The Indigenous Rangers Program (IRP) assists First Nations people in managing Country according to Traditional Owners’ aspirations. Indigenous rangers use Traditional Knowledge and cultural practices, combined with Western science, to manage land, river and sea Country and deliver environmental, cultural, social and economic outcomes.
Through the IRP, the Australian Government acknowledges, supports and invests in First Nations peoples’ unique, critical and continuing role in managing and protecting Australia’s natural and cultural heritage.
The government has delivered a national expansion of the IRP and is developing an Indigenous Ranger Sector Strategy to guide the future growth and empowerment of Indigenous ranger organisations across Australia.
Indigenous ranger groups are formed through engagement with local community and Traditional Owners to deliver on Country activities including:
- fire management - cultural burning and bushfire mitigation
- biodiversity conservation - habitat and threatened species management, invasive species management, freshwater and sea Country management
- strengthening First Nations language and culture
- cultural heritage protection and maintenance
- intergenerational knowledge transfer, education, training and capability development
- biosecurity monitoring
- partnerships with research, education, philanthropic and commercial organisations
- building and retaining employment in the Indigenous land and water management sector.
Indigenous Rangers Program
The NIAA is delivering the Government’s commitment to double the number of Indigenous rangers to 3,800 by 2030 and is working towards gender equality in ranger positions by expanding and diversifying the IRP.
The IRP supports 320 ranger groups across all Australian states and territories, and is on track to employ over 3,800 First Nations ranger jobs (full-time, part-time and casual) by the end of the decade. Over 44 per cent of these jobs will be undertaken by First Nations women. The Australian Government’s investment in the IRP from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2028 is over $1.3 billion.
In 2024 and 2025, the IRP was expanded through two competitive grant rounds, that focused on expanding the IRP footprint, increasing the number of Indigenous women rangers and increasing the number of Indigenous rangers on dedicated Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs).
The outcomes of these grant rounds expanded the scope of the IRP by building on the existing 127 Indigenous ranger groups managed by 78 organisations approved for funding from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2028.
Through the expansion of the IRP, 193 new ranger groups managed by a total of 174 organisations have been approved for funding until 30 June 2028. This included 138 new ranger organisations. More than 1,900 new Indigenous ranger jobs will be created in these ranger groups by 2028.
The expansion ensured ranger groups would include dedicated women ranger groups or have dedicated women jobs. Over 45 per cent of the jobs under the expansion grant rounds will be awarded to First Nations women.
New IRP ranger groups have also been funded to work on 20 dedicated IPAs that previously operated without IRP rangers.
Details of the grants for IRP organisations are published on the Grant Awards: GrantConnect website once funding agreements have been executed.
Location of all IRP Groups
You can find NIAA funded IRP ranger groups on the Indigenous Ranger Groups Explorer | Digital Atlas of Australia.
IRP future direction
An Indigenous Ranger Sector Strategy (IRSS) is being developed to guide the future growth and empowerment of community-based Indigenous ranger organisations across Australia. The development and delivery of the IRSS will be a collaborative effort by Indigenous Australians, governments, and the private sector.
More information on the IRSS can be found on the Indigenous Ranger Sector Strategy page on this website.
IRP Capacity Building survey
In late 2025 – early 2026, the NIAA sought feedback from IRP providers and Indigenous ranger representative bodies via an online survey, on how to invest in capacity building activities up to June 2028. Feedback was sought on networking, knowledge sharing forums, training, and sector representation.
The survey closed in late February 2026. The results are now being reviewed for future investment considerations.
Junior Rangers
The Junior Rangers program, which supports on Country learning for school-aged children and youth, is also increasing its footprint. The Junior Rangers grant opportunity has now closed. You can find out more about Junior Ranger activities on the NIAA website.