Together with more than ten thousand other Queenslanders, I’m calling on you to lift your ambition on funding for national parks, private protected areas and Indigenous rangers in the 2020-21 state budget.
I welcome Minister Enoch’s recent announcement about the expansion of Mount Walsh National Park and declaration of Caloola Nature Refuge. The establishment of well-managed protected areas is vital for our native wildlife and supports a thriving nature-based tourism industry.
However, this year is your government’s last chance to deliver on your 2017 election promise to deliver a ‘world-leading protected area system for Queensland’ before heading to the polls. We are looking to you for ambitious funding growth to meet that commitment.
If we’re going to protect the wildlife and beautiful places that we as Queenslanders are so proud of, we need to protect more areas and fund them well to tackle threats like destructive wildfires, feral animals and invasive weeds. It’s a win for nature, for our communities and for our economy.
I’m asking you to honour your commitment to create a world leading protected areas network by investing in the following three programs:
- The Nature Refuges Program to support private landholders to care for their land.
- New well-managed National Parks to protect nature and grow tourism.
- Indigenous Ranger jobs to support people caring for country.