Park management

The department is responsible for establishing and managing parks and reserves in South Australia.

This protected area system includes all reserves proclaimed under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 (the NPW Act), the Wilderness Protection Act 1992(the WP Act) and conservation reserves dedicated to the Minister under the Crown Land Management Act 2009.

Conserving Nature 2012-2020: A strategy for establishing a system of protected areas in South Australia

Conserving Nature 2012-2020: A strategy for establishing a system of protected areas in South Australia is the strategic framework for the establishment of protected areas on public and private land in South Australia. It guides targeted additions to the protected area system to improve the long-term sustainability of South Australia’s environment.

Conserving Nature identifies priorities for conserving the full range of land-based ecosystems and building the capacity of natural systems to adapt to climate change and other stressors, aiming to increase:

the area protected within under-represented IBRA bioregions and subregions
the area protected of freshwater and groundwater dependent ecosystems
connectivity of fragmented habitat across South Australia's landscapes
the diversity of species and ecological communities represented in the protected area system
the area of healthy, well-functioning ecosystems represented in the protected area system.

This strategy places equal importance on protecting places with special meaning or importance to people, including sites with scientific, cultural and spiritual value.

Conserving Nature identifies gaps in the types of environments that are protected, and articulates the priority areas for new protected areas as being within the state’s 5 NatureLinks corridors.

More information:

Parks of South Australia: celebrating our newest protected areas details 10 recent additions to the protected area system, and celebrates the benefits they provide for community and conservation.