The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is set to become the first national parks agency in Australia to commit to being carbon positive, with the release of a new plan.
Announced by Minister for the Environment, Matt Kean, the Carbon Positive by 2028 Plan is aimed at seeing NPWS reach net zero emissions and then becoming carbon positive by 2028.
“By 2028, the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by our national parks will exceed the emissions generated by NPWS in managing those parks,” Mr Kean said.
“This is a visionary Plan that highlights the importance of the national parks in combatting climate change alongside the critical role they already play in the conservation of biodiversity providing home to 85 per cent of threatened species in the State,” he said.
“It’s all designed to position NPWS at the forefront of global environmental efforts.”
Mr Kean said that, under the Plan, NPWS would implement actions to reduce its carbon footprint, including switching to 100 per cent renewable energy; electric passenger vehicles; installing onsite solar photovoltaic (PV); reducing waste; and updating refrigeration and air conditioning assets with high-efficiency models.
The Minister said NPWS would also trial electric vehicle charging stations in key park areas to support the community to visit national parks in electric vehicles.
“National parks also represent one of the largest carbon stores in the State, protecting over 40 per cent of all forest carbon,” he said.
“NPWS will protect these existing carbon stores through effective fire management and invest in a suite of biodiversity-friendly carbon sequestration projects.”
Mr Kean said NPWS was investigating the level of annual carbon sequestration by national parks and additional data, once analysed, “may demonstrate a carbon positive position achieved before 2028”.
NPWS’s 15-page Plan can be accessed at this PS News link.
