The Wilderness Society has called for more government funding and support for the Indigenous Protected Area program following the release on January 9 of an independent report that concludes that IPAs are one of the most effective initiatives in environment protection in Australia.
IPAs are protected areas that are voluntarily declared on Aboriginal-owned and managed land, and meet international standards for nature conservation. The 22 IPAs declared to date have provided 66% of the total area of land added to the total amount of protected area over the last decade. However, the funding for IPAs remains inadequate to deliver and secure conservation outcomes and the range of social and economic benefits to remote communities that flow from the program.