With New Indigenous Protected Area, Australia Hits a Conservation Milestone

In the heart of Australia, more than 500 kilometres (310 miles) from the outback town of Mparntwe (Alice Springs), lies the Simpson Desert, a 17.6 million hectare (43. 5 million acre) expanse of red and beige dotted with the green that bursts from the landscape in brief, rain-fed ‘boom’ times and disappears just as quickly. For more than 60,000 years, people and wildlife have coexisted in this arid climate. For Indigenous Australians, this region has always been a special area of Country – a word they use to refer to all ancestral territory. Here, as in other sacred swaths of Country, Indigenous Australians continue to pass down physical, cultural and spiritual responsibilities over generations.

Now, with the formal dedication of the new Simpson Desert Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), the Australian Government is reiterating its commitment to both honor that cultural heritage and to protect even more of the country’s remarkable biodiversity.

In fact, with the July 14 dedication of this IPA, one quarter of the continent is now protected for biodiversity – a significant milestone and a reminder that progress for nature is possible when governments, Traditional Owners, scientists and communities collaborate.

The new IPA, known as Pmere Atherre Antenterreme – meaning ‘working together to look after two areas of Country’ and referring to two language and cultural groups – adds more than 4.7 million hectares (11.6 million acres) to Australia’s National Reserve System. Located east of Mparntwe (Alice Springs), it encompasses sand dunes, stone plains and wetlands – which fill with water only after heavy rains – and provides habitat for around 900 animal and plant species. Among the threatened species that will benefit from stronger protection are the greater bilby and night parrot; threatened plants in the IPA include bird’s nest wattle, sea heath and Acacia peuce.

For Indigenous Australians, the declaration is also about sustaining the world’s oldest continuous living culture, along with its knowledge and connection to Country. ‘Our Country is sacred to us, and we want to keep it strong,’ says Traditional Owner Marlene Doolan, who adds that her people have ‘many stories and many songs’ to pass on.

Importantly, local Indigenous people will manage the area, including through work such as culturally informed fire management, protection of important water places, weed and feral animal control, habitat restoration, monitoring of landscape health and research collaborations with visiting scientists.

A milestone on the path to 30 by 30

With the Simpson Desert dedication, more than 196 million hectares (484.3 million acres) of Australia’s land are now protected – an area nearly three times the size of Texas. The milestone brings the country closer to its commitment to protect and conserve 30% of land and marine areas by 2030, the so-called ‘30 by 30’ promise Australia made in 2022 alongside nearly 200 nations under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Marty Campbell

Even with the latest win, Australia still has work ahead to achieve 30 by 30. Government figures indicate that reaching the 30% land target will require protecting or conserving about another 34.3 million hectares (84.7 million acres). The challenge is not only one of scale but also one concerned with protecting the right places: areas that support threatened species, improve ecological representation, connect habitats and are managed effectively and equitably.

Indigenous leadership at the centre of conservation

IPAs are among Australia’s great conservation success stories – yet too few Australians know about them. By designating these areas, the government is recognising the enduring leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in caring for Country while contributing to national biodiversity goals. IPAs now make up more than half of Australia’s protected area estate. Further, through co-management arrangements, Indigenous Rangers are combining traditional knowledge and modern science in ways that benefit Country and communities.

In the Simpson Desert IPA, Indigenous leadership will help protect a fragile desert environment, including through the mapping of songlines— cultural knowledge systems that connect people with Country through stories, law, ceremony, places and responsibilities passed down through generations. Indigenous Australians have described the new management plan as a practical step towards caring for Country in the way they have long wanted to.

‘There’s already a rough road’ to an agreeable future, says Damien Ryder, a Traditional Owner from the Ltyentye Apurte people, who have ancestral lands within the IPA. ‘The plan is like a grader coming along and smoothing it out so we can get to where we want to go.’

The Pew Charitable Trusts worked with partners through the Country Needs People alliance to assist Traditional Owners in advocating for the new IPA, part of a long-running effort to better care for this important desert Country. The funding for ranger and other programs will help families spend more time on remote Country and strengthen the transfer of knowledge between generations.

Protecting nature at the scale Australia needs

Australia’s 25% milestone shows that progress is possible when people work together with a shared goal and over the long term. It also underscores the importance of sustained investment in Indigenous-led land management, protected area expansion and high-quality conservation planning.

Australia is home to extraordinary landscapes and species found nowhere else. Protecting them requires action at scale, guided by science and grounded in respect for Traditional Owner knowledge and authority. The Simpson Desert IPA is a powerful example of that: conservation that safeguards biodiversity, strengthens culture and helps build a healthier future for Country.

Paul Sheridan leads The Pew Charitable Trusts’ terrestrial protection work in Australia.