The Collaborative Australian Protected Areas Database (CAPAD) provides both spatial and textual information about government, Indigenous and privately protected areas for Australia, in both the marine and terrestrial environments. This dataset is for terrestrial data only. State, Territory and the large NGO conservation agencies supplied data current for 30 June 2022. This is the twelfth version of the terrestrial database, with previous versions released in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020.

The Department also publishes protected areas data for the marine environment. "CAPAD 2022 - Marine" contains spatial and text information about offshore protected areas, for both State and Commonwealth waters. Previous versions of CAPAD marine information have been published in 1997, 2002, 2004, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2020.

CAPAD provides a snapshot of protected areas that meet the IUCN definition of a protected area: "A protected area is a clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values." (IUCN Definition 2008).

The department publishes a summary of the CAPAD data biennially on its website at http://www.environment.gov.au/capad/.

CAPAD is available for use through the CC-BY 4.0 licencing model.

The main attributes of Terrestrial CAPAD are described below. For more information please refer to the CAPAD Technical Specification document.

CAPAD Attributes:

PA_ID: A unique code for the protected area that should persist between versions of CAPAD. In most cases this number will be generated by the DCCEW, and is generally based on the RES_NUMBER provided by the data custodian.

PA_PID: A unique code for a parcel or zone within a protected area that should persist between versions of CAPAD. For example, a protected area with two zones share the same PA_ID and are assigned PA_PID values of PA_ID_a and PA_ID_b. If a protected area does not have multiple parts/zones then the PA_PID is by default the same as the PA_ID.

NAME: The official (gazetted) name of a protected area. Gazetted PAs with no name are flagged as "Unnamed" with a reserve number. e.g. Unnamed HA1207.

TYPE: The type of protected area according to the establishment mechanism. eg. National Park, Nature Refuge, Indigenous Protected Area

TYPE_ABBR: The abbreviation of the protected area TYPE.

AA - Aboriginal Area

ACCP - Conservation Covenant [Approved Conservation Covenant Program]

ASMA - Antarctic Specially Managed Areas

ASPA - Antarctic Specially Protected Areas

BG - Botanic Gardens

BG_COM - Botanic Gardens (Commonwealth)

CA - Conservation Area

CCA - Coordinated Conservation Area

CCAZ1 - CCA Zone 1 National Park

CCAZ3 - CCA Zone 3 State Conservation Area

COR - Coastal Reserve

CP - Conservation Park

CR - Conservation Reserve

FLR - Flora Reserve

FR - Forest Reserve

GR - Game Reserve

HA - Heritage Agreement

HIR - Historical Reserve

HR - Heritage River

HS - Historic Site

HTR - Hunting Reserve

IPA - Indigenous Protected Area

KCR - Karst Conservation Reserve

MA - Management Area

MAA - Management Agreement Area

NAP - Nature Park

NCA - Natural Catchment Area

NCR - Nature Conservation Reserve

NFR - Natural Features Reserve

NP - National Park

NPA - National Park Aboriginal

NPC - National Park (Commonwealth)

NPS4 - National Parks Act Schedule 4 park or reserve

NR - Nature Reserve

NRA - Nature Recreation Area

NREF - Nature Refuge

NRS - NRS Addition - Gazettal in Progress

NS - National Park (Scientific)

OCA - Other Conservation Area

OCA_NAP - Other Conservation Area or Nature Park

OP - Other

PA - Protected Area

PNPA - Proposed National Parks Act park or park addition

PNR - Private Nature Reserve

PPP - Permanent Park Preserve

PS - Private Sanctuary

RA - Reference Area

RCP - Recreation Park

REP - Regional Park

RNA - Remote and Natural Area - not scheduled under National Parks Act

RNAS6 - Remote and Natural Area - Schedule 6, National Parks Act

RP - Recreation Park

RR - Regional Reserve

RSR - Resources Reserve

S5G - 5(1)(g) Reserve

S5H - 5(1)(h) Reserve

SCA - State Conservation Area

SP - State Park

SR - State Reserve

WP - Wilderness Park

WPA - Wilderness Protection Area

WZ - Wilderness Zone - Schedule 5, National Parks Act

IUCN: the IUCN protected area management category ascribed by the managing authority.

