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An additional 2,500 hectares across Queensland have been formally dedicated to the State’s protected areas system, including the new Broad Sound Islands Conservation Park, which was created last year with the State Government’s purchase of the Wild Duck Island tourism lease to conserve Eastern Australia’s largest flatback turtles nesting site.

Also included are parts of Yurol State Forest and Ringtail State Forest which have been converted to be part of Tewantin National Park on the Sunshine Coast to enable protection of the vulnerable wallum rocketfrog, wallum froglet and koala habitat.

About 1356 hectares is being added to the existing Mount Walsh National Park, south-west of Maryborough, while a previously announced 40 hectares has also added to the existing Mon Repos Conservation Park, home to some of Queensland’s iconic loggerhead and flatback turtles.

QLD Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon notes “It means these critical ecosystems are now protected by legislation.

“In total, some 14 million hectares across Queensland are protected under the Nature Conservation Act – an area more than double the size of the state of Tasmania.

“But of course we want to do more, which is why we’ve committed $262.5 million in the latest budget to expand and create new national parks, the largest ever investment in our national park network.”

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