Australia's National Reserve System (NRS) is a network of more than 10,000

Commonwealth A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the 15th century. Originally a phrase (the common-wealth ...

plus state and territory

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

s which, in combination, on a national scale, protect more than , greater than 17% of the

continent A continent is any of several large geographical regions. Continents are generally identified by convention (norm), convention rather than any strict criteria. A continent could be a single large landmass, a part of a very large landmass, as ...

, of unique

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

and most significant ecological landscapes for future generations.Australian Government Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts "Caring for Our Country: National Reserve System" webpage
Accessed 2 June 2010 The aim of the NRS is protect the diversity of all native landscapes,

flora Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...

and

fauna Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...

across Australia through strategic

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

protection. It consists of public, indigenous and privately protected areas of land and inland freshwaters. As part of the National Reserve System Cooperative Program, the

Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia The Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia (IBRA) is a biogeography, biogeographic regionalisation of Australia developed by the Australian government's Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities ( ...

framework was developed as a planning tool to assist in identifying areas of priority.

Protected areas on private lands

Privately protected areas consist of privately owned areas where owners have entered into "in perpetuity" covenants which are governed by the various legislative Act of the states, territories and commonwealth of Australia. Consequent to these laws, states, territories and commonwealth maintain registers of the lands and their covenants. See for example the NSW register.NSW Public register of private land conservation agreements

History

The move by the Australian Government to establish this National Reserve System was triggered by the international

Convention on Biological Diversity The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of its ...

, as part of the nation's commitment to fulfilling the objectives of that convention.Australian Government Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts "Caring for Our Country: History of the National Reserve System" webpage
Accessed 2 June 2010 In particular, after signing and ratifying the convention in 1992 the then Prime Minister, Paul Keating, announced Within the first 4 years (1992–1996) $11.2 million was spent establishing the system and, with the cooperation and agreement of the Australian States and territories 5,600 properties (covering almost ) were included within the system and a new

Indigenous Protected Area An Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) is a class of protected area used in Australia; each is formed by voluntary agreement with Indigenous Australians, and declared by Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander representative organisation ...

(IPA) program was initiated to include some of the most valuable and rare ecological landscapes on

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

owned lands. 17 Indigenous Protected Area were declared by 2003 which significantly added to the NRS. Within the next 10 years (1996–2007), with further substantial investment (through a National Heritage Trust) an additional were added to the National Reserve System, two thirds of which were Indigenous Protected Areas. During this time, starting in 1999,

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

took a lead investing in partnerships to create protected areas on other private lands; and by 2005 all the states and territories re-affirmed their joint commitment to what was to be described as a national 'flagship in biodiversity conservation'. The National Reserve System continues to be an Australian Government priority, with continuing funding "target ngareas with low levels of protection, including the sub-tropical savanna from Cape York to the

Kimberley Kimberly or Kimberley may refer to: Places and historical events Australia Queensland * Kimberley, Queensland, a coastal locality in the Shire of Douglas South Australia * County of Kimberley, a cadastral unit in South Australia Ta ...

, the

Mitchell grass ''Astrebla'' is a small genus of xerophytic (adapted to survive in an environment with little liquid water) grasses found only in Australia. They are the dominant grass across much of the continent. They are commonly known as Mitchell grass aft ...

country of north-west Queensland and arid

central Australia Central Australia, also sometimes referred to as the Red Centre, is an inexactly defined region associated with the geographic centre of Australia. In its narrowest sense it describes a region that is limited to the town of Alice Springs and ...

; continuing investment in indigenous protected areas; plus a new National Reserve System strategy identifying priorities and actions to be taken over the next 20 years.Australian Government Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts "Caring for Our Country: Strategy for Australia's National Reserve System 2009-2030" webpage
Accessed 2 June 2010

Appraisal

The NRS has been praised by the WWF Australia as a successful, cost-effective conservation measure.

CSIRO The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) is an Australian Government agency that is responsible for scientific research and its commercial and industrial applications. CSIRO works with leading organisations arou ...

modelling has concluded that the NRS will be an important conservation tool to combat the effects of

climate change in Australia Climate change has been a critical issue in Australia since the beginning of the 21st century. Australia is becoming hotter and more prone to extreme heat, bushfires, droughts, floods, and longer fire seasons because of climate change. Climate ...

on the environment.

References

{{Australia topics Protected areas of Australia

Protected areas on private lands

History

Appraisal

See also

References