As state and territory governments declare their national parks “open for business” some of Australia’s peak conservation groups fear the country’s natural heritage will be lost.
Commercial enterprise and development in national parks is set to happen in parks for the first time in generations, with several jurisdictions recently amending conservation laws to allow businesses to operate.
ABC News reports the Northern Territory is the latest jurisdiction to open its protected parks to new business, after Queensland and Victoria recently made similar amendments.
Queensland has already approved one new tourism venture in a national park and is considering many more.
“One permit has been issued and negotiations continue with another proponent,” a spokesperson for the Queenland’s National Parks Minister Steve Dickson told ABC News.
Four other proposals have been deemed fit to proceed by Queensland’s conservative Liberal National Party state government but are yet to engage in the permit process, while a further 11 proposals have been referred to government departments for further progress.
The LNP Government changed the state’s Nature Conservation Act last year to allow new business ventures in its parks.
The first tourism venture to take advantage of the move is a solar-powered boat cruise up Lawn Hill Gorge in Boodjamulla National Park in the Gulf country.
A Tasmanian-based zip line operator is also developing a proposal to build a zip line in the Kondalilla National Park on the Sunshine Coast hinterland.
As did Queensland, the NT Government is now calling for expressions of interest.
ABC News reports in a statement, it said it is opening up 86 parks and reserves “to unlock the full visitor potential in these areas while contributing to the conservation of the Territory’s natural environment”.
Victoria announced it would make the same move in 2012, amending legislation to allow 99-year leases over parts of parks.
This has allowed development proposals to be put forward for some of the state’s most significant natural areas, such as the Grampians.
Most recently, the Victorian Government announced it would allow development within the Point Nepean National Park on a former quarantine station.
Conservationists have questioned the need for such development, saying it would erode the protection of natural heritage that national parks are supposed to provide.
“National parks are held in trust for the people of Australia.
“They’re not owned by any state government or any business, so their primary function is to act as a park for the protection of nature,” said Australian Conservation Foundation campaign director Dr Paul Sinclair.
“Fundamentally I think a lot of it is just driven by ideology.
“I think there’s a sense from some people, who just don’t get it, that they resent the idea that there are some parts of our country that are protected for wildlife.”
Queensland’ s LNP government does not have economic modelling for what it hopes to gain from increasing commercial activity in the parks.
I
t said it based the policy on recommendations from a steering group and the tourism industry and an unpublished evaluation of the previous government’s nature-based tourism initiative.
It said the success of ecotourism businesses in Tasmania was an inspiration for its policy decision.
“Ecotourism, through Queensland’s huge diversity of landscapes and marine life, is a key competitive tourism advantage that has the potential to become an important driver to help achieve this target.”
The Queensland National Parks Association has opposed the move since it was first proposed.
Executive director Paul Donatiu said the change threatened the key purpose of national parks, which is to protect landscapes from human interference.
“Elevation of commercial use of national parks to one of the key objects of the Nature Conservation Act directly threatens the very natural values that national parks seek to conserve,” he said.
One Response
Nothing is sacred from businesses out to make profits from what is not theirs anymore. 99 year leases what are they thinking? A lot of damage can be done in this amount of time.