Portfolio — 17 July 2026

The Minister for the Environment and Water, Mr Watt, has announced that the government now protects 25 per cent of Australia's land mass — more than 196 million hectares, an area larger than Queensland — following the dedication of the Simpson Desert Indigenous Protected Area [TA-260716-climat-a27b22262a7d]. The Simpson Desert IPA contributes over 4.7 million hectares to the National Reserve System, making it one of the largest single additions in recent years [TA-260716-climat-a27b22262a7d].

The protected area encompasses distinctive ecosystems including sand dunes, stone plains and wetlands, and provides habitat for priority species such as the greater bilby, central rock-rat, night parrot and princess parrot — all species relevant to the government's threatened species commitments [TA-260716-climat-a27b22262a7d].

Management responsibility sits with the Central Land Council in partnership with Traditional Owners, with the management regime combining culturally informed fire management, targeted weed and feral-animal control, water-place protection, habitat restoration, and ongoing monitoring and research [TA-260716-climat-a27b22262a7d]. This structure positions the IPA as a model of Traditional Owner-led conservation — one in which land management authority and cultural stewardship are formally integrated rather than treated as separate instruments.

Mr Watt used the announcement to restate the government's commitment to the 30-by-30 target — protecting 30 per cent of Australia's land and oceans by 2030 — and to the $250 million Australian Bushland program as the primary vehicle for expanding the IPA network toward that goal [TA-260716-climat-a27b22262a7d]. The 25 per cent milestone is a material step on that trajectory, though the remaining five percentage points will require sustained acquisition and dedication activity over the four years to 2030.

Today's announcement extends a conservation push the portfolio launched in a coordinated rollout at the end of June, which included the Australian Bushland program, heritage grants and the National Environmental Protection Authority. The Simpson Desert IPA dedication advances the same agenda — using IPAs as a delivery mechanism that simultaneously serves biodiversity, cultural heritage and species recovery objectives.

The combination of market-based acquisition and Indigenous land management is the portfolio's stated approach to closing the gap between the current 25 per cent and the 30-by-30 commitment.