The dedication of the Mayala Indigenous Protected Area has been celebrated with a ceremony near Ardyaloon, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia.

The newly dedicated Indigenous Protected Area fills a key gap in a network of protected areas in the Kimberley. It covers nearly 12,000 hectares of land and over 360,000 hectares of sea Country.

It includes Tanner Island and a small area of the Port of Yampi Sounds.

The Mayala Indigenous Protected Area is made up of islands, reefs, seabeds and land, it includes the endangered Monsoon Vine Thickets of the Dampier Peninsula and a portion of the Kimberley Marine Park.

Mayala sea Country is home to five species of sea turtles, sawfish and dugong, while the land is home to threatened terrestrial species like the golden bandicoot and northern quoll.

The Mayala Inninalang Aboriginal Corporation, with support from the Kimberley Land Council, manage the Mayala Indigenous Protected Area.

Indigenous Protected Areas now make up more than 11 per cent of Australia's landmass and more than 50 per cent of the National Reserve System.

The federal government has set a target to protect and conserve 30 per cent of our land and 30 per cent of our oceans by 2030.

The Mayala Indigenous Protected Area added nearly 12,000 hectares to help reach this 30 per cent land target - 22 per cent of Australia's total landmass is now protected.

Mayala Traditional Owner Janella Isaac said the dedication had been a long-term aspiration for Mayala people.

"It has been a long journey to get here. Our Elders fought hard for us to achieve this dream," she said on Wednesday.

"The process, which began over 18 years ago, has given our people access to Country. Mayala people were displaced many years ago, our language has fallen asleep, but now our young people are returning to Country.

"Now is a time to celebrate. It is our young people who will implement the Indigenous Protected Area management plan."

Elders signed the dedication after a moving ceremony, where Mayala young leaders presented the Elders with gifts of trochus shell and pearl.

Mayala Elder Mitchell Tigan said he would never forget the moment the Indigenous Protected Area was declared.

"Old people and young people were one. Watching this ceremony happen yesterday I was back at the campfire with my father and my grandfathers. I was wiping tears from my eyes. I will never forget that moment," he said.

Newly elected Mayala Chairperson Quentin Turner, who has been championing the Mayala Young Persons Network, said the dedication was a dream come true.

"Today felt like a dream. Mayala people are ready to move forward. Our next steps will be to get a ranger team up and running and continue the work of our old people," he said.

KLC chief executive Tyronne Garstone congratulated Mayala Traditional Owners on the IPA, which he said would have far reaching benefits for Traditional Owners, the Kimberley community and all of Australia.

"The IPA dedication marks a huge milestone for the Mayala people and a significant win for all of Australia, with this IPA delivering the missing link for a continuous Indigenous conservation corridor along the west Kimberley coastline," he said.

"This Indigenous Protected Area will provide employment, get people back onto country, protect culture and maintain some of the last remaining wild refuges," said Mr Garstone.

"IPAs are a proven way of successfully managing land and sea, while simultaneously aligning with the cultural and environmental values of Aboriginal people in the Kimberley.

"The Mayala IPA will ensure that Mayala native title holders are the key decision makers for and managers of their traditional lands – the Country they have looked after for tens of thousands of years. It is clear that investment into ranger and IPA programs remains critical."

The implementation of the Mayala IPA will be managed by the Kimberley Land Council and led by the Mayala Healthy Country Advisory Committee who manage all on Country programs by and with partners such as Parks Australia and DBCA.

The KLC and MIAC acknowledged the support provided by the NIAA and DCCEEW in administering the IPA consultation and program.

Federal Minister for Indigenous Australians, Senator Malarndirri McCarthy, noted that First Nations people have been custodians of land and sea Country for 65,000 years.

"The Indigenous Protected Areas Program supports First Nations communities to manage land and sea Country and deliver cultural and biodiversity conservation outcomes, in accordance with Traditional Owners' aspirations," she said.

"Nantawarrina around the community of Nipapanha in South Australia's Flinders Ranges became Australia's first IPA in 1998, and today we welcome the Mayala People's dedication of Australia's 87th IPA.

"Congratulations to all parties involved."

Indigenous Protected Areas are established under voluntary agreements between First Nations peoples and the Australian Government to manage and protect areas of land and sea for biodiversity conservation.