The State Government’s failure to meet its targets for protected areas shows it is not serious about protecting the environment.
Today’s report released by Queensland conservation groups found an increase of 15 million hectares was required for the Government to meet its target of 17%.
The report finds at the current rate, it will take more than 1000 years for the State Government to double the area of protected land in Queensland and meet its own target.
This is an extraordinary failure.
Queensland already has the smallest percentage of land area classified as protected of any state or territory in the country.
Just 15,699 hectares in new national parks and nature refuges have been added to the protected list in the past year. That’s only 0.1% of what is needed.
The report also shows that national park management is severely underfunded increasing the risks bushfires, feral animals and weeds.
This Government loves talking a big game when it comes to the environment but when you actually look at the details this couldn’t be further from the truth.
It’s not good enough to just set a target because it sounds good, you need to deliver it.
The Environment Minister is failing to do her job and the precious natural assets of Queensland are paying the price.
