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Northern Tanami Indigenous Protected Area
Category:	Place
Date:	April 2007
Sub Category:	Indigenous Protected Area
Place:	Northern Tanami
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State/Country:	Northern Territory, Australia
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	Northern Tanami IPA is located in the Northern Tanami Desert, Northern Territory. The Lajamanu Community is located 900 kilometres south of Darwin (Australian Government, 2007). 'The Northern Tanami Indigenous Protected Area takes in the northern half of the Central Desert Aboriginal Land Trust (ALT) and the southern third of Hooker Creek ALT. It extends west to the boundaries with Yingualyalya, Purta and Mount Frederick ALT's and east to the edge of Karlantijpa North ALT. Several mining leases, including Groundrush and the Tanami Mine fall within the area as they are on Aboriginal freehold land and are environmentally managed by the Wulaign Rangers who are key participants in the Tanami Biodiversity Monitoring Project.' (Central Land Council, 2007)
Alternative Names:	Lajamanu Indigenous Protected Area
Subject Matter:	\| Cultural Heritage \| Environmental Heritage
URL:	http://www.environment.gov.au/indigenous/publications/pubs/northern-tanami-fs.pdf
Summary Information:
The Northern Tanami Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) was declared in April 2007, and covers 40,000 square kilometeres of the Northern Tanami Desert. It is managed by the Lajamanu Community and the Wulaign Rangers, a group established by the Central Land Council and the Wulaign Outstation Resource Centre. The Northern Tanami IPA is part of the National Reserve System, and approximately two thirds of the IPA has been identified as having high conservation value and also a 'Biodiversity Conservation Hotspot' pursuant to the Northern Territory Parks Masterplan.
Detailed Information:
Background Information The IPA covers land which falls under the Northern Territory Aboriginal Land Rights Act, and as such the Central Land Council (CLC) has a statutory responsibility for the area and a duty to consult with Traditional Owners prior to the declaration of an IPA. Funding from the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) was initially granted by way of a Financial Assistance Agreement dated 20 May 2002 between the Commonwealth of Australia and the Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife Commission (PWCNT). This funding provided for: the establishment of a Steering Committee comprising Traditional Owners, the CLC, PWCNT, and Environment Australia; the development of a draft Plan of Management based on Traditional Owner aspirations and sustainable use and management of natural resources and cultural heritage; consultations with the Traditional Owners regarding declaring the area an IPA; and field trips. The proposed Northern Tanamai IPA had little known area in terms of its biota. CLC recruited a consultant to conduct a feasibility study and collate information on the natural and cultural resources of the area. The consultant worked with Aboriginal Rangers from Lajamanu and the Australian Heritage Commission wish to collaborate with the consultant and the Lajamanu Rangers in relation to natural resource surveys. In 2003, the CLC received a grant from the Department of the Environment which enable the development of the region as an IPA. Traditional Owners of the Tanami have contributed funding towards the Ranger programs out of monies from mining royalties. Detailed Information The Department of the Environment and Water Resources noted that 'the declaration of the Northern Tanami IPA was made under World Conservation Union (IUCN) Category VI' or an 'area containing predominantly unmodified natural systems.' The land features of the Northern Tanami IPA include alluvial sandplains, sandstone outcrops, laterite plateus and the black soil plains (Australian Government, 2007). It is also home to vulnerable species such as the bilby and the Gouldian finch (Australian Government, 2007). The area also includes a large number of cultural sites, dreaming tracks and historic locations for the Warlpiri and Gurindji People (Central Land Council, 2007).