Save Our Parks
Victoria's National Parks are under threat, Parks Victoria Board must change focus and hunting must be banned, say Greens.
The Victorian Greens will appoint a new Parks Victoria Board with more members having environmental, conservation or indigenous knowledge and expertise as part of a plan to better protect Victoria's most valuable natural assets.
The Greens would also reverse Labor's terrible decision to allow hunting in the Alpine National Park, end logging and create new national parks as well as increase funding to Parks Victoria.
The pledge is part of the Greens' Save our National Parks campaign. The Liberals cut funding for Parks Victoria in 2014 and the Andrews Labor Government has not restored funding to required levels, meaning our National Parks are overrun with weeds and invasive species, visitor centres are closed and staff morale is low.
The Greens' pledge also includes $40 million to buy, restore and protect rare and important habitat on private land through Trust for Nature.
Importantly the Greens would also create more National Parks, starting with the Great Forest National Park and Emerald Link, and end native logging in Victoria.
Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens spokesperson for the environment, Ellen Sandell
"Our National Parks are under threat from weeds, invasive species and neglect. Now the Andrews Labor Government wants to allow hunters into our National Parks, which is a terrible decision. The Andrews Labor Government has not restored the funding cut by the Liberals and Dan Andrews also has the worst record when it comes to new park creation in the last 50 years."
"The Parks Victoria Board is stacked heavily with people with a background in tourism and economics, and has very few people with conservation or biodiversity expertise. No wonder we're losing habitat and are in an extinction crisis.
"The trend of successive state governments failing to understand the value of the state's environments must come to an end. These places are special, they need protecting, and we owe it to future Victorians to preserve these natural wonders before even more species go extinct."