The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has declared that a new National Park Scorecard program launched last weekend (4 September), is to boost the health of the State’s national parks by tracking and reporting key ecological indicators.
Minister for the Environment, Matt Kean said the $10 million program would develop a world-leading framework of the largest-ever systematic program of ecological survey and monitoring for the NSW national parks estate.
“We need to know if the measures we are undertaking, whether feral pest and weed control or the management of fire, are improving outcomes for our native plants and animals, many of which are threatened with extinction,” Mr Kean said.
He said the Scorecards would provide regular public reports on the health of national parks including: Populations of key threatened species (e.g. koalas, brush-tailed rock-wallabies, Wollemi pines); The extent of threats (e.g. the density of feral pigs, goats); and Whether fire regimes were impacting on ecological health.
He said the Scorecards would start with the design of initial monitoring framework for two of Australia’s most iconic parks, Kosciuszko National Park and the Royal National Park.
Mr Kean said experts from the Australian National University – David Lindenmayer and a team – and from UNSW Sydney – Richard Kingsford and a team – had been appointed to help design initial monitoring plans for the two parks.
He said the first four-year phase of the program would cover 30 per cent of the national park estate, including also the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area, Macquarie Marshes, Myall Lakes, the Pilliga, part of the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area and the Sturt-Narriearra Caryapundy Swamp National Park complex.
The Minister said data collection would start this year with initial Scorecards expected to be published in late 2022.