IA = Strict Nature Reserve

IB = Wilderness Area

II = National Park

III = Natural Monument or Feature

IV = Habitat/Species Management Area

V = Protected Landscape/Seascape

VI = Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources

NR = (Not Reported) - For protected areas where an IUCN category is unknown and/or the data provider has not provided any related information.

NA = (Not Applicable) - Denotes an area that does not meet the NRS criteria or the IUCN definition of a protected area but has management complimentary to the NRS.

NAS = (Not Assigned) - The protected area meets the standard definition of protected areas but the data provider has chosen not to use the IUCN Protected Area Management Categories.

NRS_PA: This attribute indicates the status of the protected area in terms of meeting the standard for inclusion in the National Reserve System (NRS).

Y = Yes. The land has been assessed as a protected area that meets the standard for inclusion in the NRS.

I = an interim protected area. The land has been assessed to meet the standard for inclusion in the NRS but has not been formally established as a protected area although binding agreements are in place for formal protection to occur in the future.

N = No. The land has been assessed not to meet the standard for inclusion in the NRS but is managed for nature conservation without meeting the NRS standard.

ND = Not determined. The land is probably managed for nature conservation that has not been assessed to determine if it meets the standard for inclusion in the NRS.

Note that for the calculation of area statistics only protected areas with an NRS_PA value of 'Y' or 'I' are included.

GAZ_AREA: The area in hectares as described in the nomination document (e.g. parliamentary gazettal), to the nearest hectare. Some protected areas do not have a specific area in the designation.

GIS_AREA: The area (in hectares) of a protected area based on current spatial data calculated in the Albers Equal Area projection by DAWE using GIS software. This field is used to calculate the statistics provided in spreadsheets at: www.environment.gov.au/capad/

GAZ_DATE: Gazettal date of the original proclamation that established any form of protected area.

LATEST_GAZ: the date of the most recent gazettal or proclamation to add land to the protected area. . It can be the same as the GAZ_DATE if there have been no changes or additions to the protected area.

STATE: The code for the state or territory that the protected area is located in. "EXT" refers to protected areas located in Australian external territories.

AUTHORITY: The code for the authority that administers the Protected Area.

AAD - Australian Antarctic Division

ACT_EPSDD - Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate

AWC - Australian Wildlife Conservancy

AWC_BA - Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Birdlife Australia

AWC_DAM – Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Dambimangari People

AWC_DD - Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Department of Defence

AWC_TLLFW - Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Tony and Lisette Lewis Foundation WildlifeLink

AWC_YC - Australian Wildlife Conservancy and Yulmbu Community

BHA - Bush Heritage Australia

BHA_NTWA - Bush Heritage Australia and National Trust of Western Australia

BRC_TAS - Burnie Council - Tasmania

CCC_TAS - Clarence City Council – Tasmania

DCC_TAS - Devonport City Council - Tasmania

DCCEEW = Australian Government, Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water

