National parks visitor bonanza backs up calls for new national parks

• Northwest Tasmania needs its own national park in the Tarkine to capitalise on the benefits of national park icons and associated visitor windfall

• Parks and Wildlife Service funding unsustainable and protection of special values will suffer

The Wilderness Society today welcomed Parks and Wildlife Service figures demonstrating an ongoing boom in national park visitation, saying the data reinforces the call for new national parks. It again called on Government to increase dedicated funding to the Parks Service for land management and values’ protection activities.

“Figures like these are welcome and demonstrate that national parks are icons that attract visitors and distribute benefits across the local community,” said Vica Bayley, spokesperson for the Wilderness Society. “Declaring new national parks is now more win-win than ever.”

“When considered alongside the fact that parks like Freycinet and Cradle Mountain are struggling to cope with the boom in visitors, this evidence builds the case for more national parks in Tasmania, to create more icons and spread the load of nature-loving visitors.

“The far north-west misses out in this survey because it lacks an iconic national park. That means it’s missing out on a share of these visitors and the benefits they deliver. These figures reinforce the case for a Tarkine National Park as northwest Tasmania’s own national park.

Funding for the Parks and Wildlife service has been systematically reduced over recent years, despite it having more land and more visitors to manage and a range of new climate-induced challenges, such as fire and flood.

“Government funding for parks and reserve management is totally unsustainable and flies in the face of these statistics. Environment Minister Groom needs to secure additional budget support to make sure land management doesn’t suffer and natural and cultural values are properly protected.

“Tasmania’s early leaders showed vision and courage to declare Tasmania’s first national parks. Its time today’s leaders stepped up and put politics aside to create new national parks and properly fund the Parks and Wildlife Service so we can maintain a credible nature-based brand, protect important natural and cultural values and spread the benefits of national parks across regional Tasmania.”
Vica Bayley Tasmanian Campaign Manager The Wilderness Society (Tasmania) Inc.