Paul Stephen Sattler OAM M.Nat.Res.; B.App.Sc.(Rur.Tech.) Paul has a lifetime of professional experience in nature conservation. He was the principal architect in doubling Queensland’s National Park estate in the 1990s whilst working with the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service (QNPWS). Paul initiated and guided the comprehensive description of Queensland’s bioregional ecosystems and the assessment of their status, a vital planning tool for conservation and natural resource management. He was directly involved in the development of a range of State and national conservation policies and has a particular interest in rangeland conservation and sustainable management. After leaving the QNPWS, Paul formed his own specialised eco-consultancy business and was principal author of the National Land and Water Resources Audit’s terrestrial biodiversity assessment of Australia, the first detailed assessment of biodiversity at a range of scales nationally. He grew up in a beekeeping family and learnt a practical appreciation of nature and is now once again, an apiarist. Having completed a degree in Applied Science (Rural Technology) in 1971 at the University of Queensland, Gatton College, he went on to gain a Masters degree in Natural Resources at the University of New England, Armidale. Paul has been awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to biodiversity conservation. Dedication To my daughters, Seola Anne and Melita Louise. Cover photos Front: Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park in North-West Queensland – an old landscape of timeless residual rocks, sites of incredible beauty, fossil record and Aboriginal history (DEHP photo.). Back: Albinia National Park in central Queensland with its rolling Blue grass downs. This ecosystem has all but disappeared in extensive cropping areas such as the Darling Downs. This was my last park acquisition. Five Million Hectares – A Conservation Memoir – 1972-2008 PAUL S. SATTLER Published 2014 by Paul Sattler Eco-consulting Pty Ltd 68 Sanctuary Drive, Mt Cotton 4165, Queensland, Australia. Hard copies can be sourced from the author: ([email protected]) This Memoir is available on line and is linked to the Royal Society of Queensland website: (www.royalsocietyqld.org). This Memoir may be used for private study, research, criticism or review, however no part may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without prior written permission. Enquiries should be made to the author. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Creator: Sattler, Paul S. (Paul Stephen), 1950- author. Title: Five million hectares: a conservation memoir: 1972-2008 / Paul S. Sattler. ISBN: 9780994223210 (ebook) 9780994223203 (paperback) Subjects: Sattler, Paul S. (Paul Stephen), 1950- Sattler, Paul S. (Paul Stephen), 1950--Family. National parks and reserves--Queensland--History Nature conservation--Queensland. Biodiversity conservation--Queensland. Bee culture--Queensland. Dewey Number: 920.710994 Cite this Memoir as: Sattler, P. S., 2014. Five Million Hectares - a Conservation Memoir - 1972 – 2008, (www.royalsocietyqld.org). Acknowledgements To Petah McLeod who prepared this manuscript and showed great forbearance, to Dr Geoff Edwards who offered the support of the Royal Society of Queensland, and to those who have dedicated their working lives to nature conservation, many of whom are mentioned in this story. Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 PART I – A Conservation Memoir ............................................................. 3 CHAPTER 1. EARLY YEARS.......................................................................................... 3 Beekeeping Mum’s Christmas Bell Legacy Family’s First Connection with Caloundra CHAPTER 2. GETTING AN EDUCATION ................................................................... 11 Early Schooling Queensland Agricultural College University of New England CHAPTER 3. VALUABLE EXPERIENCE .................................................................... 15 Co-ordinator General’s Department Department of Mines Research into Mining Rehabilitation Queensland Herbarium CHAPTER 4. QUEENSLAND’S NATIONAL PARKS ................................................. 21 Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service Queensland National Parks: beginnings CHAPTER 5. EARLY PROJECTS.................................................................................. 26 Commonwealth Grants Commission The Sir Thomas Hiley Centre St Helena Island CHAPTER 6. CENTRAL QUEENSLAND COAST - NATIONAL PARKS AND SAND MINING .......................................................................................................... 30 CHAPTER 7. PUMICESTONE PASSAGE AND BRIBIE ISLAND ............................ 