DRC_TAS - Dorset Council - Tasmania

EAC_QLD - Ewamian Aboriginal Corporation

EL_NSW - Enduring Landscapes Inc

FC_NSW - Forestry Corporation of NSW

FUA - Federation University Australia

GCC_NSW - Gosford City Council – New South Wales

GCC_TAS - Glenorchy City Council - Tasmania

HCR_CMA - Hunter Central Rivers Catchment Management Authority

ILC - Indigenous Land Corporation

IMG - Indigenous Management Group

KNC_TAS - Kingborough Council - Tasmania

KRGC_NSW - Ku-ring-gai Council – New South Wales

LCC_TAS - Launceston City Council - Tasmania

LILC - Local Indigenous Land Council

MINCA_QLD - Magnetic Island Nature Care Association

NF_SA - Nature Foundation South Australia Inc

NMC_TAS - Northern Midlands Council - Tasmania

NSC_QLD - Noosa Shire Council - Queensland

NSW_OEH - NSW Office of Environment and Heritage

NT_PWCNT - Parks and Wildlife Commission of the NT

NTWA - National Trust of Western Australia

QLD_DES - Queensland Department of Environment and Science

SA_DEW - South Australian Department of Environment and Water

SA_FRST - Forestry South Australia

SET - South Endeavour Trust

SHFT - Sydney Harbour Federation Trust

SMC_TAS - Southern Midlands Council - Tasmania

NRE_TAS = Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania

TAS_DPIPWE - Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

TAS_HYDRO - Hydro Tasmania

TAS_PAHSMA - Port Arthur Historic Site Management Authority - Tasmania

TAS_PRIV - Private (miscellaneous) – Tasmania

TAS_VAR - Various managing authorities - Tasmania

TAS_WATER - TasWater

TAS_WPMT - Wellington Park Management Trust - Tasmania

TFN_QLD - Queensland Trust for Nature

TFN_VIC - Trust for Nature Victoria

TLC - Tasmanian Land Conservancy Inc

TSRA - Torres Strait Regional Authority

VIC_DELWP - Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

WA_DBCA - Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

WAC - Winangakirri Aboriginal Corporation

DATASOURCE: The code for the agency that supplied the Protected Area data.

AAD - Australian Antarctic Division

ACT_EPSSD – ACT Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate

AWC - Australian Wildlife Conservancy

BHA - Bush Heritage Australia

BHA_NTWA - Bush Heritage Australia and National Trust of Western Australia

DAWE - Australian Government, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment

DOEE_NRSP - Australian Government, Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment - National Reserve System Program

FC_NSW - Forestry Corporation of NSW

LHI_Board - Lord Howe Island Board

NF_SA - Nature Foundation SA Inc

NSW_OEH - NSW Office of Environment and Heritage

NT_PWCNT - Parks and Wildlife Commission of the NT

NTWA - National Trust of Western Australia

QLD_DES - Queensland Department of Environment and Science

SA_DEW - South Australian Department for Environment and Water

SA_FRST - Forestry South Australia

TAS_DPIPWE - Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment

TFN_QLD - Queensland Trust for Nature

TFN_VIC - Trust for Nature Victoria

TSRA - Torres Strait Regional Authority

VIC_DELWP - Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

WA_DBCA - Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions

GOVERNANCE: The CODE for the type of governance which has management and decision making responsibility.

C = Community - Community conserved areas where indigenous peoples or local communities (settled or mobile) hold decision-making authority, responsibility and accountability.

G = Government - Protected areas with decision-making authority, responsibility and accountability in the hands of national, state or local government

J = Joint - Jointly managed protected areas where several social actors from different governance types share decision-making authority, responsibility and accountability. Joint management arrangements are recognised by a management board, agreement (e.g. ILUA) or other formal arrangement.

P = Private - Private protected areas where land and resource owners hold decision-making authority, responsibility and accountability.

COMMENTS: Extra information jurisdictions elect to supply.

For Tasmania the following abbreviations were supplied in the COMMENTS field:

BHP = Biodiversity Hotspots Program

CLAC = Crown Land Assessment Classification Project

FCF = Forest Conservation Fund

FCF_DAT = Forest Conservation Fund -Direct Approach Tas

FRs = Forest Reserves

MCF = Midlands Conservation Fund

MBHT = Midlands Biodiversity Hotspots Tender

NFVP = Non-Forest Vegetation Program

PAPL = Protected Areas on Private Land

PFRP = Private Forest Reserves Program

R_40s Offsets = Roaring Forties Offset

Rev_Fund= Revolving Fund

TCFA= Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement

TFA = Tasmanian Forest Agreement

ENVIRON: The code denotes the environment type conserved in the protected area as described by the data custodian. A protected area can assigned an ENVIRON value of terrestrial, marine or both.

