QUEENSLAND National Parks Minister Steve Dickson has defended the government’s decision to allow emergency grazing relief to drought-stricken graziers by opening access to some National Parks and National Reserve System (NRS) properties.
He said the land was carefully selected based on proximity to drought affected graziers, previous grazing histories, and the presence of buffel grass suitable for fodder for cattle.
Mr Dickson said in the particular case of Mazeppa National Park, north west of Clermont, the government was allowing use of land which had been grazed from the early 1850s.
“Since becoming a National Park, African buffel grass has grown wild and if we do not allow cattle to graze, this introduced species will continue to grow, dry out through the winter and present a dangerous fire risk in the spring,” Mr Dickson said.
“With a third of Queensland now drought declared, we are not only offering a solution to assist the current crisis, we are potentially avoiding a future one.
“Further, in selecting this emergency grazing land, consideration was also given to levels of visitation. In the past two years, these five National Parks combined have seen fewer than 10 campers each year.
“Around 70 per cent of Queenslanders visited a National Park in the last year, but clearly no one is visiting those in the remote north-west to gaze at cattle runs and overgrown grass.
“Very clearly, the land we will make temporarily available is not the Daintree, it is land which in some cases still retains the windmills, fencing and other infrastructure it housed during its former grazing tenure.
“Further, recent claims that our hardworking Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) should not undertake feral animal control programs in other Queensland National Parks since the government has made this emergency grazing measure available, are the absolute height of absurdity.
“Feral pests, like brumbies, pigs and cats, run rampant without control or management. They are not contained by fences and they exist in unsustainable numbers, indiscriminately destroying wildlife and vegetation in our parks and the properties of neighbouring landholders.”
Mr Dickson said the government was ensuring the environmental values of the emergency agistment land continued to be safeguarded through measures such as responsible stocking rates and fencing where required.
“Strict monitoring will be undertaken throughout the term of the temporary permits, which are only available until the end of 2013,” he said.
Mr Dickson made the comments in a statement released yesterday in announcing that more than $25 million would be invested in Queensland’s national parks next year, while a scientific review of the national park estate would be undertaken.
Mr Dickson said the Newman Government’s 2013-2014 Budget included a $25.8 million spend on national parks capital works, including $6.3 million towards improving visitor access across the state.
“Our scientific review of all 12.5 million hectares of land within the national parks estate will result in higher protection and proper management for our pristine natural areas," he said.
“Any claim that this review is being undertaken to revoke Queensland’s national parks is unfounded, and forms part of an increasingly shrill scare campaign from the extreme Green movement, eschewing science for emotive headlines.”
