Abbott's half right: our national parks are good but not perfect

Abbott's half right: our national parks are good but not perfect



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Prime Minister Tony Abbott this week told a timber industry
dinner that he doesn’t think national parks should be a growth industry:
“We have quite enough national parks. We have quite enough locked up…

Lake Judd, in Tasmania’s Southwest National Park.
JJ Harrison/Wikimedia Commons

Prime Minister Tony Abbott this week told a timber industry dinner that he doesn’t think national parks should be a growth industry:

"We have quite enough national parks. We have quite
enough locked up forests already. In fact, in an important respect, we
have too much locked up forest.”

Is he right? How much forest should be in conservation reserves, and does Australia really have too many?

Parks and protection

Australia has a world-class system of reserves, with just over 13% of its land area currently protected. Governments of all political persuasions have created national parks and protected areas for a range of reasons, including biodiversity conservation, wilderness protection, scientific study or to protect specific natural features.