MBN – Hunting in National Parks – a reversion

The first hunt by licensed amateurs in a NSW national park will take place on Saturday near Griffith as police continue to search for shooters who illegally gunned down six brumbies in a state forest to the north. see SMH

We are reverting back to the start of national parks in Australia, the first being due to the New South Wales Zoological Society in fact all about recreation, picnics with birds for the ladies and hunting game for the men in the late 19th century. Hence the problem with feral deer today.

The Royal National Park is the oldest national park in Australia. It is also the oldest in the world in terms of being legislated for as The National Park 26 April 1879 (Yellowstone, USA is known as the world’s first national park in terms of land being set aside for the use of the community).

The national park was Europeanised , native vegetation was cleared, introduced trees planted and orchards, aviaries (both native and introduced birds), animal pens, rifle ranges, a race course and accommodation were introduced. In 1885 deer were introduced, other species of deer followed together with species of antelope. Interest in Australian fauna and flora grew and eventually in 1948, the Fauna Protection Act was passed and the Fauna Protection Panel established. The Panel searched for suitable faunal reserves but were resisted by the Lands Department. Not until 1954 was the first faunal reserve established (on Cabbage Tree island off Port Stephens),

Nature conservation values only gradually became significant. In the 1970s there was great growth in the establishment of reserves throughout Australia as community concerns about the environment grew. The reserves tended to be national parks and nature reserves and these two categories carried recreational, scenic and biodiversity conservation values.