The 2021 State of the Environment Report found that Australia’s unique animals and plants are under significant pressure. Action is needed quickly to arrest environmental decline and prevent new extinctions of plants and animals.

In July 2022 the Australian Government set a goal to protect and conserve 30 per cent of Australia’s land and 30 per cent of Australia’s marine areas by 2030. The Threatened Species Action Plan 2022-2032, released in October 2022, sets out Australia’s pathway for threatened species conservation and recovery over the next 10 years and includes the 30 by 30 target.

Achieving the 30 by 30 target will be challenging and requires collaboration across governments, First Nations partners, non-government organisations, the private sector and philanthropists. Australia’s network of terrestrial protected areas, our National Reserve System, covers around 22 per cent of our land mass, over 170 million hectares. Achieving the 30 per cent landmass target requires the protection or conservation of an additional 60 million hectares.

Australia’s national network of marine parks currently covers around 45 per cent of Australian waters. Up to 18 per cent of Australian waters are protected in ‘no take’ zones and are fully protected. In October 2022, Australia’s Environment Ministers also agreed to explore opportunities for strengthening marine protection to secure the health of our ocean in the face of climate-related changes and other emerging pressures.

The long running and highly successful Indigenous Protected Areas Program accounts for over 50 per cent of our National Reserve System and protects approximately 87 million hectares of land and 5 million hectares of sea. Building on this success, the Australian Government will invest $231.5 million over 5 years from 2023-24 to grow the program, which includes providing funding for 10 new Indigenous Protected Areas.

Next Steps

Australia’s Environment Ministers have committed to meet regularly to progress implementation of key national priorities identified at their October 2022 meeting, including the commitment to protect and conserve 30 per cent of Australia’s landmass and 30 per cent of Australia’s marine areas by 2030.

Work is underway to assess methodologies for identifying priority areas for protection and conservation. Key considerations for identifying priority regions will be ecological representativeness and connectedness, Threatened Species Action Plan priority places, nationally listed threatened species and ecological communities at most risk, and climate change resilience.

We are working to develop a national framework for Australia to recognise Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs). OECMs will complement growth in Australia’s protected areas and will be an important tool to conserve high value biodiversity areas where formal protection may not be possible. Public consultation on a framework for OECMs is due to occur in early 2023.

Currently only 6 per cent of Australia’s National Reserve System is on privately owned land. We know private landowners want to do more and we are working with stakeholders to build on successful conservation covenanting programs, address barriers and create incentives for private land conservation.

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The Australian Government has committed to establishing a nature repair market to encourage new private investment in nature. This voluntary national nature repair market will deliver benefits for landholders, investors and the environment through properly rewarding the restoration and protection of biodiversity.

More information

https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of Australia and their continuing connection to land and sea, waters, environment and community. We pay our respects to the Traditional Custodians of the lands we live and work on, their culture, and their Elders past and present.

© Commonwealth of Australia 2022