National Park System, Australia

Australia established the second national park in the world. The Australian Federal Constitution later stipulated that it is the responsibility of state governments to set up and administer national parks and other types of natural reserves. Currently, the Australian Federal Government directly administers 15 parks and protected areas. State governments across the country have contributed to the establishment of a large national park system within Australia and Tasmania. In addition to national parks, local and state governments have established approximately 3,200 protected areas, such as conservation parks, reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries, which account for 5.3% of Australia’s land area. The government has also built 228 marine parks or marine reserves in estuaries, of which Uluru-Kata Tjuta and Purnululu have been listed on the World Heritage List.