Two Aboriginal claimant groups have been granted partial native title rights over a 20,000 square kilometre area of Western Australia's Pilbara.

The Ngarluma and Yindjibarndi peoples have been successful in the Federal Court in jointly securing access and cultural rights over a wide area including Karratha and Roebourne.

However, the native title rights granted are non-exclusive, and the court also ruled they do not cover the Burrup Peninsula.

Justice Nicholson handed down a 444-page judgment a short time ago.

The judgment also concluded that two other claimant groups, the Wong-oo-tt-oo and the Yaburara, did not have distinct native title rights over the same area.

However, the three Aboriginal groups have agreed to co-exist peacefully over the claimant area.