Protected areas of Australia facts for kids

Australia is a huge country with amazing plants and animals. To keep these special natural places safe, Australia has protected areas. These are like nature's own safe zones, where rules help protect wildlife and their homes.

Australia's Special Protected Places

Protected areas are parts of land or sea that are set aside to protect nature. They help keep plants, animals, and their habitats safe for the future. These special places are managed by different groups across Australia.

Who Looks After These Areas?

Many different groups work together to protect Australia's nature.

• The Australian Government looks after protected areas that belong to the whole country. This includes places in the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory, and even far-off islands like Christmas Island and Norfolk Island.
• A group called the Director of National Parks helps manage most of these national areas. They are part of the government's environment department.
• The famous Great Barrier Reef Marine Park has its own special group, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, to look after it.
• Each of Australia's six states (like Tasmania and Queensland) and two territories (like the Australian Capital Territory) also have their own protected areas. These are managed by their local governments.

How Much of Australia is Protected?

A big part of Australia is protected!

• As of February 2022, protected areas cover over 1.5 million square kilometres of Australia's land. That's about 19.75% of the whole country!
• The Australian Capital Territory has the most protection, with almost 56% of its land being a protected area.
• Tasmania is next, with 42% of its land protected, followed by South Australia with 30%.
• Some areas, like Queensland and New South Wales, have less land protected, around 8% to 9%.

Different Kinds of Protected Areas

Not all protected areas are the same. They have different rules depending on how much protection the nature needs.

• About two-thirds of Australia's protected areas are strictly protected. This means they are kept as wild as possible, with very few human activities allowed.
• The rest are mostly managed resource protected areas. In these places, people can sometimes use resources like timber or fish, but only in a very careful way that doesn't harm the environment.
• A very important type of protected area is the Indigenous Protected Areas. These are lands looked after by Australia's First Peoples, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. They use their traditional knowledge to care for the land and its wildlife. These areas make up over 44% of all protected land in Australia and are growing!