Queensland national park estate review to strengthen quality land protections

Queensland National Parks Minister Steve Dickson has announced more than $25 million will be invested in Queensland's national parks next year, while a scientific review of the national park estate will see better management and protection of pristine areas.

Minister Dickson said the Queensland Government's 2013-2014 Budget included a $25.8 million spend on national parks capital works, including $6.3 million towards improving visitor access across the state.

Minister Dickson explained "we're investing $2.2 million for upgrades to some of Queensland's most popular visitor centres at Carnarvon National Park, Mon Repos in Bundaberg, the David Fleay Wildlife Park on the Gold Coast and Walkabout Creek in Brisbane (and the) Government is clearly focused on providing greater ecotourism opportunities for all Queensland residents and visitors to enjoy."

Minister Dickson predicted that "our scientific review of all 12.5 million hectares of land within the national parks estate will result in higher protection and proper management for our pristine natural areas.

"Any claim that this review is being undertaken to revoke Queensland's national parks is unfounded, and forms part of an increasingly shrill scare campaign from the extreme Green movement, eschewing science for emotive headlines."

Minister highlighted that the Queensland Newman Government had acted quickly in past weeks to offer emergency grazing relief to drought stricken graziers by opening access to some National Parks and National Reserve System (NRS) properties, adding "this land was carefully selected based on proximity to drought affected graziers, previous grazing histories, and the presence ofbuffel grass which is suitable fodder for cattle on many of these properties.

"In the particular case of Mazeppa National Park, we're utilising land which has been grazed from the early 1850s. Since becoming a National Park, African buffel grass has grown wild and if we do not allow cattle to graze, this introduced species will continue to grow, dry out through the winter and present a dangerous fire risk in the spring.

"With a third of Queensland now drought declared, we are not only offering a solution to assist the current crisis, we are potentially avoiding a future one.

"Further, in selecting this emergency grazing land, consideration was also given to levels of visitation. In the past two years, these five National Parks combined have seen fewer than 10 campers each year.

"Around 70% of Queenslanders visited a National Park in the last year, but clearly no one is visiting those in the remote north-west to gaze at cattle runs and overgrown grass."

For more information go to www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/