30 March 2008

The Hon Peter Garrett MP
Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts

The Federal Government will make up to $250,000 available for work to identify climate change refuges for Australia’s native plants and animals, Minister for the Environment, Peter Garrett, said today.

The need to identify refuges for species threatened by a changing climate is one of the key recommendations of a CSIRO report, Implications of climate change for the National Reserve System, released today.

“This report confirms that the National Reserve System – originally championed by the Keating Government – is a vital safety net for Australia’s biodiversity in the face of climate change,” Mr Garrett said.

“This network of around 9,000 protected areas is conserving examples of our unique native plants and animals for future generations. It includes national parks, reserves run by conservation groups and Indigenous communities, through to habitat protected by farmers on their private working properties.

“With the ongoing the threat of climate change, the National Reserve System provides havens for our native plants and animals, where threats – things like wildfire, feral animals and weeds – can be managed.

“As the CSIRO report points out, our environment is facing a time of great change and the National Reserve System will be a crucial tool for helping our native species to cope.

“This new refuges project is part of a suite of activities by the Federal Government that will help us anticipate and respond to this new threat to Australia’s biodiversity.

“The refuges project will look at the existing refuges for threatened species and whether we need to extend their boundaries, and identify what new protected areas are needed to reduce the extinction risk for our native plants and animals.”

Funding for this project will come from the $126 million Climate Change Adaptation Program, part of the Federal Government’s comprehensive approach for dealing with the impacts of climate change.