The Government will invest more than $12 million to establish new Indigenous Protected Areas across the country, building on our commitment to strengthen Indigenous employment in remote communities.

The Coalition has increased the number of dedicated IPAs to 75 since coming to office, putting the management of 67 million hectares of land into the hands of Traditional Owners.

Today’s announcement stands in addition to the $87.8 million from the Indigenous Advancement Strategy supporting existing IPA projects over five years from 2018-19 to 2022-23.

Indigenous Protected Areas support First Australians to work on land and sea country, connecting with country and culture while improving environmental conservation and promoting Indigenous employment.

They also encourage the intergenerational sharing of knowledge, the maintenance and reinvigoration of language and traditional culture, and the opportunity for Indigenous rangers to mentor young people in their communities.

IPAs form a vital part of the National Reserve System, comprising 44 per cent of the network of formally-recognised parks, reserves and protected areas across Australia.

Combined with Indigenous Rangers, these programs employ more than 2900 First Australians across regional and remote Australia.

This Government’s investment, committed through the national landcare Program, will help ensure these outcomes are secured into the future by combining traditional knowledge with western science.

Each Indigenous Protected Area project starts with a consultation stage involving Indigenous-led discussion and planning process amongst Traditional Owners.

Following the consultation stage, Traditional Owners can choose to formally dedicate their land, or land and sea, as an Indigenous Protected Area under the National Reserve System.

The $12.51 million Competitive Grant Round is open until 30 April 2019. Grant guidelines and further information on how to apply is available on the Government’s GrantConnect website at: www.grants.gov.au.