To protect at least 60 million hectares in an ecologically representative manner by 2030, Australia will need to invest in increasing all forms of protected area measures across all land tenure types throughout state and territory jurisdictions.
Target 3 of the GBF explicitly calls for recognition and respect for the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities, including over their traditional territories. To equitably grow Australia’s protected areas, First Nations people must have a leading role to play in protected area policy and design and on-ground management.
Previous large expansions of the protected area network can be traced back to two programs that involved federal government funding and coordination – the National Reserve System Programme (NRSP) and the Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) program. Between 1997 and 2022, these programs have been the main drivers of lifting the conservation estate from 7 to 22 per cent of the continent.
The NRSP largely supported the purchase of private or leasehold land by state governments and not-for-profit conservancies for the creation of new public and privately protected areas, respectively. The IPA program has primarily supported the creation of protected areas on exclusive possession Native Title lands, Indigenous held pastoral leases and other strong Indigenous tenures.
Australia already has proven and successful tools that are suitable across all land tenures to enable us to reach 30×30. While there are other pathways currently being considered in order to reach Target 3, such as the use of Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs), care should be taken to ensure any pathway genuinely contributes to adding to the NRS, and does not compromise the delivery of existing, available mechanisms that with adequate resourcing could deliver more quickly and effectively to the spatial and ecological elements of 30×30.
Revitalising a collaborative and cooperative approach to building protected area networks will be critical to the success of the pathways outlined here and to achieving Target 3 of the GBF.
This involves federal, and state and territory governments, Traditional Owners and Indigenous corporations, non-government organisations, covenanting entities, private landowners and local communities.
Principles
- Recognise the rights and interests of First Nations peoples. Practical steps to recognition can include dedicated, financially supported and leading roles in policy design, governance, implementation, and management of protected areas.
- Continue to use Australia’s science-based framework and the CAR (Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative) principles to guide the prioritisation for new protected areas.
- Increase ecosystem representation across the National Reserve System through investment in public, private and Indigenous protected areas across all levels of government.