News edition for 20 July 2026. Added to Nungya on 22 October 2026 as part of our retrospective news archive. Reporting reflects information available by the edition date.

Land and sea are often coloured differently on a map. The Laynhapuy Indigenous Protected Area story places their care in the same account.

A government release dated 20 June 2026 reports a celebration near Dhalinybuy marking the protected area’s expansion in East Arnhem Land. An additional 356,571 hectares brings the area to more than 1.2 million hectares of land and sea Country.

The Laynhapuy Homelands Aboriginal Corporation continues to work with Traditional Owners in management of the area. The announcement also recognises the Yirralka Rangers and names native species including eastern curlews, green turtles and northern quolls.

Those details give the expansion more meaning than a large hectare figure alone. Different habitats and species sit within the same connected landscape, alongside the responsibilities of homelands and their custodians.

The celebration happened before this July edition; this is a look back at the dated report, not an account of a new ceremony today. Nor does protected-area news establish visitor access to cultural places.

For readers following conservation, keep the managing organisation’s name alongside the area’s name. It helps make the ongoing work visible when the announcement has passed. A boundary can be enlarged in a public milestone, while care continues through people, decisions and tasks that happen across many ordinary days.

Read the original report: Dedication ceremony for expansion of Laynhapuy Indigenous Protected Area.