ABSTRACT
A new approach to protected areas is evolving in Australia which it is hoped will improve coverage in the developing national system of protected areas. The concept of indigenous protected areas (IPAs) in Australia, distinct from government-run parks and reserves, is gathering momentum. At present, the only aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-owned national parks are those estab lished or continued as a precondition to the granting of indigenous land. Although indigenous landholders have a major say in managing those national parks via boards of management and other joint management arrangements, they had no original choice as to whether the national park was declared.
