| Agency Name: | Department of Parks and Wildlife |
| Formed: | 1 July 2013 |
| Preceding1: | Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) |
| Jurisdiction: | Government of Western Australia |
| Dissolved: | 30 June 2017 |
| Superseding: | Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions |
| Chief1 Name: | Jim Sharp |
| Chief1 Position: | Director General |
| Child1 Agency: | Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions |
| Website: | dpaw.wa.gov.au |
The Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 and implementing the state's conservation and environment legislation and regulations. The minister responsible for the department was the Minister for the Environment.
The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) was separated on 30 June 2013, forming the Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) and the Department of Environment Regulation (DER), both of which commenced operations on 1 July 2013.[1]
DPaW focused on managing multiple use state forests, national parks, marine parks and reserves. DER focused on environmental regulation, approvals and appeals processes, and pollution prevention.
It was announced on 28 April 2017 that the Department of Parks and Wildlife would merge with the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, the Zoological Parks Authority and the Rottnest Island Authority on 1 July 2017 to form the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.[2]
The Department of Parks and Wildlife had management responsibilities in:[3]
At 30 June 2017, the total area under Parks and Wildlife's care was 31,480,868 ha. The land area managed by the department was about 10.6 per cent of the land area of Western Australia.
The lands and waters managed by the department received in 2014-15[4] 18.6 million visits a year, with visitor satisfaction at a high level of 89%. The average level of visitor satisfaction with their visit on Parks & Wildlife lands and waters was of 91.4% in 2015–16.[5] Western Australian national parks and reserves received 20 million visits in a single year for the first time in 2016–17 and a visitor satisfaction level of 92.5 per cent. Each year Parks and Wildlife aimed for a satisfaction rating above 85 per cent, a figure it had achieved for more than 10 consecutive years.
10,910 people were registered volunteers with the department in 2014-15 that helped in a range of projects across the State with 610,000 hours contributed. During 2015–16, 5,189 active volunteers of the total 13,737 registered individuals contributed 638,747 voluntary hours to more than 200 Parks and Wildlife environmental and recreational programs.[6] In 2016–17, Parks and Wildlife's volunteers have contributed to a record number of hours to help conserve and manage WA's natural places, with 5,410 volunteers contributing 723,508 hours.[7]
Parks and Wildlife was responsible for the wildlife conservation project Western Shield,[8] a pest animal and weed control program that included 4 million hectares of conservation reserves and State forests baited for feral animal control, as well as weed control on more than 89 million hectares of unallocated Crown land and unmanaged reserves.[9]
There are a number of internationally recognised biodiversity hotspots within Western Australia and in particular in the south west of the state.[10]
Parks and Wildlife also managed two long-distance trails: the 1,000 km Bibbulmun Track for walkers,[11] and the 1,000 km Munda Biddi Trail for cyclists.[12]
An important duty of the Department (with the help of the Forest Products Commission crews) was to be responsible for bushfire prevention and suppression on its lands as well as fire prevention in unallocated Crown land and unmanaged reserves. This included conducting controlled burns to reduced fuel load, and research into the behaviour and effects of bushfires.[13]
More than 247,360 hectares were prescribed burnt in the three forest regions during the 2016-17 financial year,[14] in addition to the significant burns that have been undertaken by staff in the South Coast, Goldfields, Wheatbelt, Mid West, Pilbara and Kimberley regions up to 2,988,394 hectares.
Some of the most severe West Australian bushfires that the department had to suppress, in chronological order, include:
| Fire | Location | Area burned (1 ha ≈ 2.5 acres) | Date | Human fatalities | Livestock death/Properties damaged | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Parkerville bushfire | 386 ha | 12 January 2014 | 0 | 56 homes. | ||
| 2015 O'Sullivan bushfire (Northcliffe - Windy Harbour) | Western Australia | 98,923 ha | 29 January – 20 February 2015 | 0 | 1 home and 1 inhabited shed, 5 farm sheds and thousands of production State Forests (karri and jarrah) or National Parks. | |
| 2015 Lower Hotham bushfire (Boddington) | Western Australia | 52,373 ha | January 2015 | 0 | 1 house, 1 farm shed, 1 bridge and thousands of production State Forests (jarrah) or National Parks. | |
| 2015 Esperance bushfires | Western Australia | more than 200,000 ha[15] | October – November 2015 | 4[16] | About 10 houses and public buildings (Scaddan), 15,000 stock losses, 5 Nature Reserves et most area of Cape Arid National Park. | |
| 2015 Perth Hills bushfire complex - Solus Group | Western Australia | 10,016 ha | 15 to 24 November 2015 | 0 | Jarrah production State Forests and Conservation Park. | |
| 2016 Waroona bushfire (Waroona and Harvey)[17] | Western Australia | 69,165 ha | January 2016 | 2 | 181 dwellings (166 only in Yarloop) and thousands of hectares of production State Forests (jarrah). |
Earlier forms of Nature conservation in Western Australia were under:[18]
The department maintained and coordinated a range of specialist equipment and emergency response vehicles. This included pumpers and tankers and other equipment relating to operations involving search and rescue and firefighting.
The Department of Parks and Wildlife had three types of uniforms:[20]