The recent 2010 budget has provided a significant funding boost of some $54 million over 5 years for national park acquisition and management as a component of a $100 million Environmental Fund established by the Bligh Government. On the surface this should stimulate activity in the acquisition area and the commitment of the Premier in 2008 to expand the national park estate to 7.5% of Queensland may be achieved.
During the 2009-2010 year, approximately 148 000 ha were added to the national park estate. This rate of increase will have to be increased if the Premier’s target is to be achieved.
Based on the Government’s performance over the last 10 years in adding about 850 000 ha the 2020 target will not be met. In order to achieve the target, about 470 000 ha per annum will need to be added for the next 10 years. Furthermore much of the expanded park system in recent years has been the transfer of crown owned lands and acquisition of lands not currently in crown ownership has not been significant. Not that this approach is necessarily a bad thing provided that the newly acquired national park captures regional ecosystems not or poorly represented in the existing national park system. However the new acquisition funds should assist in addressing this apparent imbalance.
Wildlife Queensland acknowledges the Bligh Government is taking a step in the right direction but it falls far short of what is truly needed in Queensland, considering that the international standard is 15%. There is need to set targets to capture a percentage of biodiversity in the protected area estate and, as is the practice, regional ecosystems may be used as surrogates for biodiversity. Queensland protected area estate must capture at least 80% of the state’s regional ecosystems by 2020.
Wildlife Queensland recommends that in selecting Queensland’s national parks and enhancing the estate, planning authorities move away from using percentage targets of state land area as a measure of success for the program. Selection must be based on the use of scientific data to define comprehensive, adequate and representative areas of all our regional ecosystems for inclusion in the park estate (see JANIS 1997 for definitions). Continuity and resilience are parameters that also must be taken into consideration to combat climate change. The percentage of the State’s land protected is not an appropriate measurement or any real test of effectiveness of the program. Areas of cultural value should also be preserved for the benefit of future generations.
What Wildlife Queensland is doing
Wildlife Queensland will monitor performance and report on progress quarterly.
Wildlife Queensland will continue to advocate for declaration of particular sites as and when opportunities present.
More Information
For more information on Wildlife Queensland's activities, call us on +61 7 3221 0194 or send us an email. |
