An inquiry is underway in NSW Parliament that poses a tremendous threat to our protected areas. Make a submission before Friday 1st August to help us protect the sanctity of our National Parks!
Despite the title ‘Access Restrictions to Public Lands and Waterways’, this inquiry is not about increasing public access to protected areas, but rather increasing support for shooting, off-road vehicle use, mining and other environmentally degrading activities that are currently prohibited in national parks.
In the wake of declining biodiversity and a worsening climate crisis, this inquiry could subject our protected areas to high-impact activities that threaten their outstanding environmental and heritage values.
Take action
The Committee is accepting submissions until Friday 1st August. Your submission can be short and based mostly on your own experience visiting national parks and other protected areas.
Here are a few points and prompts to help you write a submission:
- Everyone has the right to access and experience conservation reserves, but the introduction of prohibited, high-impact activities would jeopordise the values that conservation reserves seek to protect, as well as the safety and experience of the public;
- Grazing stock, forms of native forest logging like thinning, the driving of vehicles into wilderness and off roads, horse riding in national parks, and the hunting of feral animals are examples of activities that do not belong in national parks or other environmentally sensitive areas;
- It has never been more critical to retain and restore areas of high ecological integrity, in the wake of the entwined, existential threats of biodiversity loss and climate change. We must improve and expand upon the existing reserve system in a way that prioritises regeneration, connectivity and ecological recovery, while still facilitating public access and low-impact activities
- Personal prompts: Can you describe your experience visiting a specific national park or protected area? How would you feel if environmentally harmful activities (like those outlined above) were allowed to occur within national parks?