ALP plan would arrest decline of one of the world’s great national parks services  

The Nature Conservation Council and National Parks Association welcome state Labor’s commitment to restore NSW National Parks and Wildlife Services staffing levels and reactivate the land acquisition program to protect still-vulnerable ecosystems and species.

ALP Environment Spokesperson Penny Sharpe today pledged that Labor would add 200 more staff to match 2011 levels and resume the national parks acquisition program that has stalled over the past eight years.

The NSW National Parks Establishment Plan 2008 ten years on

What’s been achieved and where to next?

Rob Dick, Former head of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) land acquisition program 1996-2012.

Most existing NPWS terrestrial parks and reserves still require major additions and boundary fine-tuning to ensure their long-term viability. In many parts of NSW there are still few or no parks at all. Recognising this in 2008, the NSW Government sought to better articulate the rationale and future plans for a long-term ongoing program to continue building the NPWS system of terrestrial parks and reserves (the ‘parks system’). The resulting ‘NSW National Parks Establishment Plan 2008’1 (‘the Plan’) declared this task only half complete. The Plan is currently under Government review.

NPA and NPWS, an amazing history – an even better future

Alix Goodwin, Chief Executive Officer, National Parks Association of NSW

In November 2017, Alix gave the following presentation at the National Parks 50:50 Forum hosted by Labor MP Penny Sharpe, at Parliament House

Biodiversity is threatened in New South Wales

Dr John Benson

This article was published online on 19 September 2017 in the blog Pearls and Irritations

The New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) was the first of its type in Australia. Established by a Liberal government, its lyrebird emblem became world-renowned. But the Service is not valued by the present Government and now faces grave uncertainty.