Parks form conservation umbrella

As the world approaches the goal of 10 per cent of every nation conserved in national parks, keeping safe for all time the earth's wonderful biodiversity, we urgently need a new concept to complement this great one first developed at Yellowstone in USA in 1872.

The English, determined not to be left behind the upstart Americans, created their own "national parks".

These were parts of Great Britain where humans had not destroyed but lived in harmony within nature.

The Lakes District is the best known, though today almost 10 per cent of this nation is conserved in what the more logical French term Regional Parks.

The idea spread so today at least 40 nations have these conserved.

Put simply, it means placing a "conservation umbrella" over where people live and work.

There is no change in land ownership, only some management controls on what humans can do,

On the back cover of my book "Saving Australia", published in 1988, was a picture of a wheat farm side by side with the Stirling Range National Park.

This place is one of the crown jewels of the park system of Western Australia.

My caption closed with the words "we need both".

What has happened since then?

Australia has come a long way.

We now have some of the world's largest regional parks.

They have a number of names.

That does not matter.

It is the intention which is important.

Most States are working hard on the problem but we need more, not only 10 per cent of the nation.

Louis Bromfield, the American author, wrote some 50 years ago he had a dream of all of the United States being one vast regional park with the national parks like diamonds to conserve biodiversity.

Humans do not always destroy, sometimes they enhance.

What are our largest regional parks?

First formed the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Marine Park, next the Sharks Bay World Heritage Park which also includes the largest sea grassbeds in the oceans of the world.

Then more recently came the Great Australian Bight Marine Park, conserving the largest animals which have ever lived, the blue and right whales.

Finally and most recent the sub-Antarctic islands with the seas which surround them.

The last two are not well known but our national government can be proud they created them, adding a diadem of beauty to Australia's natural crown.

The Central Coast has a number of regions which residents love and want to keep.

A regional park "conservation umbrella" can do just that.

Vincent Serventy, Pearl Beach