The Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) has added almost 60,000 hectares of land in the north-west of NSW as a new State Conservation Area.
Minister for Environment, Matt Kean announced the new Mutawintji State Conservation Area, a two-hour drive from Broken Hill, by adding land at Nuntherungie Station to the national parks estate.
“By reserving Nuntherungie and adding it to the existing Mutawintji Lands we are expanding an exceptionally significant Aboriginal landscape and facilitating the continuing physical and spiritual connection to country for the traditional owners,” Mr Kean said.
“I’m incredibly proud to be adding to our national parks estate an area of such important cultural significance and high conservation value,” he said.
“This is a great first step in my goal to add 200,000 hectares to the national parks estate in the next two years.”
Mr Kean said the site was the single largest area to be added to the national parks estate since 2010, and would be jointly managed by the NSW National Parks Wildlife Service and Mutawintji Board of Management.
“The new State Conservation Area is also home to the endangered Yellow Footed Rock Wallaby and will support almost 30 other threatened species, including the Eastern Fat-tailed Gecko, Grey Falcon and the Black-breasted Buzzard,” he said.
“It also features a large area of river red gum woodland and associated shrublands of Prickly Wattle and Western Boobialla,” Mr Kean said.
