The declaration of a 2,800 hectare national park in
the spectacular Capertee Valley this week created the 800th New South Wales
reserve.
The reservation of Capertee National Park meant that there
was now more than 6.76 million hectares protected forever under the NSW National
Parks system.
This is a significant milestone which builds upon the 472
parks the NSW Labor Government has added since 1995.
This amounts to an additional 2.7 million hectares,
compared to the paltry efforts of the Greiner and Fahey Governments that saw
just 400,000 hectares added to our reserve system in 7 years.
National parks offer havens for our precious plants and
animals and refuges for them from the impacts of climate change. They also offer
us all opportunities to escape our busy lives and enjoy nature at its most
spectacular.
Regional tourism and local economies across New South Wales
also benefit from national parks with visitors using local services and
accommodation in towns nearby.
The property known as ?Port Macquarie? includes 15
kilometres of the Capertee River and is a known breeding and feeding site for
the nationally endangered regent honeyeater.
The Capertee Valley is the most reliable of only three core
breeding areas for the regent honeyeater in south-eastern Australia.
The property is a haven for woodland birds with another ten
threatened species known to be present, including the diamond firetail, hooded
robin, turquoise parrot and barking owl, with many others.
It also contains more than 350 hectares of nationally
significant critically endangered white boxyellow box-Blakeley?s red gum grassy
woodland and is the habitat of several threatened plants.
In all, seventeen threatened animal species have been
recorded on the property including the spotted-tailed quoll and the large-eared
pied bat.
As the area is already renowned among local and overseas
birdwatchers, it is expected to draw people from all over the world.
The property was settled in the mid 1800s by George Innes,
brother of Major Archibald Innes who helped establish Port Macquarie on the mid
north coast.
Aboriginal sites such as hand stencils are found on the
property.
There is a beautiful four bedroom homestead which would
provide attractive accommodation for park visitors once the works are done to
make the park more easily accessible to the public. There are also plans for
camping grounds and other facilities.
The $4 million property was purchased by the NSW Government
with almost $2.7 million of assistance from the Australian Government through
its Caring for our Country initiative.
It was purchased from Dr Michael and Dorothy Harrison who
had owned the property for 32 years.
We let much of the property return to bush after we moved
in and it is amazing to see the extent of vegetation that has returned after 30
years.
?My wife and I always said it would make a great national
park and we are very pleased it will now be protected for the community to enjoy
forever.?
The establishment of this park is part of an ongoing
program by the Government to protect the wide range of ecosystems occurring in
NSW. This is guided by the NSW National
Parks Establishment Plan released by the NSW Government in
July 2008.
Facts
- NSW now has 800 reserves, covering over 8.4% of NSW including:
*189 national parks
*399 nature
reserves
*112 state conservation areas
*15 historic sites
*16
Aboriginal areas
- NSW has more than two million hectares declared as wilderness
- The first national park in NSW was Royal National Park which was created
in 1879. It was also the first in Australia and the second in the world after
Yellowstone.
- The United Nations has declared 2010 to be the International Year of
Biodiversity.
- There are six marine parks in New South Wales. These help to protect
approximately 34 per cent of the NSW coastal area.
- There are now over 2 million hectares of declared wilderness within our
parks ? or just over 2 per cent of NSW.
- The new park is in keeping with the State Plan priority to protect native
vegetation, biodiversity, land and rivers.
