2017-02-13 General Committee Meeting Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   13 FEBRUARY 2017




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GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                                           13 FEBRUARY 2017

      2.    Private protected areas
      Better protection for privately managed                         conservation. Currently over four million hectares of Queensland
      conservation lands                                              are protected under nature refuges.
                      .                                               The Queensland Government is committed to introducing a
      New type of private protected area                              higher level of protection for private land identified as being
      Private protected areas make an important contribution to       of outstanding natural value. A new type of voluntary private
      Queensland’s protected area system, and are recognised          protected area is currently being considered by government,
      nationally and internationally as being critical to the success of which would offer protection similar to that of a national
      robust protected area networks. They are effective in creating  park where the private landholder agrees to manage the
      landscape-scale linkages with public protected areas and        land to a national park standard. The new type of voluntary
      contribute to a comprehensive, adequate and representative      private protected area, which will be called a “Special Wildlife
      protected area system in Queensland. Private protected areas    Reserve”, would fit within the existing protected area framework
      complement public protected areas and are animportant partof    (See Table 1).
      the mosaic of protection types in Queensland.                   The Queensland Government recognises that conservation is
      In Queensland, nature refuges are currently the only            a valid and desired use of leasehold land. The government
      protection type available for private landholders to secure     will ensure that where a protected area declaration is made
      their land in legislation and protect its biodiversity values as over leasehold land, conservation is recognised as being
      a protected area. Nature refuges are voluntary and perpetual    consistent with the purpose of the lease and any conditions
      and are established through the development of a binding        placed upon the lease. This will provide certainty to
      conservation agreement between the State and the landholder.    landholders of protected areas that management decisions
      The protection afforded to nature refuges is reflected in the   that deliver conservation outcomes will be consistent with
      types of activities allowed on these areas in association with  the primary lease purpose.
       Table 1. Level of protection across public and private protected areas
                                      High-level protection                               Moderate-level protection
       Public         National park                                         Conservation park or Resources reserve
       UT             ©  Restricted management and protected from other     |e May have a broader range of uses, including
                         land uses                                             resource extraction
                      e  Perpetual — in accordance with the Nature          ¢   Perpetual — in accordance with the Nature
                         Conservation Act                                      Conservation Act
        ANE)          Proposed “Special Wildlife Reserve”                   Nature refuge
       COTTE          ©  Restricted management and protected from other     |* Mixed sustainable land uses, including grazing
                         land uses                                             and forestry
                      e  Perpetual — in accordance with the Nature          e   Resource extraction
                         Conservation Act                                   ©   Perpetual — in accordance with the Nature
                                                                               Conservation Act

         ACTIONS UNDERWAY
         A6.   Protect private lands of outstanding conservation value from incompatible land uses by creating a new class of
               privately managed protected area (Special Wildlife Reserve) under the Nature Conservation Act                            |
         A7.   Recognise conservation as a consistent lease purpose on leasehold land where a protected area has been declared          |
      Improving conservation outcomes on private protected areas                                                                        |
      Abroad range of actions, such as landholder engagement, monitoring, reporting and compliance, are necessary to maintain and       |
      improve conservation values on, and the integrity of, private protected areas. The Queensland Government has developed, and
      wants to further develop, through this consultation process, a range of strategies to engage with private protected area landholders. |
      The government wants to support on-ground activities that encourage positive environmental and conservation outcomes.
      Government and private protected area landholders have an expectation that their legacy will be upheld by third parties and
      future owners of the private protected area, honouring the conditions in the conservation agreement.
      In the rare instances where formal compliance action is required, prosecution through the court system is currently the only      \
      option available. This is often a very expensive option, and can be too severe for the significance of some situations.
      There is the need for a broader range of tools to be available so that lower level breaches can be dealt with more appropriately
      and potentially damaging actions can be discouraged. This will provide the best opportunity for the ongoing conservation and
      protection of privately managed conservation lands.
         ACTION PROPOSED
         A8.   Broaden the range of regulatory tools available under the Nature Conservation Act to better protect privately
               managed conservation lands
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