Governments to face backlash over exploitation of national parks

Environmental groups are predicting a public backlash to proposed shooting, logging and prospecting within national parks, after the Federal Government backed away from adding Commonwealth oversight of conservation areas.

The Greens put forward an amendment to a Federal Government bill on protecting water tables from coal seam gas drilling that would have given the Commonwealth greater power to protect national parks.

Under the current the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, the Federal Government can intervene only if an endangered species, heritage area or place of "national significance" is affected by development.

It is understood a proposal by Federal Environment Minister Tony Burke to include a national parks trigger was rejected at a cabinet meeting last week.

A spokesperson for Burke told The Guardian that the Federal Government supports its bill "as it stands" and that separate 2011 proposals, which would have brought most national parks under the Commonwealth's remit, were "still under consideration".

Environmentalists have pushed for greater federal involvement in national parks due to their dismay at pro-development decisions made by state governments.

Last year, the NSW Ggovernment said it would open up 77 of its national parks and reserves to amateur hunters to shoot feral animals, despite concerns over the safety to people.

The Queensland Government is conducting a review of all protected areas put aside since 2002, with a view to allow logging in certain parks, while the Victorian government has introduced 99-year private leases for tourism development in all of its national parks.

Wilderness Society National Campaign Director Lyndon Schneiders said that the public was strongly against the erosion of national parks, stating "millions of people use national parks.

"Governments that are driving these changes to realise commercial opportunities don't really realise they are biting their constituents. Most people out there can't really believe what is happening is real and that it is being allowed to happen. The backlash is already there and it's only going to get bigger.

"The individual impacts of each development are bad, but what's most disturbing is that there is now a section of politics that has decided that national parks aren't worth it. This is a lost opportunity because the states have shown they can't be trusted. We've encouraged the government to do something on this for three years, but they've dragged their heels and now they are barely functioning. This is a skirmish in what will be a much longer debate around nature conservation. We are at a crossroads moment about how we best protect national parks and other areas."

Victorian National Parks Association Executive Director Matt Ruchel said he was "disappointed" by the lack of Federal oversight.

Ruchel added "if the states go feral and undermine the integrity of national parks, who else will provide the checks and balances but the federal government?"

"National parks are the cornerstone of conservation. They are well respected by the Australian community, they are a major draw card every day of the year, they clean air and water and draw carbon from the atmosphere.

"Up until recently, protecting national parks was a bipartisan issue. I don't understand why there's been a shift away from that approach. It's deeply concerning."

3rd June 2013 - DISPUTE OVER PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENTS IN VICTORIA’S NATIONAL PARKS

2nd April 2013 - ENVIRONMENT GROUPS CRITICAL OF VICTORIA’S NATURE-BASED TOURISM PLANS

24th August 2012 - PRIVATE TOURISM DEVELOPMENT TO BE ALLOWED IN VICTORIA’S NATIONAL PARKS