Former Queensland sheep station becomes protected nature refuge

The Queensland Government has announced that more than 8,200 hectares of a former sheep station in the state's south west will become a protected area via an agreement between the State Government and Paniri Ventures.

The addition of Ardgour Station Nature Refuge, 120km south of Charleville will protect important wetlands and ecosystems that form part of the Wyandra-Cunnamulla Claypans Aggregation.

Nature refuges are a class of private protected area under the state’s Nature Conservation Act and are administered by a legally binding conservation agreement between the landholder and government.

QLD Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon notes “this is an area equivalent to some 82,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools that’ll be protected for generations to come.

“Queenslanders have made it clear: they want us to continue to protect our environment and grow our protected area system.

“This new agreement does just that, building on the record $262 million we announced in the budget to create new national parks.”

Minister Scanlon said to support the nature refuge declaration, the State Government would invest $259,000 through its NatureAssist program to deliver a number of conservation projects on-site.

These include removing all internal fencing to improve wildlife movement, baseline flora and fauna assessments and mapping, and commissioning the land’s Traditional Owners to carry out a cultural heritage survey to gain a better cultural understanding of the property.

The Ardgour Station Nature Refuge was a former sheep grazing property that was destocked in 2016 due to drought and is now actively delivering a Commonwealth Government Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) carbon project.

Gary Wyatt, Managing Director of Paniri Ventures said the establishment of this nature refuge on Ardgour Station demonstrates how ERF projects can be used to deliver a range of benefits, including improved ecological condition and biodiversity.

“This partnership between private investment and the state and federal governments shows what is possible in tackling climate change and habitat loss,” Wyatt said.

Minister Scanlon said Queensland has the largest private protected area network in Australia by land area protecting a diversity of ecosystems and threatened species.

The state’s nature refuges, which will number 555 when the new refuge is declared, cover more than 4.4 million hectares – almost a third of Queensland’s protected area system, which itself totals 14.2 million hectares.