Delivery of Queensland’s Protected Area Strategy One year on. 

In October 2020, the Palaszczuk Government released the long-awaited Queensland Protected Area Strategy 2020 – 2030 (the Strategy) as part of its commitment to deliver a ‘world leading protected area network’ across 17 per cent of the state.

The release of the Strategy came with a “down payment” of $60 million, spread over four years for new national parks and nature refuges and expanding the network of First Nations rangers

The strategy is the primary mechanism to deliver the Queensland government’s commitment to protect 17% of the state. We’re currently at 8.26%, the lowest of all states and territories in Australia.

Over the past 12 months the Queensland Government has protected 15,699 hectares, well below the average annual area of 207,728 hectares since the Palaszczuk Government was elected.

While each of these new protected areas is welcome, if expansion remains at this rate of growth, it will take more than 1,000 years to reach 17 per cent.