We all know that money doesn’t grow on trees, but it can certainly help grow and protect some. NPAQ’s CEO Chris Thomas has scoured the State Government’s newly released budget to reveal the wins for nature and national parks. Typically, conservation spending risks getting short shrift in national and state budgets, but recently we have […]
Island history Lady Elliot Island is the most southern coral cay in the Great Barrier Reef with an area of around 40Ha. Owned by the Federal Government, the island is located 85 km off the Queensland coast, with the closest regional towns being Bundaberg and Hervey Bay. Lady Elliot Island is located within the ‘Green […]
Cathy Gatley is Ranger-in-Charge of Mon Repos Conservation Park, just east of Bundaberg. Working with plants and animals is in her DNA… Why did you decide to become a ranger? My dad was a veterinarian who treated lots of native animals, so I was fortunate to grow up with koalas, gliders and birds around the […]
The National Parks Association of Queensland (NPAQ) has been active in increasing Queensland’s National Park Estate and seeking management of threats for 90 years. Romeo Lahey looms large in the establishment and early years of the Association. Lahey recognised that “no body of public opinion was organised to combat the influences which were operating against […]
1870-1929 (Pre-NPAQ) 1872 Yellowstone National Park – World’s first National Park 1879 The National Park declared under The Land Act 1897 (now Royal National Park), Australia’s first National Park 1900 Barron Falls earliest Queensland reserve (The Land Act 1897) 1906 The State Forest & National Parks Act 1906 (Qld) – first Australian legislation (and possibly […]
Carly Smith is a Ranger at Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park in the Central West region of Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS).
Personal reflection on why our parks must be valued.
Shellie Cash is Ranger-in-Charge at Currawinya National Park in western Queensland. She has always loved being outdoors studying different animals. Growing up on a farm gave her a passion for land management and, after completing high school, Shellie took on a traineeship with QPWS in Rockhampton. It didn’t take her long to realise that she had found her perfect job.
Adele Pedder of the Australian Marine Conservation Society delves into the importance of marine protected areas and the risk associated with exposing the proposed Coral Sea Commonwealth Marine Reserve to intensive fishing practices.
The State Budget has allocated an extra $40 million over two years for national parks, however only $5 million of that will potentially go towards operational funding and conservation planning. The rest is essentially a tourism spend disguised as environmental dollars. Learn why the Queensland Government’s boast of a record environmental spend isn’t all it’s made out to be.
