Australia's Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) network is a world-leading example of Indigenous conservation leadership and collaboration. It demonstrates what is possible when government and other stakeholders commit to genuine cooperation with Traditional Owners.  It is vital that we understand and support this going forward.

In 2023 it is fitting to look back on 25 years of challenges and achievement – the legacy of hard work and positive results by Traditional Owners and their collaborators – and to commit to build on this as we look to the challenges ahead.

This report aims to provide a partial glimpse of the value IPAs deliver for every Australian and a reminder of the benefit to us all if we ensure they continue to ensure they thrive and grow.

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Indigenous Australians have managed, cared for, and practised continuous living culture on Sea Country for 65,000 plus years, and counting.

In contemporary Australia, Sea Country has been part of the Indigenous Protected Area program for some time, however more recently governments have begun to fund Sea Country IPAs with a greater emphasis on marine management.

In our new publication ‘Contemporary Management of Sea Country Indigenous Protected Areas’, we seek to give an introductory overview of the needs, challenges and aspirations for managing Sea Country Indigenous Protected Areas and the role of Indigenous Rangers. It also offers a general background and history on Sea Country, including a timeline illustrating some notable milestones of the protection of Sea Country in Australia.

Our contemporary marine environment faces many pressures from global warming to overfishing, invasive species, catchment-based pollution, industrial development impacts and more. It's not a small undertaking to establish and run a successful IPA on land or sea, but if supported properly delivers strong benefits to Traditional Owners.

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Indigenous land and sea management is critical to Australia’s current and future frontline response to managing biodiversity and cultural values across land and sea. Australia’s growing Indigenous Protected Area estate covers over 74m hectares making up almost half of all protected areas on land. With more than 130 separate teams of community led Indigenous Rangers Australia wide working in many different local contexts, it is vital that we learn from the lessons of past decades to strengthen our approach going forward.  

“Strong on Country: Sustaining Success in Indigenous Land and Sea Management in Australia” sets out key areas of focus that are central to a creating successful working environment for Indigenous rangers, Indigenous Protected Areas, and related caring for country work. The report analyses the common themes and elements of success across the sector and makes clear recommendations for sector improvement. Using case studies drawn directly from the experience of community led Indigenous organisations this report urges state and federal governments to reorient, reconnect and re-align focus on the key elements that help deliver this success.  

Download the Second Edition (June 2022) below:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women play a vital role protecting nature and cultural heritage for the benefit of every Australian. This report details the achievements of women Indigenous rangers and on Indigenous Protected Areas across Australia.

Download at this link: Strong Women on Country: The success of women caring for country as Indigenous rangers and on Indigenous Protected Areas

This report brings together case studies of Indigenous Protected Areas and Indigenous rangers, finding that these programs protect nature for the benefit of all Australians. The case studies include examples of how Indigenous land and sea management can improve the environment both a local and national scale.

Download at this link: Protecting Nature for All of Us: The environmental benefits delivered by Australia’s Indigenous Protected Areas and Indigenous rangers

This national review of Indigenous ranger and Indigenous Protected areas programs has found they are transforming remote communities through creating economic opportunities in some of the most disadvantaged areas of Australia, as well as improving health and education levels.

Working for Our Country: A review of the economic and social benefits of Indigenous land and sea management

Indigenous rangers and Indigenous Protected Areas are at the frontline of nature protection across Australia. 

Read more about Indigenous rangers, Indigenous Protected Areas and the Country Needs People campaign here

Analysis into the social return on investment of Indigenous Protected Areas in four corners of Australia have demonstrated the incredible value of Indigenous land and sea management programs on environmental, social and cultural outcomes.

This report by the Australian Government Department of Environment details achievements of Indigenous land and sea management teams for the year 2014 - 15.

This report from the Australian Government Department of Environment pulls together a summary of the many achievements of the Working on Country Indigenous ranger and Indigenous Protected Area programmes for the year 2013-14.

This assessment found that the social outcomes of Working on Country are diverse, wide-ranging and interconnected and can be categorised according to health and wellbeing, economic, cultural and educational outcomes for the individual rangers, their families and communities.

This book is a tribute by the Australian Government to the work of Indigenous communities managing land and sea country. 

Greater Indigenous participation in caring for country activities is associated with significantly better health.  Peer reviewed medical research has identified that Ranger and IPA workers have significantly improved health outcomes on key ‘health gap’ measures such as,  Lower Body Mass Index, Less abdominal obesity, Less Diabetes, Lower blood pressure, Higher ‘good’ cholesterol levels, Lower psychological distress ratings, Lower Cardio Vascular Disease risk, Lower renal (kidney) disease.  The article in the link below is from the Medical Journal of Australia and apllied sophisticated analyses controlling for other influences.  Read the research article here

Other work has found also that in people actively engaged in Ranger work the instance of substance abuse including alcohol related problems was significantly reduced. 

This book draws on a diversity of perspectives to document a significant social and environmental movement that is quietly gathering momentum across this vast Indigenous estate. This series of essays, drawn from an unusual collaboration between university researchers and Indigenous land owners, tells a little-known story about Aboriginal people who are living on, working on and caring for the lands and seas that they own and manage. The ongoing struggles by Indigenous people to conserve and rehabilitate the outstanding natural and cultural values of their ancestral lands deserve wide recognition and acclaim.

Link to the book here

A report which aims to understand, measure and value the social, economic and cultural changes generated through the On-Country programs of KJ, a Martu organisation that operates in several Western Australian (WA) desert communities. 

Read the KJ Social Return on Investment report here

Facts, figures and case studies about the success of the Queensland Indigenous Land and Sea Ranger program, and why we need to grow and secure its funding.

STRATEGIC PLAN 2023 - 2026

Country Needs People is a small organisation with a huge track record of delivering outcomes for nature, culture and people. The frontline Indigenous land and sea management organisations that make up our partner network across Australia tackle the challenges of land and sea management on a daily basis and we work to create the best conditions for their growth, security and success. Our work also benefits the sector as a whole.

Our Board have recently completed our Strategic Plan for the upcoming three years to strengthen our work further.

You can download it here:

ANNUAL REPORT 2021 - 2022

The 2021-22 Annual Report is Country Needs People’s second annual report as an independent organisation. It outlines a range of achievements throughout our first year of operation, and also includes some case studies of our campaigns and activities in that period.

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ANNUAL REPORT 2020 - 2021

The 2020-21 Annual Report is Country Needs People’s first annual report as an independent organisation. It outlines a range of achievements throughout our first year of operation, and also includes some case studies of our campaigns and activities in that period.

Download report below: