The Queensland government has announced an additional 90-thousand hectares of land has been designated as protected areas much of it in the far north. The announcement has been welcomed by conservation groups. However, with the state a long way off its protected area goals, they say a lot more needs to be done.
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00:00With an eye to the Olympics, the Premier wants to show Queensland's natural beauty to the world.
00:08It takes money, but to not do it is an investment in stupidity. We have to get this right.
00:15He's announced 8,700 hectares of new protected areas and a pledge to create much more.
00:226,000 hectares has been added to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and 18 nature refuges created across the state.
00:31A modest expansion, but the Premier has lofty goals.
00:35And that is to increase protected areas in one term in Queensland at a greater rate than the former government did across the decade.
00:42Conservation groups say the ambition is encouraging and have welcomed the time pressure brought by the Games.
00:49The world is going to be coming to Queensland for the Olympics and we want to be able to show it off.
00:54We don't want to be able to say this is where koalas or quolls used to be.
00:58However, the government is also opening up nine new areas for gas exploration.
01:03They're giving with one hand and they're taking away with this new announcement of 1.6 million hectares for new gas exploration.
01:12I'd say it's complimentary. It's about increasing our protected area so we do the right thing by the environment.
01:17And it's about sustainably investing in the gas industry.
01:21The protection of koala habitat is a recurring theme in this announcement.
01:26Many of the areas protected are tiny parcels of land that connect larger protected areas.
01:32Experts say while they don't look like much, these connected pathways are crucial to the species' survival.
01:39If we have isolated patches like we do in the Gold Coast and Brisbane Redlands, we've got koalas in parks and they're isolated, they're going to die out.
01:48Rebecca Larkin says more protected areas are needed in the south-east and incentives for landholders is the only way to do it.
01:57Private individuals, they're a lot more on them and they can have a much bigger impact if they get the support.
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02:05they're able to create emerged.
02:07So the Form of Spot.
02:08We're matching themiwe and the region of the malls in at 8 munden,
02:09that allows us to explore the facility if the area is free to the public.
02:13By the way, the limit of the entry I can to the hospital works for many years to get back from the facility to charge it.