More Queensland state forests becoming national parks
Friday 21 Jun 2024
The Queensland Government will dedicate more than 12,000 hectares of
land currently declared as state forest as national and conservation
park. The process to dedicate the land began in the State Parliament.
The dedication of the various areas of state forest as national park and
conservation park aligns with the government’s commitment
to transfer 20,000 hectares of state forest to the protected areas
estate under the Native Timber Action Plan. This move will
bring the total area of state forest added to the protected areas estate
under the plan to just over 13,000ha.
The land being protected includes:
- around 843 hectares of Jimna State Forest for
dedication as part of the existing Wrattens National Park, supporting
several threatened species including the tusked frog, glossy black-
cockatoo and koala.
- around 657 hectares of Peachester State Forest for
dedication as part of the existing Glass House Mountains Conservation
Park, containing core koala habitat and providing significant ecological
and recreational values for the broader community.
- around 6,462 hectares of Squirrel Creek State
Forest for dedication as the new Squirrel Creek National Park,
containing endangered and of-concern regional ecosystems and riverine
wetlands that provide important habitat for vulnerable species including
the plumed frogmouth and black-breasted button-quail.
- around 479 hectares Bellthorpe State Forest for
dedication as part of the existing Bellthorpe National Park, forming
part of a bioregional corridor containing important lowland forest
ecosystems and including habitat for species of conservation
significance including the tusked frog, koala and cascade treefrog.
- two areas totalling 1,119 hectares of Beerburrum West State
Forest for dedication as part of the existing Glass House
Mountains National Park, providing connectivity and management benefits
for the protected area estate in the Sunshine Coast.
- around 100 hectares of Deer Reserve State Forest
for dedication as part of the existing Deer Reserve Conservation Park,
containing significant conservation values including the presence of
koala and rib-fruited malletwood.
- around 212 hectares of Elgin Vale State Forest for
dedication as part of the existing Wrattens National Park, containing an
of-concern regional ecosystem that will increase protection of habitat
suitable for several threatened species including the koala.
- around 119 hectares of Luttons State Forest for
dedication as part of the existing Glass House Mountains Conservation
Park. The park contains significant conservation values including the Coochin
Hills grevillea and habitat for threatened fauna such as the central
greater glider and koala.
- around 576 hectares of Yabba State Forest for
dedication as part of the existing Wrattens National Park, supporting
several threatened species including the tusked frog, glossy black-
cockatoo and koala.
- around 289 hectares Delaneys Creek State Forest for
dedication as the new Delaneys Creek Conservation Park, forming part of
a bioregional corridor that contains habitat for unique flora and fauna
including the hairy hazelwood and Richmond birdwing butterfly.
"The Miles Labor Government is doing what matters for Queenslanders,
protecting and expanding areas of high environmental importance across
the state," said the Minister for the Environment and the Great Barrier
Reef, Leanne Linard. “Our protected are estate is a major
contributor to Queensland’s economic prosperity and growing our
protected are estate is essential for not just the environment but also
the economy.”
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Source: State of Queensland
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