MEDIA RELEASE
29th October, 2026
16 New Indigenous Protected Areas Welcomed by Country Needs People
Country Needs People, a leading independent NGO working with Indigenous Rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) across Australia, welcomes the announcement today of 16 new Indigenous Protected Areas by Minister for Environment Murray Watt and Minister for Indigenous Australians Malarndirri McCarthy.
"Country Needs People welcome the Federal Government’s announcement of 16 new Indigenous Protected Areas across Australia, and would like to take this moment to congratulate all the Traditional Owner-led groups who were successful”, says Paddy O’Leary, CEO of Country Needs People.
"These new Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) in NT, WA, SA, VIC, NSW and QLD show that there is a huge demand across Australia for this model of conservation that combines traditional and local knowledge and governance with contemporary science and technology”, says Paddy O’Leary. “Driven by Traditional Owners, IPAs have become a core element of the way Australia collaborates to manage and conserve nature across the nation”.
“We’ve been really pleased to be able to help with some of these IPAs in the proposal phase, but also through our advocacy to the Federal Government to grow the IPA network and strengthen funding and practical capacity support. We congratulate the Federal Government in taking another step on delivering its promise to grow the IPA network.”
There are now 96 fully operating IPAs across Australia, spanning over 56% of Australia’s protected areas on land. A voluntary arrangement between Traditional Owners and the Federal Government, IPAs take years of planning and consultation to develop a framework for local Indigenous governance and management.
IPAs also must satisfy conservation criteria set by the Federal Government compliant with the standards of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. IPAs typically manage a suite of issues including feral animals, invasive weeds, threatened species habitat protection, cultural values and sites, fire management, monitoring and research and other management needs. Setting up and running an IPA is challenging work, often in remote areas under very complex conditions. Extreme weather, distance and large scale management pressures are all part of the day-to-day reality of managing IPAs.
With IPA contracts due for renewal in June 30, 2028, Country Needs People and our partners across Australia are pressing the Federal Government for clarity on the future funding and security of the entire IPA network, and the Indigenous Rangers that work across them.
“With just over 18 months left of Indigenous Protected Area and Indigenous Ranger contracts, and with some IPAs without Rangers, Country Needs People are calling on the Federal Government to commit to a secure future for IPAs and Indigenous Rangers beyond June 2028.”
“It’s critical that plans for the future are built into federal budgets now, not waiting until 2028 because that will be too late. We should be setting our sights on management for the next decade at a minimum”, says Paddy O’Leary.
“We also need to see an increase in staffing capacity of the federal environment department now so IPAs and Traditional Owner groups can be properly strengthened and supported, given the complex, remote and varied conditions they are managing under”.
“Both the national IPA network and federally funded Ranger program are an Aussie success story, delivering protection for nature and culture for this beautiful country we all call home, and also providing much-needed jobs in the bush for Indigenous Australians. It’s time to give the IPA and Indigenous Ranger network a more certain long term future with high quality support”, says Paddy O’Leary.
Led by a majority Indigenous board, Country Needs People is a leading national non-profit non-partisan organisation committed to Indigenous Land & Sea Management. Alongside over 50 Indigenous Partners Country Needs People works to grow, strengthen and advocate for Indigenous Rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas, to ensure Traditional Owners and their organisations are properly supported to deliver land and sea management Australia-wide.
Banner Image: Karajarri Indigenous Protected Area. Photo: Annette Ruzicka.
