Requirements for NRS protected areas
Kennedy Ranges, WA
Photo: Nick Rains
A protected area is an area of land or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, managed through legal or other effective means.
All Australian governments have agreed to minimum standards that protected areas must meet to be included in the National Reserve System.
First, the land must be designated a 'protected area' to be conserved forever, with effective legal means guaranteeing its perpetual conservation.
Second, the area must be managed to protect and maintain biological diversity according to one of six international classes developed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). The six-level classification system defines protected areas according to their management purpose, ranging from strict nature conservation to multi-use reserves.
The area must contribute to the comprehensiveness, representativeness and adequacy of the National Reserve System - in other words it must meet certain scientific criteria and strategically enhance the protected area network.
More details on the agreed set of minimum standards can be found in Directions for the National Reserve System - A Partnership Approach.
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