When you think of conservation in Australia, chances are you’ll think of a national park. But there’s another fast-growing way of conserving land: Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs). These areas of land or sea Country are voluntarily dedicated by Traditional Owners to protect nature and cultural values and responsibilities. Once dedicated, an IPA becomes part of Australia’s National Reserve System – our network of protected areas. To protect the area, Indigenous rangers tackle invasive species and undertake cultural burning and many other tasks. In 2022, the Australian government signed up to an international pledge to protect 30% of lands and waters by 2030. This is one reason why IPAs have grown so rapidly in recent years. In July, 4.7 million hectares of the Simpson Desert was dedicated as the newest protected area – the Pmere Atherre Antenterreme IPA.Maintaining the success of Indigenous Protected Areas will require long-term funding, strong Indigenous governance and complementary conservation elsewhere.How does this work?While national parks are established and managed by governments, IPAs are Indigenous-led. After deciding to establish an IPA, Traditional Owners develop a management plan and determine how Country is to be cared for, drawing on Indigenous knowledge and contemporary conservation science.Caring for Country means looking after plants, animals, water, fire, sacred places and cultural practices as part of an interconnected whole.Declaring an IPA doesn’t change existing tenure arrangements. For example, an IPA can cover freehold Indigenous land, land granted under land-rights legislation, Indigenous-held leasehold or pastoral land, Crown land and marine areas. From pilot program to over half of Australia’s reserve systemIn 1998, Nantawarrina became Australia’s first Indigenous Protected Area. The former pastoral station in South Australia’s Flinders Ranges was heavily degraded. Over the following decades, the Nipapanha people worked to restore the land and its biodiversity. There are now 96 IPAs across Australia, spanning 113 million hectares. That’s almost 15% of the continent. Marine IPAs cover a smaller portion of Australian waters – 9.3 million hectares, or about 1.1% of our marine estate.The growth of IPAs has far outstripped the growth of other types of conservation land. IPAs now make up more than 55% of lands protected in Australia’s National Reserve System. Across all types of protection – both government and non-government – 25% of Australia’s land is now protected and 24% of seas are highly-protected “no-take” areas where fishing is banned. The largest IPAs lie in Australia’s deserts, some of the world’s largest uncleared arid ecosystems. They form part of a vast, culturally-connected landscape shaped by Indigenous stewardship over tens of thousands of years. People who care for CountryAt the heart of Indigenous Protected Areas are Indigenous rangers, who combine cultural practice and traditional knowledge with contemporary conservation practices.Ranger teams began growing in number from 2007, when dedicated federal funding became available. The program is now called the Indigenous Rangers Program. No two Indigenous ranger programs are alike – each is locally led and grounded in Traditional Owner priorities. The program of work can include burning to prevent large wildfires or maintain cultural practice and care for Country. Rangers look after cultural sites and culturally important species, and protect threatened species by managing threats, monitoring how populations are faring and undertaking surveys and research to find out more about them. Rangers and researchers have worked together to combine Indigenous knowledge with new technologies such as drones, satellite imagery and environmental DNA to better understand how Country is changing and inform its care.Ranger programs also create local jobs, stronger community governance and opportunities for Elders to pass on language, cultural knowledge and practical skills to younger generations. These programs show that caring for Country can deliver environmental, cultural and social benefits.Many Indigenous Protected Areas welcome visitors, offering cultural and nature-based tourism, walking, camping, fishing and guided experiences. Access rules do vary. Some have restricted access at certain times, or require permission to enter. These arrangements reflect Indigenous ownership and management.How are these areas funded?Like many other protected areas, IPAs are publicly funded. The Australian government gives funds to declare and manage new IPAs through protected area and Indigenous ranger programs. Some state governments provide extra support to ranger teams.However, these funds usually only cover a fraction of the costs of managing Country in this way. IPAs with ranger programs receive just over A$1 per hectare from government funding. By comparison, national park funding varies from around $16 per hectare in Queensland to $58 per hectare in NSW. State governments largely fund national parks.Many Indigenous organisations try to augment funding with income from carbon projects, philanthropic grants, research partnerships and environmental management contracts. This financial uncertainty creates a large administrative workload. Can we make these areas even stronger?As this approach to conservation matures, our growing reliance on IPAs as a key conservation approach should be matched by increased funding and capability support. It also makes sense to invest more in monitoring and reporting to track environmental, cultural and social benefits, and to pinpoint any areas to strengthen. Better data will also help policymakers know how Australia is tracking towards our commitments to the Global Biodiversity Framework.Indigenous Protected Areas are working well. But they’re not the answer to every conservation challenge. They complement but do not replace other protected areas. The complex land tenures of the more heavily cleared and densely populated areas on Australia’s east coast makes it more challenging to declare new IPAs here, for instance. As Australia works towards its conservation goals, it will rely more and more on Indigenous Protected Areas. But we believe the success of these areas speaks to something much deeper – the fact that Australia’s oldest systems of caring for Country is still one of the most effective ways to conserve nature.Sarah Legge has received funding from the Australian Research Council and the National Environmental Science Program. She has consulted for the Australian Government, Indigenous Desert Alliance, the Central Land Council and several IPAs. She is a board member for Bush Heritage Australia, a councillor for the Biodiversity Council and is a member of advisory committees such as the Invasive Species Council, Foundation for National Parks and the National Feral Cat Taskforce.Samantha Murray works for the Indigenous Desert Alliance, who represent Australia's Indigenous desert rangers. Stan Lui is the owner of Indigenous Marine Resource Consultants Australia and the partner/director of Five Cubed Environmental Indigenous Consultants. He sits on the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Board. He has consulted for the federal Department of Climate Change, Environment Energy and Water and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. He is a councillor on the Biodiversity Council.