The Nijinda Durlga Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) was dedicated in 2014

The term "nijinda durlga" means me, or my, land where I belong and I sit down:

Nijinda - Me or my

Durlga - Land where I belong and I sit down

This represents the vision we have for the management of our country under our own terms.

The Nijinda Durlga Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) was dedicated in 2014 and is located between Burketown and the Northern Territory border. The IPA covers over 186,850 hectares. An IPA management plan was developed in consultation with the Gangalidda people, providing realistic management outcomes and economic opportunities that embrace conservation and development. 

The Indigenous Protected Area program was first proposed by the Commonwealth Government in 1997. The three stated goals of the program are to:

• Support Indigenous land owners to develop, declare and manage IPAs on their lands as part of Australia's National Reserve System;
• Support Indigenous interests to develop cooperative management arrangements with Government agencies managing protected areas; and
• Support the integration of Indigenous ecological and cultural knowledge with contemporary protected area management practices.

We are hopeful that the IPA program will provide us with the opportunity to enhance the capacity of our rangers and promote the invaluable work that they do on country in the protection and conservation of biodiversity. 

We believe that an IPA is an appropriate mechanism under which to achieve our aspirations. We are proud of our unique culture and the extraordinary diversity of our country. Conservation has always been a key part of our culture. The flexibility of the IPA program will allow us to meet our cultural obligations in caring for our country, and provide financial and planning support to strengthen our conservation practices as well as national and international recognition to develop and actively manage country. 

The Nijinda Durlga IPA links directly to the Thuwathu/Bujimulla IPA in the Wellesley Islands, providing two adjoining protected and managed areas amassing a total of 1,753,500 hectares.