The Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) has welcomed the creation of a new national park in the Gascoyne, which will increase WA’s conservation estate by 270,000 hectares.
The new Pimbee National Park – as well as the expansion of the Kennedy Range National Park – will set aside more land for WA’s conservation estate, helping to protect vulnerable species and natural landscapes. The area is home to more than 150 animal species including the peregrine falcon, rainbow bee-eater and the western pebble-mound mouse. Species of flora native to the area include the mulla mulla (ptilotus exaltatus) and everlastings (Rhodanthe chlorocephala subsp. rosea).
The new parks sit on Yinggarda Country, around Carnarvon, and will be jointly managed by the Yinggarda Aboriginal Corporation and the WA State Government, bringing employment opportunities and economic opportunities for Traditional Owners.
The new park is the latest announcement in the WA State Government’s Plan for Our Parks initiative, which will see five million hectares of new national and marine parks and conservation reserves across the state. They will also contribute to the national target of placing 30 per cent of Australia’s land mass under conservation management by 2030.
CCWA Executive Director, Joe Heffernan, said he looked forward to similar announcements in the near future.
“Setting aside meaningful areas of land for conservation value – particularly when done in partnership with Traditional Owners – is one of the most valuable things governments can do to ensure that natural places remain intact for future generations”, he said.
“We would like to congratulate the state government and the Yinggarda Aboriginal Corporation on this exciting announcement and look forward to more good news as the state’s conservation estate continues to expand.”
ENDS
MEDIA INFORMATION: The Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) is the state’s foremost non-profit, non-government conservation organisation representing nearly 100 environmental organisations across Western Australia.
For more information, visit: ccwa.org.au.
CONTACT: For any enquiries relating to this release, please contact Robert Davies
0412 272 570 or by email, [email protected]