The Northern Territory is a single natural resource management region that includes all of the Darwin-Katherine and part of the Ord National Action Plan on Salinity and Water Quality priority regions. It has a population of only 206,000 living in an area of 1,347,000 square kilometres (one-sixth of Australia's land mass).
The majority of the population lives in the main towns of Darwin, Katherine, Tennant Creek and Alice Springs. The Natural Resource Management Board (NT) is the regional body for the Northern Territory.
Grazing leases (47 percent) and Aboriginal freehold land (44 percent) are the dominant land tenures. The dominant industries of the region are mining, agriculture, tourism and defence. Mining is the leading sector, accounting for $3.2 billion per annum. Tourism accounts for $1 billion and cattle enterprises more than $360 million annually.
While the population of the Northern Territory is small compared to its large landmass, a large number of groups throughout the region are dedicated to natural resource management. Of these, six are Territory-wide organisations supported by more than 80 community and regional groups.
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