36 CHAPTER 8. DEVASTATION OF THE BRIGALOW ................................................. 40 CHAPTER 9. CREATIVE SOLUTIONS – THE GOLD COAST TO THE MULGA.... 44 Southern Moreton Bay The Mulga Lands – Stalemate Thrushton Idalia Southern Moreton Bay continued Other Conservation Achievements by the Hon. Ivan Gibbs The Fitzgerald Enquiry CHAPTER 10. ROYAL SOCIETY OF QUEENSLAND ............................................... 58 CHAPTER 11. CHANGE OF GOVERNMENT IN QUEENSLAND, 1989 .................. 60 CHAPTER 12. THE MULGA LANDS CONTINUED - IMPLEMENTATION ............ 63 A World First Welford Tregole Culgoa Floodplains Boondall Wetlands and Bore Drains ...poor bloody dog CHAPTER 13. CHANNEL COUNTRY .......................................................................... 70 Diamantina Astrebla Downs Lochern Other Channel Country Parks CHAPTER 14. ADVANCES IN OTHER BIOREGIONS ............................................... 75 North-West Highlands Einasleigh Uplands Desert Uplands Mitchell Grass Downs Cape York Peninsula The Gulf Country South-East Queensland Northern New England Tablelands Sugar Coast Environmental Rescue Package CHAPTER 15. THE BRIGALOW BELT – CONSERVING WHAT WAS LEFT ........ 88 Homevale Other Brigalow Parks Albinia CHAPTER 16. BUILDING SUPPORT FOR EXPANDING THE PARK SYSTEM ..... 94 A Bioregional Framework for Australia HORSCERA Inquiry and Commonwealth Financial Support The Romeo Lahey Memorial Lecture CHAPTER 17. CONSERVATION POLICY DEVELOPMENT .................................. 103 Rangelands Kangaroo for the Table BOX 1. SOJOURN TO SOUTH AMERICA ................................................................. 109 BOX 2. SOJOURN TO ANTARCTICA ........................................................................ 113 Forest Policy Vegetation Management Council for Sustainable Vegetation Management The National Heritage Trust and the National Reserve System Co-operative Program Ecologically Sustainable Resource Management BOX 3. SOJOURN TO EAST AFRICA ........................................................................ 129 BOX 4. SOJOURNS TO SOUTH-EAST ASIA ............................................................ 131 Transport Corridors CHAPTER 18. PUBLICATION OF THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF QUEENSLAND’S BIOREGIONAL ECOSYSTEMS ......................................... 133 BOX 5. SOJOURN TO THE MIDDLE EAST .............................................................. 138 CHAPTER 19. ECO-CONSULTING ............................................................................ 141 The National Land and Water Resources Audit Murray-Darling Basin Commission State of Environment Reporting Regional Consulting CHAPTER 20. HONOURS ............................................................................................ 146 CHAPTER 21. JANE ..................................................................................................... 148 CHAPTER 22. WOLRD WILDLIFE FUND AND HUMANE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL ......................................................................................... 149 Building Nature’s Safety Net CHAPTER 23. GROWTH OF THE NATIONAL PARK ESTATE ............................. 153 A FINAL NOTE .............................................................................................................. 155 PART II – Expansion of Queensland’s National Park and Environmental / Conservation Park Estate 1975 – 2000 .......................................................................................................................... 158 Annual Growth and Acquisition Funding, 1975-2000 Increase in Representativeness Gazettals for Each Year, 1975-2000 PART III – Family History ................................................................. 189 Paternal Maternal Work down through the years Sattler Family History – Supplement References ................................................................................................................ 204 Paul Sattler’s Publications and Contributions Other References Appendices ............................................................................................................. 213 List of Tables List of Maps List of Figures List of Photos Map 1. The biogeographic regions of Queensland with their distinctive landscapes and species superimposed on the State’s topography (EPA & NPAQ poster,1999). 1 Introduction I have been privileged to have played a role in protecting many wonderful places as Queensland’s National Parks expanded by over 5.5million hectares. This expansion coincided with the period of significant growth in environmental awareness across Australia, and to have been closely involved in nature conservation during this