WAPF Annual General Meeting

WA Parks Foundation held its inaugural Annual General Meeting at Government House with more than 30 members in attendance. The chair, Her Excellency the Honourable Kerry Sanderson AC, provided an update on the Foundation’s accomplishments since the launch in October last year and the Hon Treasurer, Eva Skira, provided an update on financial issues.

The Foundation’s vision is for Western Australia’s Parks to be increasingly loved and visited, and the plants, animals, landscapes and cultural values they embody to be protected and a source of pride for all Western Australians.

Early efforts are focusing on peri-urban parks and the Pilbara, enhancing the visitor experience through improved information, facilities and conservation activities.

Support from the community is needed, with Western Australia’s conservation estate totalling 31 million hectares, with the land area alone being larger than the total area of the state of Victoria. This spectacular network of national parks and conservation reserves includes areas of the South West of our State, which is one of the world’s top 35 biodiversity hotspots.

Global biodiversity “hotspots” are the richest and most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on Earth. This means that we have outstanding diversity of species in a global context, but the bad thing is that it is under threat, making conservation efforts even more important.

By working in collaboration much more can be achieved and the Foundation will work with others to deliver programs that celebrate, promote, protect and enrich our WA Parks so everyone can enjoy them.

Her Excellency expressed her appreciation to all those who had contributed to making the WA Parks Foundation a reality and spoke about those who had contributed.