© Environment News Service (ENS) 2001
September 5, 2001

CANBERRA, Australia, September 5, 2001 (ENS) - Western Australia's native plants and animals, some as yet unnamed by scientists, are being protected by a joint Commonwealth and state initiative announced Tuesday. The two governments will set aside more than 2.7 million hectares (6.7 million acres) in Western Australia's conservation reserve system.

Federal Environment Minister Robert Hill and Western Australia Environment and Heritage Minister Judy Edwards have announced the A$5.7 million purchase of land in the Gascoyne Murchison region to ensure protection for thousands of plants, reptiles and other creatures.

This region is named after two long rivers, the Gascoyne and the Murchison, that drain the area. These rivers are seasonable and are just a string of waterholes, except at times when tropical cyclones that have crossed Australia's west coast further north move into the area as rain.

The Commonwealth government contributed A$3.6 million towards buying the 13 pastoral leases and parts of 10 other leases to ensure this unique landscape would be protected under the national reserve system.

"The 57 million hectare Gascoyne Murchison region has an incredible level of biodiversity - researchers have found so many species in this area that some have not even been named scientifically yet. Yet despite this vast diversity of plants, reptiles, spiders and even scorpions, the area's existing protection has been severely inadequate," Senator Hill said.

"A key priority of the National Reserve System is to ensure adequate representation of the nation's land managed for the conservation of biological diversity. This latest purchase is filling the gaps in Western Australia - in the past four years we have seen conservation areas in the Gascoyne Murchison region under this initiative more than treble," Senator Hill said.

The land acquisitions were funded jointly by the federal government's National Reserve System Program, under the Natural Heritage Trust, and by the state as part of the Western Australia Gascoyne Murchison Rangelands Strategy.

Dr. Edwards said the additions to the conservation estate would provide a significant boost to regional Western Australia.

"The aim of the Gascoyne Murchison Rangelands Strategy is to address the environmental, economic and social needs of this pastoral rangelands region," she said.

Under the strategy, animals are being removed from large areas of pastoral grazing lands and the lands are being added to the conservation estate. The regrowth of forests and woodlands in these areas is absorbing carbon dioxide over millions of hectares, according to the Western Australia Department of Conservation and Land Management.

The absorption of carbon dioxide, the major greenhouse gas linked to global warming, may help to reverse the planet's warming trend.

"Under the Gascoyne Murchison Rangelands Strategy it is envisaged that at least 15 percent of the region will be in conservation reserves ensuring greater representation of the region's diverse flora and fauna," said Dr. Edwards.

At the beginning of the strategy program there were about one million hectares of land already within the conservation reserve system representing two percent of the region. Now, the total area of land managed for the conservation of biodiversity within the Gascoyne Murchison Rangelands Strategy region is about 3.8 million hectares or about 6.6 percent.

Dr. Edwards said the land acquisitions have brought economic benefits to the region through cash injections for pastoralists who sell leases but remain on the land as contract managers.

"Many have also pursued other interests and earnings from a rapidly growing nature based tourism industry," she said.

Dr. Edwards said the Department of Conservation and Land Management will be progressively pursuing the formal creation of national parks, conservation parks and nature reserves over the newly acquired areas.

The Department will continue to consult with a wide range of stakeholders as areas of land are acquired, including pastoralists, their representative organizations, the Gascoyne Murchison Strategy Board, the Pastoral Lands Board, Aboriginal groups, local governments, conservation groups, the mining and tourism industries and other government agencies. Error: Unable to read footer file.