anniversary, being the first IPA dedicated by Traditional Owners in 1998.
In 2021, the Australian Government announced a complementary Sea Country IPA Program as part of the Oceans Leadership Package.
In 2022, the Australian Government announced $231.5 million of additional funding for the next phase of the IPA Program from 1 July 2023 to June 2028.
There are now 82 dedicated IPAs that make up 50 per cent of Australia’s National Reserve System, managed for the benefit of all Australians.
More than 750 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were employed in full-time, part-time and casual jobs under the IPA Program in 2021-22, including approximately 360 women.
Sixty-six IPAs have management activities delivered by Australian Government-funded Indigenous ranger groups.

Next Phase of the IPA Program

The Australian Government is investing $231.5 million in the IPA Program from 1 July 2023 to June 2028. This delivers on the Government’s commitment to expand investment in IPAs by $10 million per year.

The funding supports First Nations peoples to manage the existing IPAs and consultation projects (including Sea Country IPAs). The funding will also be used to:

establish 10 new IPAs
hold a national conference every two years
prioritise areas of importance for biodiversity
create around 70 new jobs for land and sea managers
support and improve the monitoring and evaluation of the IPA program.

The NIAA and the Department of Climate Change, Energy and the Environment (DCCEEW) will continue to jointly administer the next phase of the program.

It is exciting to announce that grants for new or expanding Indigenous protected Areas are now available. The grant opportunity opens on 28 July 2023 and closes on 6 October 2023. 

DCCEEW are managing the application process.

The following channels can be used to out more about the new grant:

visit Indigenous Protected Areas Program grants
email: ipaapplication@dccceew.gov.au
phone: 1800 920 528.

Sea Country IPA Program

On 23 April 2021, the Australian Government announced a $100 million investment to:

protect Australia’s ocean habitats and coastal environments
contribute to the global task of reducing emissions.

This package included $11.6 million over two years (to June 2023) to include additional sea Country in the IPA Program.

The Sea Country IPA Program seeks to:

expand the IPA network to include coastal and marine areas
strengthen the conservation and protection of Australia’s unique coastal and marine ecosystems
create employment and economic opportunities for Indigenous Australians.

On 7 May 2022, the Australian Government announced funding for 10 Sea Country IPA consultation projects. Combined, the 10 Sea Country IPA consultation areas cover over 6.2 million hectares of sea and over 200,000 hectares of land.

The projects support:

Indigenous-led consultation with traditional owners and other stakeholders
management planning
delivery of on-ground/water management activities.

The projects are expected to generate up to 37 jobs for Indigenous Australians in remote and regional communities.

For more information refer to the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) webpage.

Evaluation of the IPA Program

The evaluation of the IPA Program is well underway, with site visits completed and a final report expected to be available in late 2023. The NIAA and the DCCEEW are overseeing the evaluation.

The evaluation will assess the extent to which program objectives and outcomes are being achieved. It will also guide continuous improvement in future program design.

The NIAA has engaged the services of Ninti One Limited, who are partnering with CSIRO to design and carry out the evaluation.

The evaluation is being conducted in two phases:

In Phase 1, Ninti One carried out a desktop review of existing information to guide the collection of new data during Phase 2.
In Phase 2, Ninti One collected and analysed new data, which will be used to produce an evaluation report. This included direct engagement with IPA managers site visits to 10 IPAs. Analysis of the data collected is currently underway. The evaluation report will make recommendations to the NIAA and DCCEEW to strengthen program delivery and outcomes.

The NIAA would like to thank IPA provider organisations for taking the time to engage with the evaluation process. Your feedback will help to support future program design.