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We recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders as the sovereign Traditional Owners of Australia and thank them for their stewardship of this Country, its lands, waters and skies. We respectfully acknowledge their culture and customary practices, and pay respect to their Ancestors, Elders and future leaders.

For the first time, the State of the Environment report includes a strong Indigenous narrative across all 12 thematic chapters, a narrative crafted through recognising the leadership, collaboration and authorship of Indigenous Australians who continue their connection as Traditional Owners to their lands, waters and skies.

Click to view the State of the Environment report

 

On 28 March 2025 the government assumed a Caretaker role. Information on websites maintained by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water will be published in accordance with the Guidance on Caretaker Conventions until after the conclusion of the caretaker period.

Due to technical issues, graphs, maps and tables are currently not displaying within the main content, however, are available via the chapter resources navigation bar. We are working on a solution to resolve the issue.

Graphs, maps and tables

Showing results 51 - 60 of 105
Figure 51 Location and extent of land tenure in Australia (Level 4), 2015–16
Map showing that pastoral leases occupy a lot of western Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia, freehold land occupies the most populated areas and the most productive cropping areas, and there is a band of Indigenous freehold in western South

Notes:

  1. Definitions of land tenure classes are given in ABARES (2021b).
  2. Level 4 distinguishes land with an Indigenous land grant, either Crown land held on behalf of, or freehold land owned by, Traditional Owner groups. Level 4 does not include native title, which applies alongside tenure. Indigenous classes are specified under Indigenous land grant instruments.
  3. Percentages are of the total land area in that class.
  4. See case study: The National Land Account, experimental estimates (2011–16).

Source: ABARES (2021b)

For more information, go toManagement approaches
Figure 52 Extent of land tenure in Australia (Level 3), 2010–11 and 2015–16
Graph showing that freehold and pastoral term lease are the biggest categories, followed by other crown land, pastoral perpetual lease and nature conservation reserve.

Notes:

  1. Definitions of land tenure classes are given in ABARES (2021b).
  2. Level 3 further distinguishes ‘Crown land’ in the Level 2 classification, defining ‘leasehold’ type or ‘Crown purposes’ type based on term and purpose. ‘Leasehold’ types are split into ‘freeholding lease’, ‘pastoral perpetual lease’, ‘other perpetual lease’, ‘pastoral term lease’, ‘other term lease’ and ‘other lease’. ‘Crown purposes’ types are split into ‘nature conservation reserve’, ‘multiple-use public forest’ and ‘other Crown purposes’.

Source: ABARES (2021b)

For more information, go toManagement approaches
Figure 53 Extent of Indigenous land trust or authority land on various tenures in Australia (Level 4), 2015–16
Bar graph showing that Freehold is by far the largest category, followed by other crown purposes and other lease,

Notes:

  1. Level 4 distinguishes land with an Indigenous land grant, either Crown land held on behalf of, or freehold land owned by, Traditional Owner groups. Level 4 does not include native title, which applies alongside tenure.
  2. Percentages are of the extent of Aboriginal land trust or authority land on various tenures.

Source: ABARES (2021b)

For more information, go toManagement approaches
Figure 54 Annual growth in the extent of protected areas (cumulative hectares) since 1997, by type of governance
Bar graph showing that mot of the growth has been in community managed Indigenous Protected Areas, with the other ctegories relatively stable. Total was around 60 million hectares in 1997, and around 140 million in 2019.

IPA = Indigenous Protected Area; NRS = National Reserve System

  1. The cumulative status as at the end of 1997.

Notes:

  1. Includes areas assessed for inclusion in the NRS that are awaiting formal gazettal (post 30 June 2020) and NRS properties, excluding Antarctic properties. Data based on NRS properties derived from DAWE (2021ab), where NRS_PA = I (interim; pending gazettal) or Y (yes, excluding Antarctic properties).
  2. Undated properties are mainly private conservation areas.

Source: DAWE (2021ab)

For more information, go toManagement approaches
Figure 55 Governance categories of protected areas in the National Reserve System
Figure 56 Percentage of each IBRA (Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia) region that is protected
Figure 57 Annual variation in the percentage cumulative land area in different IUCN protected area management categories since 1997
Graph showing that, since 1997, of the total area covered by International Union for Conservation of Nature categories, the fraction that is fully protected has done from 70% down to less than 15%, while the fraction that allows suitable use of natural re

IUCN = International Union for Conservation of Nature; NRS = National Reserve System

  1. Data for 1997 give the cumulative status as at the end of 1997.

Notes:

  1. Includes areas assessed for inclusion in the NRS that are awaiting formal gazettal (post 30 June 2020) and NRS properties, excluding Antarctic properties. Data based on NRS properties derived from DAWE (2021ab), where NRS_PA = I (interim; pending gazettal) or Y (yes, excluding Antarctic properties).
  2. Undated properties are mainly private conservation areas.
  3. Protected area management categories follow Dudley (2013). Unknown categories for conservation covenants were assumed to be Category IV. Not applicable categories are excluded.

Source: DAWE (2021ab)

For more information, go toManagement approaches
Figure 58 Extent of protected areas as of 30 June 2020 for each jurisdiction, by type of governance
Graph showing that community managed Indigenous Protected Areas are the biggest category in the northern Territory and Western Australia and are substantial in South Australia. Elsewhere, government management dominates.

