Naturally Queensland 2020
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Robert Ashdown, DERM Ashdown, Robert How QPWS manages protected areas, forests and wildlife Managing for resilient ecosystems caused by roads or other infrastructure can reduce the resilience of a rainforest by providing a route for weeds and wildlife populations to invade. Ordinarily the rainforest may be able to resist Resilience is the fundamental principle behind the the weed invasion; however, if a cyclone hits it could commitment to protect and preserve protected provide the window of opportunity for the weeds to take areas, forests and wildlife for future generations. A hold. Without the fragmentation the rainforest would be resilient ecosystem or wildlife population is one that more likely to return to its natural state. can withstand or rebound from threats or pressures By managing and reducing threats across the without changing significantly. For example, a resilient whole landscape and seascape, the resilience of rainforest would recover over time even after extensive natural systems can be maintained and enhanced. cyclone damage, and a resilient wildlife population Queensland’s draft biodiversity strategy, Building would persist and thrive despite pressures from Nature’s Resilience, provides the foundation for invasive species or climate change. Queensland’s whole-of-landscape and seascape Queensland ecosystems are facing many threats, approach. QPWS has a special responsibility under such as invasive species, habitat loss and habitat the biodiversity strategy for managing protected areas fragmentation. These threats can all reduce the and forests as the cornerstones of Queensland’s resilience of ecosystems7. For example, fragmentation biodiversity conservation effort. 7 Threats to Queensland’s biodiversity are addressed in detail in Queensland’s draft biodiversity strategy, Building Nature’s Resilience. 10 The QPWS Master Plan A toolbox for protection The Convention on Biological Diversity QPWS has significant expertise and experience in managing protected areas, forests and wildlife. This The Convention on Biological Diversity was inspired experience is supported by scientific research, which by the world community’s growing commitment provides an increasing array of tools that can be used to sustainable development. It was signed by to help identify conservation priorities, appropriate 150 government leaders at the 1992 Rio Earth management techniques, and insights into the conservation Summit. The Convention recognises that biological challenges Queensland may face in the future. diversity is about more than plants, animals and micro organisms and their ecosystems. It is about Tools and techniques include research and monitoring, people and a need for food security, medicines, managing threats and pressures, protecting habitats fresh air and water, shelter, and a clean and healthy and working with the community through partnerships. environment in which to live. The many different approaches are addressed through each of the 12 goal areas within this draft Master Plan. The Convention on Biological Diversity has a number of working groups for different Legislation and policies are important tools that provide conservation management areas, for example, for protected area, forest and wildlife protection. managing protected areas and whole-of- The key pieces of Queensland legislation that QPWS landscape conservation. These working operates under include8: groups—which are comprised of people from • The Nature Conservation Act 1992 which provides for many nations—set guidelines and targets for the conservation of nature through the protection different areas of conservation management. The and management of places, such as national parks, Convention’s success depends on the combined and native wildlife. efforts of the world’s nations. • The Marine Parks Act 2004 which provides for For more details see: <http://www.cbd.int/>. planning and protection of the marine environment through multiple-use marine parks. • The Forestry Act 1959 which provides for the protection The following sections describe some of the ways that and management of forests and their resources. legislation and national and international guidelines • The Recreation Areas Management Act 2006 which help QPWS plan for and manage protected areas, provides for the establishment, maintenance and forests and wildlife. use of recreation areas. A range of Commonwealth legislation also supports and influences QPWS activities, including the DERM Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975, and the Wet Tropics World Heritage and Protection and Management Act 1993. QPWS works under many international guidelines and agreements for conservation management, in partnership with the Australian Government, other state governments, and with local governments. This engagement helps to ensure that the collective conservation effort of all parties is coordinated. For example, Australia is a signatory to the international agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity (see box). At a national level, World Heritage areas such as the Gondwana Rainforests are managed in collaboration with the New South Wales Government, and the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area is managed in close collaboration with the federal government (through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority). At a local level, coordination with local governments on day-to-day protected area management is essential for QPWS operations. 8 Some of the other legislation that QPWS administers in part or operates under include: Sustainable Planning Act 2009; Brisbane Forest Park Act 1977; North Stradbroke Island Protection and Sustainability Act 2011; Cape York Peninsula Heritage Act 2007. 11 Dan Witten, DERM Witten, Dan As the agency responsible for nature conservation in Queensland, QPWS delivers a statewide wildlife conservation program across all tenures. A primary objective of the program is to achieve effective wildlife conservation and protection while being responsive to the social and economic needs of the community. Some of the wildlife management activities carried out by QPWS include: informing, reviewing and developing legislation and policy; developing systems, standards, decision support and communication tools to guide wildlife management; conducting and supporting research; and actively managing wildlife through a range of services. Many QPWS activties in wildlife management are covered in Goal 3 of this draft Master Plan. QPWS takes the lead role in threatened species conservation across Queensland through activities such as habitat protection and maintenance, translocation of species into parts of their former range National species classification where they have become extinct, education on how Species are also classified under the Commonwealth’s people can help, and reduction of threats such as feral Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation animals and weeds. Act 1999. The threatened species categories are: extinct, Monitoring programs help determine what is extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, happening to wildlife and habitat and how best to vulnerable and conservation dependent. This legislation protect these precious resources into the future. provides a legal framework to protect and manage Some programs have been operating for more than nationally and internationally important flora, fauna, 20 years, providing very reliable information on the ecological communities and heritage places—defined as conservation status of those species. matters of national environmental significance. Classification of the threat level of all native species Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity helps guide QPWS wildlife protection, ensures that Conservation Act, experts on threatened species form a species declines are recognised and managed, Threatened Species Scientific Committee which provides and conveys the urgency of action. Three different advice on amendment and updating of lists for threatened classification systems recognise species that species and threatened ecological communities. are particularly significant at a state, national, or international level. International species classification Internationally, threatened species are classified State species classification through the International Union for the Conservation of The Nature Conservation Act 1992 classification system Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This list defines Queensland species as extinct in the wild, classifies species as: extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, vulnerable, near threatened or least endangered, endangered, vulnerable, conservation concern. The process involves assessment of species dependent, near threatened, and least concern. The by Queensland’s Species Technical Committee to Red List is based on very precise criteria for species determine an appropriate category. classification. It has provided a critical foundation for international protection of wildlife, and provides a global index for the state of change of biodiversity. 12 The QPWS Master Plan Back on Track QPWS uses a framework called ‘Back on Track’ to prioritise Queensland’s native species to guide conservation management and recovery. It prioritises species in a way that reflects the level of management required to achieve positive outcomes for all plants and animals. The Back on Track framework enables DERM Ashdown, Robert strategic allocation of conservation resources, and provides information to