- The Miles Government will declare Edgbaston Reserve, near Longreach in Central Queensland, as a special wildlife reserve.
- Owned by Bush Heritage Australia, Edgbaston Reserve will be the second property in Queensland to be declared a special wildlife reserve, which provides national park-level protection.
- Edgbaston is home to the most significant natural springs for global biodiversity in the entire Great Artesian Basin and one of the most important in the world.
The Miles Government has reached agreement with Bush Heritage Australia (BHA) and Bidjara Traditional Owners to safeguard a key Lake Eyre Basin property by declaring it as a special wildlife reserve.
Edgbaston Reserve, an around 8,000-hectare property north-east of Longreach, is owned by BHA and is home to the most significant natural springs for global biodiversity in the entire Great Artesian Basin and one of the most important in the world.
It will be the second special wildlife reserve to be established in Queensland, meaning the environmentally-significant property will be safeguarded against commercial activity under Queensland law for future generations.
The reserve provides critical habitat for 26 plant and animal species found nowhere else in the world, including one of Australia's smallest and most threatened freshwater fish, the critically endangered red-finned blue-eye.
Edgbaston has also been the cornerstone of many discoveries of new species including 15 types of plants and the yet-to-be-described Edgbaston shrimp and amphipod.
Although already declared a nature refuge in 2014, BHA expressed interest to the Queensland Government to enhance the level of protection to the estate by declaring it a special wildlife reserve.
Special wildlife reserves are established on private land to protect areas with exceptional natural and cultural resources and values.
They receive legal protection, like national parks, from incompatible land uses including commercial timber harvesting, commercial grazing, and petroleum and mineral resource extraction.
Edgbaston's formal declaration as a special wildlife reserve is scheduled to take place later in 2024.
Its establishment under this category of protected area follows the Queensland Government's landmark establishment of Pullen Pullen Special Wildlife Reserve in 2020, which was the first protected area of this kind for private land in Australia.
As stated by the Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier Reef and Minister for Science and Innovation Leanne Linard :
"The Miles Government leads the nation when it comes to identifying and safeguarding areas of environmental significance, such as Edgbaston Reserve.
"We are the only state in Australia to provide national park-level protections on private land through the special wildlife reserve class of protected area.
"We established Australia's first specialist wildlife reserve four years ago, and continue our commitment to work with private landholders, organisations and local governments to increase and enhance the state's already impressive list of protected areas.
"I am delighted to announce this agreement to enhance the protections for Edgbaston Reserve, which will ensure this estate will remain a site of international environmental significance well into the future.
"The Miles Government's partnerships with private landholders complements our record $262.5 million investment into expanding and managing Queensland's national parks and other public protected areas.
"Declaring Edgbaston Reserve a special wildlife reserve also underlines our commitment to protecting the Queensland section of the Lake Eyre Basin.
"One of Steven Miles' first acts as Premier was to announce enhanced protections for the rivers and floodplains of the basin, which is home to one of the last remaining free-flowing arid river systems in the world.
As stated by Bush Heritage Australia Chief Executive Officer, Rachel Lowry:
"Australia is facing devastating rates of habitat loss and extinctions so legislation like this is a game-changer for the protection of critically endangered species in Queensland.
"Bush Heritage Australia is committed to preserving the environmentally critical habitat found here at Edgbaston Reserve, which is now legally protected from harmful activities for decades to come.
"As one of the most significant sites for global biodiversity in the world, we are glad to see the Queensland Government prioritise the ongoing preservation of Edgbaston Reserve.
"Nature needs our protection now more than ever, and we're holding high hopes for working with the Queensland government to also secure a number of other areas across Queensland."
As stated by Bidjara Traditional Owner, Trevor Robinson:
"Bidjara are supportive of the protection of Edgbaston Reserve as a Special Wildlife Reserve.
"Protecting Country from the threats of mining is important for protecting our cultural heritage."
