Foreword
Protected areas around the world, including formal park systems, conserve a wealth of spectacular natural and cultural values and provide communities with opportunities for recreation and enjoyment in natural settings. Communities around the world love and cherish these areas for their intrinsic beauty, their cultural and spiritual connection, and for their role in conserving biodiversity and other values.
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| Wilderness area in Guy Fawkes River National Park A. Cox / DEC |
The significance that communities place on these values is reflected in that more than ten per cent of the world's land surface is now some form of protected area. As natural areas become progressively rarer and more degraded the importance of maintaining and where possible improving the condition of these areas has become an ever-increasing responsibility for land managers. Countries around the world are seeking to better understand how well current management is conserving the values within those areas and to use this information to continually adapt and improve management strategies.
One of the major outcomes of both the 2004 World Parks Congress in South Africa and the recent Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Bangkok, is an international commitment to developing systems for evaluating management effectiveness in protected areas. Internationally, a number of countries are developing these systems for a relatively small number of parks.
In New South Wales however, the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has already taken a major step forward and is developing a system to evaluate and monitor all aspects of park management within the entire park system of over 600 parks. This information is presented publicly in this State of the Parks 2004 report.
While this is a complex process that will be refined over time, this report marks a large step forward in understanding the impact of management in a large and diverse park system such as we have in New South Wales. The system that has been developed by the NPWS has attracted both national and international attention for the valuable contribution the State of the Parks program is making to improving our understanding and management of parks.
Hon. Bob Debus
NSW Minister for the Environment
IUCN The World Conservation Union letter
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| Green and gold bell frog, Litoria aurea. R. Kingsford / DEC |
Understanding the values within the park system and evaluating the outcomes of management is essential to being able to adapt and improve management practices. The NSW State of the Parks program will provide park managers in New South Wales with information and a tool to support decision-making. Learning and refinement are intrinsic parts of this program, so it will be improved as it is used and lead to better management.
The NPWS manages the park system on behalf of the NSW community and this State of the Parks 2004 report is also about providing better information to the public on the management of their park system. Over time the State of the Parks series will help build a picture of trends in the condition and management of the parks of New South Wales. In being transparent and accountable for the management of the park system, the NPWS is inviting the NSW community into a partnership to ensure its ongoing protection.
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Tarawi Nature Reserve. |
Lisa Corbyn
Director General
Department of Environment and Conservation (NSW)
Dr Tony Fleming
Head NPWS
Deputy Director General
Department of Environment and Conservation
