Walalkara Indigenous Protected Area (IPA) was dedicated in 2000, and covers an area of 700,000 hectares in the Great Victorian Desert. The area is the traditional home of the Pitjantjatjara, Ngaanyatjarra and Yankunytjatjara Aboriginal peoples known as the Anangu.
The Walalkara IPA comprises of a number of rocky outcrops within a mix of sand plain and sand dune country. It contains one of the highest diversities of reptile species found anywhere in the world and supports populations of rare and endangered species, including tjakura, the great desert skink, and Australia's largest lizard, the ngintaka.
The Anangu Land Management Rangers manage the land in accordance with traditional law or Tjukurpa. As well as being imbued with the stories of ancestors, the landscape is the result of thousands of years of management through traditional practices, like patch burning. The resulting mosaic pattern helps to provide protection for small animals, while removing old vegetation and encouraging new growth.
