The Conservation Council of WA (CCWA) has welcomed the announcement of a new national park and nature reserve in the remote Goldfields region of WA.
Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara National Park and Lake Carnegie Nature Reserve cover 578,000 hectares of land and will be jointly managed by the Tarlka Matuwa Piarku Aboriginal Corporation and WA Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA).
Western Australia’s Environment Minister, Reece Whitby, said the new park and reserve will make up 16 per cent of the five-million-hectare target set out under the state government’s Plan for Our Parks initiative. They will also contribute to the national target of placing 30 per cent of Australia’s land mass under conservation management by 2030.
“It's great to see the positive impact the initiative is having in protecting our state's vast and unique landscapes,” he said.
“Our government is committed to protecting these special areas and we look forward to working with the Tarlka Matuwa Piarku Aboriginal Corporation to safeguard cultural heritage and biodiversity.”
Matuwa Kurrara Kurrara National Park is a dedicated Indigenous Protected Area with more than 480 plant species. Lake Carnegie is listed on the Commonwealth Directory of Important Wetlands and is believed to be home to the critically endangered night parrot.
An Indigenous Land Use Agreement over the area was signed in October 2022 and registered in March this year. The agreement is the largest exclusive possession native title agreement in Australia and the largest for the creation of a new jointly managed and jointly vested conservation estate in WA.
CCWA Executive Director, Joe Heffernan, welcomed the creation of the new national park, particularly the joint management agreement between the state government and Traditional Owners.
“We echo the sentiment from the Environment Minister – it is important that the creation of new national parks is done in partnership with Traditional Owners and with respect for their invaluable knowledge of the land.
“We would like to congratulate the state government on this initiative which we hope will provide a framework to create more conservation space for nature to flourish while delivering tangible benefits to First Nations communities.”
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]