The strategy establishes the overarching framework, strategic direction, and actions to enhance Queensland’s terrestrial protected areas, both public and private, as well as the natural habitats and ecosystems they support.

Strategic priorities

• Expanding Queensland’s protected area system to safeguard biodiversity and cultural values, protect threatened species, and build climate change resilience while creating economic benefits.
• Managing protected areas in partnership with First Nations peoples, landholders and other land managers to deliver global best practices in conserving natural and cultural values.
• Ensuring Queenslanders know and appreciate the state’s protected areas and support investment in their expansion and management to conserve natural and cultural values.

Targets

The strategy has defined progress measures reported in annual report cards.

Outcomes

Since 2020, the department has acquired 29 land parcels, expanding the protected area estate and protecting vital habitats for threatened species.

Significant acquisitions include:

• Vergemont Station (approximately 352,500 hectares) and Tonkoro Station (approximately 138,000 hectares) near Longreach. This acquisition connects the protected area corridor that includes Diamantina National Park, Mount Windsor Nature Refuge, Pullen Pullen Special Wildlife Reserve and Goneaway National Park, creating a total protected area landscape of almost 1.5 million hectares.
• Part of Melrose Station near Winton. This acquisition will increase the adjoining Bladensburg National Park by approximately 65,000 hectares, almost doubling that protected area.
• The Lakes and part of the adjoining Pretty Plains property near Hughenden. In June 2024, this area was declared the new 43,260-hectare, The Lakes National Park.
• Bramwell Station and Richardson Stations, approximately 131,900 hectares combined. Together, these stations link close to one million hectares of protected land in the Cape York Peninsula.
• Several Great Barrier Reef Island leases, including the Spadely Station (about 1,600 hectares) on Curtis Island and Long Island grazing lease (about 3,500 hectare) in Broad Sound. Both areas will both protect nesting habitat for the vulnerable flatback turtle.
• The 2,800-hectare, grazing lease over Powrunna State Forest. This acquisition has enabled the establishment of a third population of the critically endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat.

Queensland’s private protected area network has also expanded by approximately 520,000 hectares, with a net increase of 41 nature refuges since 2020. New nature refuges and extensions to existing nature refuges include:

• Abingdon Downs North Nature Refuge (244,647 hectares)
• Norfolk Nature Refuge (30,644 hectares)
• Herbertvale Nature Refuge (32,924 hectares)
• Mt Gibson Nature Refuge (34,206 hectares)
• Ardgour Station Nature Refuge (9,568 hectares)
• Artemis Antbed Parrot Nature Refuge (extended by 103,060 hectares)
• Crystalvale Nature Refuge (extended by 64,314 hectares).

Achievements since the last reporting period include:

• The department used strategic partnerships to leverage over $25 million in philanthropic and public funding, maximising outcomes for growing Queensland’s protected area estate.
• In late 2023, 2,550 hectares of state forest were dedicated as protected areas in South East Queensland, including parts of Mount Mee, West Cooroy, Deer Reserve, Beerwah and Luttons State forests, and Wickham Timber Reserve.
• As of 30 June 2024, the Great Barrier Reef Island Arks Initiative had added 148 islands, or parts thereof (mainly unallocated state land), to the Great Barrier Reef’s protected area estate.
• Queensland’s first special wildlife reserve, Pullen Pullen Special Wildlife Reserve, was declared in September 2020. It protects the habitat of the endangered night parrot.
• The Conservation Agreement to establish a second special wildlife reserve, Edgbaston Special Wildlife Reserve, was executed in May 2024. Declaration of this reserve occurred in late 2024 and therefore is not included in this reporting period’s statistics. The special wildlife reserve provides critical habitat for 26 plant and animal species found nowhere else in the world, including one of Australia’s smallest and most threatened freshwater fish, the critically endangered, redfin blue-eye.
• Queensland remains the only state to offer national park-level protections on private land through the special wildlife reserve class of protected area.
• Queensland’s private protected area landholders are supported in maintaining or improving their land’s natural and cultural values through a range of landholder services, including grants programs, advice and information. Since 2020, over $2.6 million has been provided through 263 grants, benefitting 163 private protected areas. The department has also delivered the Landholder Services Pilot in partnership with Ecosure Pty Ltd and NRM Regions Queensland, resulting in almost 20% of nature refuges (109 properties) developing property management plans to guide the management of their natural and cultural values.
• Continuing to enable First Nations peoples’ co-stewardship, including returning land to Traditional Owners on Cape York Peninsula, with joint management arrangements agreed over two national parks (Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal land).
• Supporting 14 First Nations communities in Queensland to deliver outcomes for Country under the Looking after Country Grant Program, with funding going directly to First Nations-led projects.
• Continuing to support the protection and recovery of threatened species, including developing a Threatened Species Prioritisation Framework with CSIRO, improved threatened species monitoring and conservation planning, and working with partners to deliver on-ground recovery actions for key species.
• On-park management that delivered enhanced visitor experiences and improved visitor safety, including upgrades and repairs to visitor facilities and restoration of flood-affected national parks; creation of two new camping areas in Girraween National Park; improved fire management capabilities; and ongoing implementation of adaptive park management to drive continuous improvement.
• We are developing and delivering world-class visitor experiences to build the community’s engagement and connection with nature and protected areas, including opening a new immersive education room at Walkabout Creek Discovery Centre and upgrades to the wildlife and visitor centre. We continue developing a new ecotourism plan for Queensland’s protected areas and delivering the Queensland Ecotourism Trails program.

More information:

• NatureAssist
• Private protected areas