Govt strategy to protect national parks

Three days out from going into caretaker mode for this year’s election, the Queensland Government has delivered on a promise made last election.

It has delivered a strategy to protect more wilderness areas in Queensland and committed $60 million in funding for it.

That means it can buy more land to turn into national parks, pay private landholders to create their own wilderness zones and employ more Indigenous rangers.

But while conservation groups have welcomed the investment, they warn more money is needed.

It had promised it would devise the strategy, with the goal of protecting 17 per cent of the state.

Currently, just 8.2 per cent of Queensland is protected.

But the Government’s 10-year plan for protecting and creating more national parks doesn’t have nearly as much funding as conservation organisations said was required.

Queensland’s Conservation Council and the Pew Charitable Trusts said $135 million dollars a year was needed to buy enough wilderness areas and pay private landholders to protect them.

Instead, this funding is less than half that amount and spread over four years.

“It’s about time we had some serious investment in this, so I think it sets a momentum and direction that’s really important,” said National Parks Association president,  Susanne Cooper.

Source
George Roberts
ABC News

See also: Queensland’s Protected Area Strategy 2020–2030