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Growing the protected area estate
One of the most naturally and culturally diverse places on earth, Queensland is home to incredibly unique and globally important ecosystems.
An extensive network of protected areas is in place to ensure these ecosystems, along with their natural and cultural values, are conserved into the future.
The protected area system includes a mix of State-owned and managed protected areas, Indigenous-owned national parks jointly managed by Traditional Owners and Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, and privately owned and managed special wildlife reserves and nature refuges, including those owned and managed by Indigenous peoples.
In total, there are more than 1,000 national parks and other protected areas across Queensland, five UNESCO World Heritage sites and five significant wetlands protected under the international Ramsar convention.
The conservation of nature is the primary purpose of Queensland’s protected areas, however their value extends well beyond this to include many other environmental, economic, cultural, social and health benefits.
In 2022, the Queensland Government invested $262.5 million to expand and manage Queensland’s State-owned protected areas
Queensland’s Protected Area Strategy 2020–2030 (PDF, 5.6MB) provides a pathway to grow our protected area system and transform the way protected areas are managed—providing real benefits to all Queenslanders including First Nations peoples, and putting Queensland at the forefront of conservation innovation across the globe.
Why protected areas are important
Protected areas are important in a number of ways:
- Climate change – acting as carbon sinks and providing habitat for native wildlife.
- Threatened species and biodiversity – providing the highest level of protection.
- Healthy ecosystems – essential to providing things like clean air and water, pollination and flood control.
- Connection to Country – safeguarding cultural values, and supporting First Nations peoples’ connection to their land.
- Health and wellbeing – providing access to nature; spending time in nature is essential to happy and healthy communities.
- Economic dividends – creating thousands of jobs and contributing to our economy—in 2018 at least $297 million in national park generated spending by visitors alone.
Growing protected areas
The Queensland Government is committed to expanding the State’s protected area system, as detailed in Queensland’s Protected Area Strategy 2020–2030 (PDF, 5.6MB).
The aim is to create a comprehensive, adequate and representative protected area system that protects samples of the biodiversity of all biogeographical regions of the state.
The long-term target is to increase protected areas to 17%.
The National Park Investment Prioritisation Framework guides the strategic prioritisation of land for addition to the public protected area estate. The framework guides and shapes decisions by providing a consistent, transparent and evidence-based methodology for identifying, assessing, selecting and prioritising potential land acquisitions or transfers of new areas.
Updates about the department’s progress in growing the protected area estate are available in annual Protected Area Strategy report cards. This includes actions to progress strategic partnerships, leveraging public and private funding; additions to the estate through land conversions and acquisitions; and, new nature refuges to grow the private protected area network.
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Managing protected areas
Effective management of protected areas is just as vital to achieving conservation outcomes as growing the overall system. Queensland’s protected areas are managed in accordance with global best practice standards, including ensuring that communities and neighbours are safe from the impacts of fire and invasive pests.
Learn more information on our approach to park management.