T = Terrestrial - Generally includes land and or water above high water mark including aquatic ecosystems.

B = Both - Includes land and water both above and below the high water mark.

M = Marine - Generally includes land and or water below high water mark and may include islands and reefs above high water mark.

Terrestrial CAPAD contains 'T' and 'B' protected areas. Marine CAPAD contains 'M' and 'B' protected areas. If a protected area is coded as 'B' by the data provider, DoEE calculates the proportional representation of marine and terrestrial areas within the protected area (all component polygons combined). If less than 70% of protected area is marine then the whole protected area is included in the terrestrial CAPAD dataset. If 70% or more of the protected area is marine then the whole protected area is included in the marine CAPAD dataset.

Prior to CAPAD 2016 all ENVIRON = 'T' or B' records were included in the terrestrial version of CAPAD and only ENVIRON = 'M' records were included in Marine CAPAD. The method described above for managing ENVIRON = 'B' areas was introduced in CAPAD 2016 (and revised slightly in CAPAD 2018).

OVERLAP: Derived by DoEE. Included, in terrestrial CAPAD only, to deal with the 'stacked' nature of some terrestrial protected areas so that overlaps can be 'flattened' for the purposes of calculating the protected area coverage of Australia.

Terrestrial protected areas with NO overlaps will be allocated a value of "1". As a general rule, where two protected areas overlap, the area with the higher ranking (based on 'IUCN' category and 'TYPE') will be allocated a value of "1" for the overlap field with the lower ranking area allocated a value of "2". For example, where a National Park (IUCN II) overlaps with a Nature Refuge (IUCN VI) the National Park will be allocated the value of "1" and the Nature Refuge will be allocated the value of "2".

For consistency with national scale products like IBRA and IMCRA (and area calculations for PA's across state borders) DoEE applies a 'clip' to the state borders component of the Geoscience Australia COAST 100K dataset – and not the coastline. Each jurisdiction use their own, generally higher resolution, coastline dataset.

Marine CAPAD does not contain the OVERLAP field. To calculate the total area any features that overlap are dissolved using the field of interest, for example: for IUCN calculations the IUCN field only is dissolved, for TYPE the TYPE field only is dissolved. One area which has a significant overlap is Queensland. The Great Barrier Reef Coast Marine Park (QLD) significantly overlaps with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Commonwealth).

For the purpose of area calculations please be aware of the OVERLAP attribute. Users may wish to use the following SQL statement: Select * from CAPAD2018 where OVERLAP = '1' AND NRS_PA IN ('Y', 'I').

MGT_PLAN: The code of the status of the management plan for the protected area.

P - In Preparation - Some form of management document was being prepared.

D - Draft - A draft management document was released for comment by the public, management board or equivalent.

S - Statutory - Enabling legislation establishes the management of a protected area and separate management document is not required.

I - Management Intent - A formal statement of management intent has been prepared that clearly sets out the management objectives for the protected area but includes little else.

M - Management Plan - A formally adopted management plan that has been through consultation and contains strategies and actions for implementation for this protected area.

R - Regional Plan - A formally adopted management plan has been through consultation and contains general strategies and actions for implementation over a group of protected areas.

N - Unknown - No form of management document could be found.

UR - Under Review - The management plan is under review

RES_NUMBER: The reserve number (if declared) as used by the controlling authority. IPA Reserve numbers are allocated by DAWE.

EPBC: This identifies if the reserve can be considered under the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Commonwealth = Commonwealth reserve (either a Commonwealth National Park, Commonwealth Botanic Garden or Antarctic protected/managed reserve) – as outlined in Section 342 of the Act.

Private = Privately managed reserve

State = State managed reserve – as supplied by State/Territory authority

LONGITUDE: Longitude coordinate of polygon centroid in decimal degrees, derived by DAWE from Geographics projected dataset.

LATITUDE: Latitude coordinate of polygon centroid in decimal degrees, derived by DAWE from Geographics projected dataset.