Author: NPA NSW

Bequest gratefully received

Posted by on in Summer 2021Leave a comment

NPA expresses its heartfelt thanks to the late Michael Bridle, who generously left us a bequest in his will. We are grateful to Michael that he kept us in his thoughts to have our ongoing work as part of his legacy. We honour Michael for his generosity.

His son James wrote to us to say his father spent many hours exploring national parks during his retirement, and he left the bequest to NPA as a sign of his appreciation for the work we do and how unique and important our national parks are. His wife Christine also wrote to say Mike was a great admirer and supporter of NPA and the work we do for the environment. Our condolences go to Christine and James, and our thanks for allowing us to share their story.

Did you know that NPA relies on the generosity of people like Michael to carry out our work?

Invest in nature for the future

We at the NPA are committed to ensuring that national parks, nature reserves and other precious landscapes are protected for all generations to come.  This is no easy task, and we cannot do it alone.  NPA is only as strong as you, our members and supporters.  You guide our priorities, work tirelessly to protect your local parks and provide the financial and moral support that allows NPA to keep advocating for nature. 

NPA is more than 60 years young.  Over those last six decades we’ve played a major role in growing our national park estate from a handful of reserves to more than 7 million hectares, nearly 9% of NSW.  Yet even this falls far short of what nature needs for a truly sustainable future.  The Commonwealth recently endorsed a target of 30% of land and sea conserved, while many believe that ‘half for nature’ is essential.  What is clear is that the challenge of advocating for the creation and protection of national parks has barely begun. 

We do not receive any government funding for our work.  It is only through your generosity that NPA is able to continue working for nature.

Many people, like you, provide regular financial support to NPA.  Did you know that one of the most significant ways you can support our work continuing into the future is by leaving a gift in your will?

Much of the work we do would not have been possible without the generosity of people like you leaving a gift in their will to sustain our national parks.  Here are some of the great things that have been achieved because of committed and generous legacies:

  • Successfully extended national park estate, including 100,000 ha of red gum national park in the Murray and Riverina, through advocacy
  • Significantly reduced threats within national parks across New South Wales, including contesting proposals to allow hunting, grazing, forestry, electricity infrastructure and inappropriate tourism developments
  • Critical assessment, analysis and advocacy for the creation of new national parks, including the Great Koala National Park, on the New South Wales Mid North Coast
  • Advocacy for the transition of state forests to become protected areas in the wake of the devastating 2019/20 wildfires
  • Building organisational capacity to ensure the sustainability of our work into the future
  • Many other essential projects that ensure that nature is protected for the future though our community action

The reality is that with more support we can achieve so much more.  Sadly, in an era of short-term thinking by governments, the long-term vision of NPA has never been more important if we want to protect and grow our national parks and improve biodiversity. By leaving a gift in your will you continue contributing to this critical work for the benefit of the many, many generations to come.  In fact, it is because of the commitment of people like you, in the past, who have enabled us to enjoy much of the national park lands that we have in New South Wales today.

We have a committed investment fund to ensure that your investment will last for generations.

It is important that you speak with your loved ones and ensure they are taken care of, but it is also a great opportunity to think about the lasting impact you want to have with what you value and provide for future generations to have the same experiences. Could you consider leaving a gift in your will to us?

Practically this can be done in a few ways, including a specified amount, a percentage, asset allocation or residual amount. We recommend that you seek legal advice, beginning with the recommended wording on our website. This is certainly one way that you can leave a lasting impact on the environment for future generations to come.

More Information

Leaving NPA a gift in your Will

Jack Peattie celebrates 100th birthday

Posted by on in Summer 2021Leave a comment

Ron Webster, NPANSW Tamworth Branch

Jack Peattie, a longtime member of the National Parks Association of NSW, Tamworth Branch celebrated his 100th birthday on the 19th October 2021. Over many decades, Jack has made an outstanding contribution to environmental education, recording the distribution, abundance and breeding of birds in northern NSW and south west Queensland, conserving birds and other wildlife through revegetation projects and the protection of their habitats with the establishment and management of national parks and other reserves throughout Australia.

Read More “Jack Peattie celebrates 100th birthday”

The IUCN Congress, Marseilles and the UN Biodiversity Summit, Kunming

Posted by on in Nature NSW, Summer 2021Leave a comment

Dr Ross Jeffree, NPA Southern Sydney Branch and State Council

NPA has recently rejoined the IUCN as an Associate Member of the IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). The IUCN is a source of international consensus on conservation, guidance on issues of relevance to NPA priorities and emerging positions which are worthy of consideration.
Two globally important conservation meetings have recently taken place this year: The IUCN World Conservation Congress, 3-11 September, Marseilles, setting the nature conservation agenda for the next decade and beyond; and the UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP 15, Part 1), 11-15 October, Kunming, China. COP-15, Part 2, will be Face-to-Face Meetings (25 April-8 May 2022). This second and resumed part of these COP-15 meetings is expected to include the finalisation and adoption of the post 2020 global biodiversity framework.

Read More “The IUCN Congress, Marseilles and the UN Biodiversity Summit, Kunming”

Citizen scientists deliver welcome koala news

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The National Parks Association of NSW applauds today’s release of a landmark citizen-science survey of a ‘bearly’ known population of Koalas in Heathcote National Park.  The survey, involving more than 600 hours of field survey by respected local naturalists Steve Anyon-Smith and Tom Kristensen, photographed 32 individual koalas and suggests a total population of a least 100 koalas in Heathcote National Park.

NPA has written to Environment Minister Matt Kean asking for the Heathcote Koalas to be declared as an Asset of Intergenerational Significance.  This is a new legislative measure designed to guarantee the protection of highly significant areas of biodiversity value within protected areas. 

‘We really didn’t expect to find a substantial koala population in a national park with only a handful of historic records’ stated report co-author Steve Anyon-Smith.  ‘Early on we wondered whether it was just a few wanderers from the better known colony near Campbelltown, but once we saw that first female with a joey we knew it was much more’. 

NPA Executive Officer, Gary Dunnett noted ‘The future of koalas hangs in the balance because of continuing habitat loss, development, unsustainable forestry and the devastating impacts of the 2019/20 fires.  This report of breeding koalas right on the doorstop of Sydney should bring a smile to everyone’s face.

‘This report is a testament to the power of citizen science.  The results are only possible because of the hundreds of hours they spent in the field, which has given us a standard of coverage that most researchers could only dream of.  These two citizen scientists have provided the National Parks and Wildlife Service with detailed information worth tens of thousands of dollars at absolutely no cost. 

‘The Heathcote National Park koalas need all the help they can get if they are going to survive into the next century.  They will need protection from disturbance and domestic dogs and keeping their habitat in the best possible ecological condition.  A major challenge will be making sure their habitat trees aren’t damaged by too-frequent fire’. 

‘There is every reason to feel hopeful about the future of the Heathcote koalas, even if they have gone largely unnoticed to date’ Gary Dunnett continued.  ‘The next big challenge is to protect other ‘at risk’ koala populations.  The time has come for the NSW Government to adopt NPA’s proposals for the Upper Georges River National Park in southwest Sydney and the Great Koala National Park on the mid north coast’ Dunnett concluded.  

ENDS

Media Contact: NPA EO, Gary Dunnett: (02) 9299 0000

Copies of the report Anyon-Smith, S. and Kristensen, T (2021) Observed distribution and numbers of Koalas Phascolarctos cinereus in a habitat survey of Heathcote National Park July to September 2021 below

HNP_Koala Report_FINAL_14Oct2021_PRINT-220ppiDownload