2017-02-13 General Committee Meeting Agenda

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA   13 FEBRUARY 2017




                                       Page 45 of 61

GENERAL COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA                                                                           13 FEBRUARY 2017

       3.   State-owned and managed protected areas
      Queensland’s State-owned and managed                            make a contribution to the cost of managing these areas
       protected areas (parks estate) are protected,                  in hicle petnite (hie doce actnelalef win camping ane
         .            .                              :                venicte perm!     I    esn   Inctude frees pal  y  tourism
      enjoyed, cherished and valued now and Into .                    operators). In 2014-15, the Queensland Government
      the future, enhancing Queenslanders’ wellbeing                  recovered only 18% of visitor-related costs through camping
      and prosperity                                                  and vehicle fees.
      Queensland is home to over 270 national parks and over 220      The camping fees in the Queensland parks estate are
      conservation parks, including five World Heritage Areas. The    currently the lowest in Australia for overnight stays in popular
      Queensland Government, through the Queensland Parks and         campgrounds during peak season. Other jurisdictions
      Wildlife Service (QPWS), is the manager of this parks estate    adopt different fee levels and fee types for visitor use, often
      that includes over 9.5 million hectares of protected areas.     reflective of the type of visitor experience, popularity and
      This network of State-owned and managed protected areas         cost to service. For example, in Canada, the United States of
       is the foundation of Queensland’s rich biodiversity and        America and South Africa, visitors are required to purchase
       unique natural environment. The benefits of the parks estate   passes to particular protected areas. The ‘Parks Pass’
      are far broader than just environmental. The parks estate       approach is also common in other states of Australia.
      presents diverse opportunities for tourism and outdoor          As Queensland’s parks estate grows, additional revenue will
       recreation that are vital to the Queensland economy. Itis a    be required into the future to effectively manage parks in line
       major drawcard attracting visitors to regional Queensland      with community expectations.
      and supporting local communities and businesses. In
      addition, the parks estate provides places for people to        Options for future management and enjoyment
      connect with nature and each other, delivering not only social  Options for improving park management and promoting
       benefits but health and wellbeing benefits. The parks estate   connections between people and parks that could be
      also indirectly contributes to other sectors of the economy     explored include:
      through its ecosystem services, including pollination services  °  identifying new opportunities for partnerships and
      for agriculture, water filtration for catchments, nurseries        cooperative arrangements that contribute to park
      for breeding fish and heat regulation in increasingly urban        management and seeking to further engage the
      environments. It also plays a vital defensive role for coastal     community in volunteering and other opportunities
      communities, with reefs, mangroves and coastal dunes                     .                                       .
       providing natural protection measures in extreme weather       *  camping fees that better reflect the cost to service areas,
      events. It is imperative that the parks estate continues          by using seasonality and/or popularity of park sites to
      to be managed in a way that recognises both its values             provide improved management of very popular sites
      and benefits.                                                   e  the use of entry fees or a ‘Parks Pass’ for the most popular
      While QPWS is the manager of the parks estate, and this            parks to contribute to maintaining and upgrading visitor
                    :   .              eer     :                         facilities and conserving the natural and cultural values
       management is guided by legislative requirements and a           of these areas
       Master Plan, the environmental stewardship of the estate
       is the responsibility of the whole community and there are     *  introducing systems to enable people to voluntarily
       many partners who contribute to this effort. Recreation           contribute to park management, for example, through
       providers, tourism operators, Traditional Owners, and             donations, an opt-in levy, or an endowment fund (as is
      conservation and other community groups work closely               common in the United States of America)
      with QPWS in delivering conservation, management and            ©  promoting/incorporating the use of technologies such as
       recreational outcomes. In addition, there are currently over      smart devices to encourage participation in on-park and
      800 volunteers who provide a valuable contribution to              off-park conservation and park presentation programs.
       presentation, conservation and management activities.
      Awell-managed parks estate requires ongoing investment            ACTIONS PROPOSED
      to ensure its values are maintained and opportunities for                   5                    .          .
       safe and sustainable use are available. Significant cost is      A13. Review revenue and funding mechanisms to
      attached to the management and use of the parks estate. A               reflect the value of the benefits provided by the
      contemporary approach that recognises its broader value to              parks estate with the aim of ensuring consistency
      the Queensland economy is also increasingly important.                  within the existing fee structure and with other
                                     .          .      .                      states, and promoting a more equitable and
      The Queensland Government will explore innovative                       transparent system
       strategies and opportunities that would assist in the            A14.  Explore alternative options to encourage
      effective management of national parks, informed by                   .         hi      lunteering, sponsorship and
      socio-economic research.                                               partners IPS, volunteering,  spon      p
                                                                              promotional activities that contribute to park
      Tourism and recreation is the primary human use of the parks            management
      estate. The most recent QPWS Newspoll Community Survey            A15. Undertake socio-economic analysis to identify
       (2012) estimated the parks estate (terrestrial and marine)             potential economic and social benefits associated
       hosted in excess of 51 million domestic visits and 7.8 million         with the parks estate to help inform investment
       international visits per year. While entry fees to national            decisions and partnership opportunities
       parks are common internationally, entry fees to Queensland’s
       parks estate are not currently charged. However, visitors
      14 |

                                                                                                                    Page 45 of 61