- State Government conserves 6.5 million hectares of WA land and water through Plan for Our Parks
- Additional conservation estate equivalent in size to Tasmania
- Significant sites created or expanded under Plan for Our Parks include Beeliar Regional Park, Wellington National Park and Fitzroy River National Park
The Cook Labor Government has conserved enough land and water equivalent in size to Tasmania with the completion of Plan for Our Parks.
That policy, announced in 2019, set an ambitious target for the State Government to create five million hectares of new conservation estate - including national parks, marine parks and nature reserves - in just five years.
Completed late last year, that target has since been met, with 6.5 million hectares of land being conserved representing a 28 per cent increase in Western Australia's conservation estate.
Significant sites expanded or created through that policy include:
- Beeliar Regional Park, where the State Government has accorded the Beeliar Wetlands status as a class A reserve after having stopped development of the flawed Perth Freight Link;
- Wellington National Park, where conservation is growing a thriving tourism industry parallel to Collie's energy transition; and
- Fitzroy River National Park, which has been expanded and will now cover Sir John Gorge and other areas important to Kija people, who will jointly manage the park alongside the State Government.
Conserving these and other areas has meant 671 priority flora and fauna have been accorded protection in the past five years, including iconic WA species like the Carnaby's cockatoos.
The policy has also had a significant economic impact on several local communities, with joint management arrangements creating 277 jobs for Traditional Owners largely in regional WA, as well as allowing Aboriginal-run businesses to invest in nature-based or adventure tourism opportunities.
To find out more, head to: https://www.dbca.wa.gov.au/management/parks/plan-our-parks .
Comments attributed to Environment Minister Reece Whitby:
"This policy isn't just a major achievement for our Government.
"It's a major achievement for Western Australia, which alongside being a resources superpower is now a conservation superpower, too.
"We didn't just meet our target of five million hectares, we smashed it by protecting 6.5 million hectares of land and sea for future generations.
"This stands as one of our Cook Government's most important legacies for WA and is an important gift to all Western Australians in perpetuity.
"What we have created through this policy isn't just good for the environment.
"It's proof we have kept our promises to the people of WA and protected so much of what makes our State so special."
