We did it! 

We spoke up and the Queensland Government listened! 

The people of Queensland told the Premier that protecting our natural and cultural resources was important and that they wanted the Government to live up to their ambitious commitment to double Queensland’s protected areas by providing ambitious funding.

Well, today, the Queensland Government did just that, announcing a $262.5 million investment in strengthening Queensland’s national park estate.

This includes $200 million over four years that will see at least 1 million hectares added to our national park estate.

It also includes $50 million for infrastructure and $12.5 million for management.

This is the scale of the investment we need from the government, and this is what we are getting.

With this funding, we can expect in the next four years to see some of Queensland’s most significant, threatened and unprotected landscapes becoming national parks – providing protection for our state’s unique ecosystems and species, as well as bringing jobs to the regions and communities that surround these new national parks.

Today’s $262.5 million commitment is in addition to the $40 million announced earlier this month for threatened species, as well as the $38.5 million announced in March this year for the management and return of land of cultural and natural significance on Cape York to First Nations people.

This is what people power looks like!

We should be proud of the impact our voice has had in protecting Queensland’s unique natural and cultural resources, including the many plants and animals that can be found nowhere else, for current and future generations.

And when visitors come for the Olympics in 2032, they, too, will get to enjoy the awesome beauty that Queensland has to offer because of the actions we have taken in the last few months!

This is a win for Queensland, and most importantly, a win for nature! 

Source
Jon Ferguson
Queensland Conservation