Protected area locations
National Reserve System locations
Source: CAPAD 2006 Download the NRS map (PDF - 1156 KB)
More than 11 per cent of Australia's landmass is protected in the National Reserve System and is made up of over 9,000 protected areas. In all, the National Reserve System covers an area about five times the size of Tasmania.
Protected areas by World Conservation Union (IUCN) category
The largest portion (40 per cent) of the protected area estate in Australia is categorised as National Park (IUCN Category II). On average the largest size of a protected area is Wilderness (Category IB) averaging more than 100,000 hectares, which is more than twice the size of the next largest category National Parks at 43,000 hectares.
The large size of these protected area categories indicates they are sufficiently large to meet management objectives of protecting wilderness values and landscape scale biodiversity values. The smallest category is IUCN category III, Natural Monuments, averaging just under 500 hectares. These protected areas are established for the purpose of protecting specific natural features and remnants, which are generally restricted to smaller sites.
Two thirds of all protected areas are considered to be strictly protected, falling within IUCN categories I to IV. They include more than 7500 protected areas covering more than 63 million hectares. The remaining 1200 protected areas (category V and VI) are multiple use covering more than 26 million hectares.
- Locations of protected areas categorised according to IUCN Management Categories map (PDF - 1182 KB)
| IUCN Category | Number of protected areas | Total area (ha) | Proportion of total protected area | Percent of Australia | Average size (ha) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IA | 2200 |
18,515,397 |
21% |
2.41% |
8,416 |
| IB | 44 |
4,786,179 |
5% |
0.62% |
108,777 |
| II | 830 |
36,148,340 |
40% |
4.70% |
43,552 |
| III | 2312 |
1,104,307 |
1% |
0.14% |
478 |
| III | 2312 |
1,104,307 |
1% |
0.14% |
478 |
| IV | 2151 |
2,926,137 |
3% |
0.38% |
1,360 |
| V | 210 |
850,178 |
1% |
0.11% |
4,048 |
| VI | 1052 |
25,198,320 |
28% |
3.28% |
23,953 |
| Grand Total | 8799 |
89,528,859 |
100% |
11.64% |
10,175 |