The Anindilyakwa

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) is a region off the coast of Northern mainland Australia, which includes

Groote Eylandt Groote Eylandt ( Anindilyakwa: ''Ayangkidarrba''; meaning "island" ) is the largest island in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the fourth largest island in Australia. It was named by the explorer Abel Tasman in 1644 and is Dutch for "large island" ...

Bickerton Island Bickerton Island is 13 km west of Groote Eylandt and 8 km east of the mouth of Blue Mud Bay in eastern Arnhem Land, in the Northern Territory of Australia. It is about 21 by 21 kilometres in size, with deep bays and indentations, and ...

and other islands in the archipelago, managed by

Anindilyakwa people The Anindilyakwa people, also known as Warnumamalya or Warnindhilyagwa, are an Aboriginal Australian people living on Groote Eylandt, Bickerton Island, and Woodah Island in the Gulf of Carpentaria in the Northern Territory of Australia. Names ...

. It is located around 50 km (31 mi) opposite Blue Mud Bay on the eastern coast of

Arnhem Land Arnhem Land is a historical region of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is located in the north-eastern corner of the territory and is around from the territorial capital, Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin. In 1623, Dutch East India Compa ...

in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

, about 630 kilometres (390 mi) from Darwin. It covers an area of approximately 10,000km2. IPAs are areas of land and sea Country managed by First Nations groups for biodiversity conservation and cultural outcomes through voluntary agreements with the Australian Government. These areas for part of Australia's National Reserve System. The

Anindilyakwa Land Council The Anindilyakwa Land Council (ALC) is a land council that represents the Anindilyakwa people of the Groote Archipelago in the Top End of the Northern Territory of Australia. It is one of four land councils in the Northern Territory. The head offi ...

(ALC) have managed the Anindilyakwa IPA since 10 June 2006 through its Anindilyakwa Land and Sea Rangers. In 2016,

traditional owner Native title is the set of rights, recognised by Australian law, held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups or individuals to land that derive from their maintenance of their traditional laws and customs. These Aboriginal title right ...

s extended it to include an additional 7,000 km² of the surrounding "Makarda" (sea country) managing in accordance with the Anindilyakwa IPA Plan of Management 2016. The area is pristine, with no Western agriculture and few feral species. It holds traditional

songline A songline, also called dreaming track, is one of the paths across the land (or sometimes the sky) within the animist belief systems of the Aboriginal Australians, Aboriginal cultures of Australia. They mark the route followed by localised "crea ...

s, sites and resources for

. It also home to over 900 plant, 150 marine, and at least 330 terrestrial vertebrate species many of which are threatened. Within it, is the only-known population of the

northern hopping mouse The northern hopping mouse (''Notomys aquilo'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is also known as woorrentinta, from Lardil, the language of Mornington Island. It is found only in coastal northern Australia, from Arnhem Land to ...

. It is also key habitat for the

northern quoll The northern quoll (''Dasyurus hallucatus''), also known as the northern native cat, the North Australian native cat or the satanellus is a carnivorous marsupial native to Australia. Taxonomy The northern quoll is a member of the family Das ...

and the

brush-tailed rabbit rat The brush-tailed rabbit rat (''Conilurus penicillatus'') is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea. Taxonomy The brush-tailed rabbit-rat is one of three ''Conilurus'' species that were extant ...

, as well as important breeding areas for four threatened marine turtle species. In 2019, the ALC undertook the largest research project of its kind in partnership with the

Australian Institute of Marine Science Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

mapping 3200 km^{2 of} Groote Eylandt's deeper coastal habitats forming a baseline for future management.

References

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