Background to the Queensland of Auditor-General Auditor-General of Queensland For 150 years, the Auditor-General has audited Queensland public sector organisations, and assisted them to enhance their efficiency and work practices. As the external auditor for the Queensland Parliament, the Auditor-General, supported by the Queensland Audit Office (QAO), undertakes an independent statutory role and takes pride in helping public sector entities maintain high standards 2010 9 for No. Parliament to Report of governance. QAO is now one of the largest audit offices in Australia, and this strong base of experience enables QAO to ensure its vision of providing excellence in Report to Parliament No. 9 for 2010 enhancing public sector accountability now and into the future. Sustainable management of national More information on QAO is available on our website at www.qao.qld.gov.au parks and protected areas A Performance Management Systems audit ISSN 1834-1128 Cover photo by: William Long – Longshots Photography Cover RTP No. 9.indd 1 20/09/2010 4:18:11 PM Auditor-General of Queensland Report to Parliament No. 9 for 2010 Sustainable management of national parks and protected areas A Performance Management Systems audit © The State of Queensland. Queensland Audit Office (2010) Copyright protects this publication except for purposes permitted by the Copyright Act. Reproduction by whatever means is prohibited without the prior written permission of the Auditor-General of Queensland. Reference to this document is permitted only with appropriate acknowledgement. Queensland Audit Office Level 14, 53 Albert Street, Brisbane Qld 4000 GPO Box 1139, Brisbane Qld 4001 Phone 07 3149 6000 Fax 07 3149 6011 Email [email protected] Web www.qao.qld.gov.au ISSN 1834-1136 Publications are available at www.qao.qld.gov.au or by phone on 07 3149 6000. Auditor-General of Queensland October 2010 The Honourable R J Mickel MP Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Parliament House BRISBANE QLD 4000 Dear Mr Speaker This report is prepared under Part 3 Division 3 of the Auditor-General Act 2009, and is titled Sustainable management of national parks and protected areas. It is number nine in the series of Auditor-General Reports to Parliament for 2010. In accordance with s.67 of the Act, would you please arrange for the report to be tabled in the Legislative Assembly. Yours sincerely Glenn Poole Auditor-General Level 14, 53 Albert St, Brisbane Qld 4000 Phone: 07 3149 6000 Email: [email protected] GPO Box 1139, Brisbane Qld 4001 Fax: 07 3149 6011 Web: www.qao.qld.gov.au Contents 1 | Executive summary...........................................................................................1 1.1 Audit overview .................................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Audit conclusion.................................................................................................................. 1 1.3 Key findings ........................................................................................................................ 2 1.4 Recommendations.............................................................................................................. 5 1.5 Departmental response ...................................................................................................... 6 2 | Audit outline ......................................................................................................9 2.1 Background ......................................................................................................................10 2.2 Departmental overview..................................................................................................... 10 2.3 Audit objective .................................................................................................................. 12 2.4 Audit scope....................................................................................................................... 12 2.5 Audit procedures............................................................................................................... 13 2.6 PMS audit approach ......................................................................................................... 14 3 | Planning for sustainability ...............................................................................15 3.1 Why plan?......................................................................................................................... 16 3.2 Planning for specific protected areas................................................................................ 17 3.3 Planning for specific conservation priorities...................................................................... 21 3.4 Planning for the protected areas estate............................................................................ 23 3.5 Corporate planning ........................................................................................................... 25 3.6 Setting clear and measurable objectives .......................................................................... 27 3.7 Recommendations............................................................................................................ 28 4 | Monitoring, evaluation and reporting...............................................................29 4.1 Has the target been met? ................................................................................................. 30 4.2 Monitoring......................................................................................................................... 31 4.3 Evaluation......................................................................................................................... 34 4.4 Performance reporting ...................................................................................................... 36 4.5 Recommendations............................................................................................................ 38 5 | Appendices .....................................................................................................39 5.1 Acronyms.......................................................................................................................... 39 5.2 Glossary ........................................................................................................................... 39 5.3 References ....................................................................................................................... 42 6 | Auditor-General Reports to Parliament ...........................................................43 6.1 Tabled in 2010..................................................................................................................43 1 | Executive summary 1.1 Audit overview Ecosystems, landscapes, streams, rivers, and native flora and fauna within protected areas are seen as the foundation of conservation efforts to maintain Queensland’s cultural and natural heritage. National parks are protected areas that provide valuable ecological services, recreational opportunities and are a source of inspiration and cultural identity. Protected areas have been experiencing increasing pressures over the past three decades. These pressures include a greater number of visitors, a significant expansion of the protected area estate and heightened community expectations about the environment. The year 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. A United Nations report, released to coincide with this declaration, found that the five principal pressures directly driving biodiversity loss (habitat change, overexploitation, pollution, invasive alien species and climate change) are either constant or increasing in intensity.1 The Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) is responsible for managing protected areas within Queensland, mainly through its Queensland Parks and Wildlife Services division. Its role includes planning for the protected area estate, undertaking conservation activities, and monitoring and reporting on its achievements as prescribed by the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (the Act). To prepare for the challenges affecting the environment, and manage changing community expectations and increasing environmental pressures on the protected area estate, the department requires comprehensive, robust and integrated systems to ensure conservation of nature outcomes have been achieved efficiently and effectively. The objective of this audit was to determine whether the department has adequate systems in place to ensure conservation of the state’s natural and cultural heritage is managed efficiently and effectively. 1.2 Audit conclusion Overall, I found that the department has systems in place to conserve the state’s natural and cultural heritage and manage protected areas, although the systems are not applied consistently across the regions. I also identified improvement opportunities to ensure the sustainable management of national parks and protected areas. The department delivers numerous services and activities that aim to minimise disturbance in protected areas as well as provide the necessary park and visitor infrastructure to meet conservation and community needs. These activities are carried out by dedicated officers. 1 United Nations, Global Biodiversity Outlook (GBO-3) (May 2010). Published by the United Nations Convention on Biodiversity and the United Nations Environment Program. Auditor-General