ACT = Australian Capital Territory; EXT = external territories (Christmas Island, Norfolk Island); IPA = Indigenous Protected Area; JBT = Jervis Bay Property (Commonwealth managed); NRS = National Reserve System; NSW = New South Wales; NT = Northern Territory; Qld = Queensland; SA = South Australia; Tas = Tasmania; Vic = Victoria; WA = Western Australia

Note: Includes areas assessed for inclusion in the NRS that are awaiting formal gazettal (post 30 June 2020) and NRS properties, excluding Antarctic properties. Data based on NRS properties derived from DAWE (2021ab), where NRS_PA = I (interim; pending gazettal) or Y (yes, excluding Antarctic properties).

Source: DAWE (2021ab)

For more information, go toManagement approaches
Figure 59 Extent of Indigenous Protected Areas as of October 2020, and native title as of June 2021
Map showing that terrestrial Indigenous Protected Areas and native title are concentrated in the region around the meeting of the South Australia, Western Australian and Northern Territory borders, with some other regions in northern Northern Territory an

ha = hectare

Notes: 1 – Nantawarrina (58,347 ha); 2 – Preminghana (529 ha); 3 – Risdon Cove (79 ha); 4 – Putalina (38 ha); 5 – Deen Maar (427 ha); 6 – Yalata (464,397 ha); 7 – Watarru (1,657,183 ha); 8 – Walalkara (1,068,856 ha); 9 – Mount Chappell Island (323 ha); 10 – Badger Island (1,243 ha); 11 – Guanaba (99 ha); 12 – Warul Kawa (43 ha); 13 – Dhimurru (135,771 ha); 14 – Wattleridge (645 ha); 15 – Mount Willoughby (420,680 ha); 16 – Paruku (428,560 ha); 17 – Ngaanyatjarra (9,974,049 ha); 18 – Tyrendarra (237 ha); 19 – Toogimbie (4,114 ha); 20 – Anindilyakwa (261,053 ha); 21 – Laynhapuy - Stage 1 (478,248 ha); 22 – Ninghan (46,835 ha); 23 – Northern Tanami (4,003,654 ha); 24 – Warlu Jilajaa Jumu (1,616,606 ha); 25 – Kaanju Ngaachi Wenlock and Pascoe Rivers (179,889 ha); 26 – Babel Island (441 ha); 27 – Great Dog Island (354 ha); 28 – lungatalanana (8,159 ha); 29 – Pulu (15 ha); 30 – Tarriwa Kurrukun (0,929 ha); 31 – Angas Downs (320,385 ha); 32 – Warddeken (1,370,496 ha); 33 – Djelk (640,467 ha); 34 – Jamba Dhandan Duringala (38,294 ha); 35 – Kurtonitj (367 ha); 36 – Framlingham Forest (1,142 ha); 37 – Kalka–Pipalyatjara (558,522 ha); 38 – Boorabee and The Willows (2,713 ha); 39 – Lake Condah (1,522 ha); 40 – Marri-Jabin (Thamurrurr, Stage 1) (69,504 ha); 41 – Brewarrina Ngemba Billabong (261 ha); 42 – Uunguu (759,459 ha); 43 – Apara - Makiri - Punti (1,107,523 ha); 44 – Antara – Sandy Bore (842,623 ha); 45 – Dorodong (85 ha); 46 – Weilmoringle (4,073 ha); 47 – Yanyuwa (Barni – Wardimantha Awara) (130,412 ha); 48 – Minyumai (2,160 ha); 49 – Gumma (111 ha); 50 – Mandingalbay Yidinji (5,967 ha); 51 – Southern Tanami (10,153,508 ha); 52 – Angkum, Stage 1 (4,504 ha); 53 – Ngunya Jargoon (861 ha); 54 – Birriliburu (6,667,353 ha); 55 – Eastern Kuku Yalanji (20,515 ha); 56 – Bardi Jawi (126,967 ha); 57 – Girringun (14,865 ha); 58 – Wilinggin (2,438,911 ha); 59 – Dambimangari (617,211 ha); 60 – Balanggarra (1,090,905 ha); 61 – Thuwathu/Bujimulla (124,966 ha); 62 – Yappala (10,885 ha); 63 – Wardaman (224,696 ha); 64 – Karajarri (2,440,426 ha); 65 – Nijinda Durlga (186,330 ha); 66 – Warraberalgal and Porumalgal (63 ha); 67 – Kiwirrkurra (4,268,253 ha); 68 – Nyangumarta Warrarn (2,616,042 ha); 69 – Matuwa and Kurrara-Kurrara (596,642 ha); 70 – Katiti Petermann (5,043,754 ha); 71 – Ganalanga-Mindibirrina (1,093,286 ha); 72 – Wardang Island (3,930 ha); 73 – Marthakal (323,047 ha); 74 – South-East Arnhem Land (1,819,909 ha); 75 – Yawuru (115,828 ha); 76 – Mawonga (21,987 ha); 77 – Ngururrpa (2,962,988 ha); 78 – Ngadju (4,399,301 ha)

Sources: DAWE (2021e), DAWE (2021ab), plus 2 additional Indigenous Protected areas gazetted October 2020 (Ngadju and Ngururrpa); NNTT (2021d); map projection: Australian Albers GDA94 (ICSM n.d.)

For more information, go toManagement approaches
Figure 60 Uunguu Ranger Jeremy Kowan on the culture walk along the King Edward River (left); Wunambal Gaambera Country (right)