Proposal to sell off National Parks to preserve Australia's biodiversity?

A controversial proposal to sell off some of Australia's less viable national parks has been suggested by one of the country's leading ecologists.
Professor Hugh Possingham, Director of the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions at the University of Queensland, argues that Australia's conservation dollar is being spread to thinly. As a result, he believes that Governments need to prioritise which national parks should be kept, and which ones can be sold off.
Professor Possingham, one of the nation's most eminent ecologists, said in terms of protecting and preserving flora and fauna, it was time national park performance was measured against properties outside reserved areas.
Scarce conservation funds could be better spent in stewardship agreements with farmers under which they would be paid to reduce grazing pressure and change fire regimes.
It might turn out that lightly-grazed properties held under Land for Wildlife or nature reserve schemes could preserve species as well or better than parks.
Professor Possingham offered Central Queensland's Bimblebox Nature Reserve was an example, stating that it was obvious that some sort of tenure change would be needed for places such as Bimblebox which was proposed to be mined.
Last week, James Cook University's Stephen Williams said the situation for north Queensland rainforest species was bleak because of climate change. Although they were in national parks, they were not protected from change.
Species at threat even included the Herbert River ringtail possum, the symbol of Queensland's National Parks and Wildlife Service symbol.
Professor Possingham said species and ecosystems were still being lost nationwide, stating "we need . . . to decide what we can afford to save because the current system plainly isn't working."
"When we acquire new parks, we need to think about them relative to other land management options . . . which may be a lot cheaper.
"Australian native species are still disappearing at a rate 100 to 1000 times faster than normal.
"Over the last 200 years, 22 mammal species have become extinct, over 100 are now on the threatened and endangered species list and six more bird taxa were recently declared extinct."
Professor Possingham believes Australians should be encouraged to care for, rather than clear, privately-owned land.