Plans to allow development in some Queensland national park are continuing to spark massive controversy.
Just days before the proposed changes to the Nature Conservation Act are to scheduled to be debated in parliament, the head of the National Parks Association Queensland has said he is ‘deadset’ against them.
Paul Donatiu says national parks risk becoming less appealing to many visitors if eco-tourism projects are built inside their boundaries.
“It’s a contradiction of what national parks are about in the first place,” he told the Sunshine Coast Daily.
Mr Donatiu also raised concerns about the government making it easier to approve pipelines through forestry areas or national parks. He argued that the size of the easements needed for a pipeline meant it was “effectively clearing the landscape”.
However, Acting Minister for National Parks Tracy Davis told the Sunshine Coast Daily that any developments would still have to meet strict environmental guidelines.
“It is worth noting the eco-tourism industry is worth many hundreds of millions of dollars which, because of unnecessary regulations, Queensland is simply missing out on,” she said.
Queensland is rich in iconic national parks, including those in Noosa, the Whitsundays, Daintree, Fraser Island and Eungella in Central Queensland.
Comment below.
If you look at some maps, beside almost every National Park in the country is an area set aside for “future development of resources”. Our Governments don’t really care about our NP’s except as future money wells. Unfortunately it is a necessity with us demanding more and more of our Governments. I am glad I won’t be here to see our world in 100 yrs time, in won’t be pretty.