The proposal for the expansion of Wellington National Park has been released for public comment with submissions closing COB 13 March 2019.
The proposal would see an additional 7360 hectares of land added to the national park, along the current southern border of the park to the Preston River.
These additions will increase the overall area of the national park to almost 25,000 hectares.
The proposed reserve design seeks to balance environmental, economic and social factors and minimise the impacts on the timber industry.
The McGowan Government is calling for expressions of interest for the second round of the Aboriginal Ranger Program.
Under the program, new and existing Aboriginal organisations can employ and train rangers, and carry out land and sea management and tourism activities across a range of tenures in remote and regional Western Australia.
A total of $8.45 million was allocated in the first round of funding, with $9 million available in this round for single or multi-year projects up to three years.
Expressions of interest can be submitted to the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, and are open until March 15, 2019.
An expression of interest application form and the Aboriginal Ranger Program guidelines are available at http://www.dbca.wa.gov.au/aboriginalrangerprogram
Ten bushfire incident management experts from Western Australia have been deployed to Queensland this morning to assist in battling multiple fires across the State.
The five officers from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions' Parks and Wildlife Service and five from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services are highly skilled and experienced in a variety of incident management roles, including incident control, planning, logistics, operations and public information.
This adds to the 28 DFES career and volunteer firefighters that arrived in Queensland yesterday to bolster frontline firefighting efforts.
The completion of the world-class Kalbarri Skywalk project is one step closer, with the contract to construct two skywalks awarded to Bocol Constructions Pty Ltd.
The two 100-metre-high skywalks at the West Loop site in Kalbarri National Park will project 25 metres and 17 metres beyond the rim of the Murchison River Gorge, providing visitors with soaring views of the spectacular gorge and surrounding environment.
Construction of the skywalks is expected to be completed by mid-2019.
The $20 million project has also included the sealing of 22 kilometres of park roads, and the expansion and upgrading of the Z Bend and Meanarra Hill tourist sites.
Spread of dieback in WA
Larger map
More than 40 per cent of Western Australian native plants are susceptible to the disease, particularly those in state's south-west.
The area of land infected in Western Australia by Phytophthora dieback is equivalent to 500 times the size of Rottnest Island or over one million hectares.
Twenty per cent of the state's jarrah forest and up to 80% of the Stirling Range National Park infected.
Phytophthora dieback has been found in many of south-west Western Australia's national parks, nature reserves and metropolitan bushland:
Dieback can cause:
Phytophthora cinnamomi lives in soil and in plant tissue, and can survive in plant roots during the dry summer months.
There is no known cure for Phytophthora dieback.
The department is carrying out research into the fungicide phosphite, a biodegradable fungicide that protects plants against Phytophthora dieback. Phosphite works by boosting the plant's own natural defences, allowing some susceptible plants to survive in Phytophthora dieback infected areas.
Prevention is still they key. Limiting the spread of Phytophthora dieback is cheaper and far more effective than managing the impacts of the disease once introduced to a bushland.
Phytophthora dieback is most rapidly spread through human activity resulting in the movement of infected soil on vehicles, equipment and footwear.
Forestry and mining industries, as well as recreational bushland users (such as off-road vehicles, mountain bikes and bush walkers) need to take particular care not to spread the disease.
Management practices to prevent the spread of Phytophthora dieback into uninfected areas include strict hygiene measures such as:
You can play a vital role in stopping the spread of Phytophthora dieback:
Dieback free areas:
Phytophthora dieback research is a major component of the department's work.
The department has an active program to detect, diagnose and map the occurrence of dieback on lands managed by Parks and Wildlife. This includes interpreting and mapping areas for Phytophthora dieback prior to disturbance operations to manage or contain the spread of dieback. Visit the department's Vegetation Health Service to identify and detect Phytophthora species.