National parks

Press, 9 December 1983, Page 18

National parks

Sir,—“The new administrative structure for national parks and reserves established by the National Parks Act, 1980, is now firmly in place. The department’s partnership with the National Parks and Reserves Authority is working well” said the 1983 report of the Lands and Survey Department. Under the Act the authority is entitled to obtain, and has done so, its own independent investigations of potential areas for inclusion in national parks, and has developed proposals to put before politicians. It is disappointing that the authority should now compromise its independence by throwing open its investigations to the Forest Service and, where appropriate, also the Mines Division. Tne multiple use philosophy of the Forest Service and its more ready acceptance of reserves for botanical rather than wildlife reasons must be at variance with the objectives of the authority. Inter-departmental consensus seems likely to be achievable only at the expense of positive recommendations on new national parks or extensions to existing parks. The early promise of the 1980 Act has taken a knock.—Yours, etc., ERIC BENNETT. December 7, 1983.-