State of the Parks - Fourth Edition
SUMMARY
A summary of the key findings in the fourth edition of the State of the Parks can be accessed here.
DETAILED RESULTS
Management for Nature Conservation
Management of Traditional Owner cultural values
Management of Historic Heritage
Management for Visitors and Community
Fire and Emergency Management
Planning and Knowledge
ABOUT THE FOURTH ASSESSMENT
The latest edition of the State of the Parks report is developed using a range of information sources including datasets from the Parks Victoria and the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA), scientific monitoring data, commissioned reports, expert opinion and the experience and knowledge of professional park managers. The use of expert opinion, where empirical evidence is not available, is endorsed by the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas as appropriate to evaluate management effectiveness. Increasingly, other sources of information such as knowledge from Traditional Owners are being incorporated wherever possible.
This report is informed by park manager assessments conducted between November 2017 and February 2018, calculations of trends since 2013, and other available information up to the end of 2017-18. The confidence park managers reported in their assessments is included where relevant. Results for current status are based on the number of parks that responded to each issue, while trends were statistically analysed based on the subset of parks that responded in both evaluations (2013 and 2018), excluding parks that responded ‘unknown’.
In total, 300 parks and reserves, or about 90 per cent of the area of Victoria’s parks network, were assessed by park managers. This includes all terrestrial national, state and wilderness parks, marine protected areas, and metropolitan parks, most regional and reservoir parks and around 150 significant conservation reserves.
CHANGES SINCE THE ASSESSMENT
Since the State of the Parks assessment was completed in 2018, visitation to the parks network and participation in volunteering has continued to grow. Significant fires occurred in both the summers of 2019 and 2020. These, especially the devastating East Gippsland fires, have had significant impacts on the condition of parks and communities. The Covid-19 pandemic has presented both new challenges and opportunities for connecting people to nature. These changes and their impacts will be detailed in the next State of the Parks assessment.
Download Victoria’s State of the Parks - Fourth Edition (PDF).
Download Victoria's State of the Parks - Fourth Edition (word doc).
Download Victoria’s State of the Parks – Updates since the Fourth Edition (PDF).
Download Victoria’s State of the Parks – Updates since the Fourth Edition (word doc).