Table 9: Summary of the DNP Performance Reporting Framework for 2019–20 summarises the Director of National Parks Performance Framework.

This framework links what Parks Australia intended to do (through the Portfolio Budget Statements and our Corporate Plan), with what we delivered (this Annual Performance Statement).

Our Corporate Plan links our purposes to our performance criteria. This chapter reports on those performance criteria.

The Director has considered the relative benefits and costs involved in reporting on the performance criteria in this annual performance statement.

Purpose 1: Resilient places and ecosystems

To protect and conserve the natural and cultural values of Commonwealth reserves

Result

Target 1 achieved.

Our target for this performance criterion was for our six Marine Park Networks to each have a management plan in effect.

At 30 June 2020, management plans for all Marine Park Networks were registered on the Federal Register of Legislation as legislative instruments under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act 1999. These plans inform the management of our 58 Australian Marine Parks to protect and conserve the biodiversity and other natural, cultural and heritage values of the parks.

Source of data: Federal Register of Legislative Instruments.

Target 2 achieved.

Our target for this performance criterion was for our six Marine Park Advisory Committees to meet twice through the year.

At 30 June 2020, all six Australian Marine Pak Advisory Committees have met twice. Meetings were held in late 2019 and mid-2020. The 2020 meetings were held via video and teleconferencing to accommodate travel restrictions and social distancing due to COVID-19.

Australian Marine Park Advisory Committees engage in collaborative management of the marine parks by assisting in the development of implementation plans and performance measures, prioritising management actions and providing stakeholder and park user feedback.

Source of data: Marine Park Advisory Committee SPIRE records.

Result

Target not achieved.

To evaluate our performance against this target, and to apply a consistent approach across all terrestrial parks reporting has been assessed by a central team since 2015. To measure performance, we quantify the proportion of species being monitored for population trends; the proportion of species with targeted recovery actions; and the proportion of species with either ‘increasing or stable’, ‘decreasing’ or ‘unknown’ population trends.

The proportion of species that are monitored for trends increased slightly from 44 per cent to 45 per cent since 2018–19 (see Figure 3: Trends in management and monitoring of threatened species—proportion of populations targeted by recovery actions and proportion of populations monitored for trends). The monitoring status of some species changed in 2019–20, either as a result of monitoring being discontinued (e.g. the Alligator Rivers yellow chat), or new monitoring commencing (e.g. Norfolk Island golden whistler and scarlet robin). These changes were largely the result of external research projects beginning or ending.

Figure 3: Trends in management and monitoring of threatened species—proportion of populations targeted by recovery actions and proportion of populations monitored for trends

Similarly, several planned research projects were unable to be initiated this year due to

COVID-19 restrictions; a migratory shorebird survey covering five threatened shorebirds in Kakadu National Park, originally scheduled for April 2020, and a survey of the Christmas Island frigate bird, scheduled for May 2020. If those programs had been able to proceed, trend information would be available for a greater proportion of threatened species this year.

The proportion of threatened species with ‘stable or increasing’ population trends remained at 34 per cent when compared to 2018–19, (see Figure 4: Population trends for threatened species—proportion of populations increasing or stable trend; decreasing trend; and unknown trend). Given the proportion did not increase, our threatened species target was not achieved this year. While the proportion remained stable, there were some changes in the known trends for individual species, dependent on status of monitoring programs and whether trends were able to be detected. Some species moved from ‘stable’ trend to ‘unknown’ after monitoring ended (e.g. the Christmas Island giant gecko), while other species moved from ‘unknown’ to ‘stable’ (e.g. eastern quolls at Booderee National Park).

Figure 4: Population trends for threatened species—proportion of populations increasing or stable trend; decreasing trend; and unknown trend

The proportion of threatened species with ‘decreasing’ population trends has reduced, from 3 per cent in 2018–19 to 2 per cent in 2019–20, as some species are no longer being monitored (their monitoring status moving from ‘decreasing’ to ‘unknown’). As a result, the proportion of threatened species with ‘unknown’ trend has increased from 63 per cent to 64 per cent.

The level of management effort towards recovering threatened species has been maintained for several years, with 75 per cent of populations receiving targeted recovery actions in 2019–20 (see Figure 3: Trends in management and monitoring of threatened species—proportion of populations targeted by recovery actions and proportion of populations monitored for trends). The proportion of populations with ‘stable or increasing’ trends has remained at 34 per cent over the past two years, down from 37 per cent in 2017–18. The decline in proportion since 2017–18 is largely the result of data deficiency, rather than a decline in population trends. Resourcing constraints throughout 2018–19 reduced monitoring effort, while some planned monitoring in 2019–20 was unable to proceed due to COVID-19 restrictions. A significant dataset from Kakadu terrestrial vertebrate monitoring in 2019 is also pending analysis.

Definitions:

• ‘Prioritised threatened and significant species’ are defined as all EPBC Act listed threatened species with known populations being supported within parks, including seasonal migratory species. Species categorised as ‘vagrant or occasional visitor’ or ‘presumed no longer extant’ have been excluded. In 2019–20, there were 131 populations of EPBC Act listed threatened species within Commonwealth parks. Populations of species are reported rather than number of species as some threatened species have separate populations in multiple parks.
• ‘Monitored for trends’ is defined as either being monitored through a formal sampling-based monitoring program or being assessed for trend through expert assessment. Monitoring and assessment that can only provide distribution or other non-trend data is not included.
• ‘Targeted by recovery actions’ are defined as the species that benefit from recovery actions undertaken on park, whether those actions are targeted species-specific actions, or actions that address widespread threats to a number of species (e.g. fire management, weed control, feral animal control).

Source of data: Park level monitoring programs.

Break out box 1:

Banksia vincentia, a critically endangered species, was discovered in the Jervis Bay area only a few years ago. Of 14 original plants only four remain in the wild, due to recent impacts from fires and disease.

Parks staff were able to propagate genetic material from nine plants before their demise in the wild. In collaboration with the Australian National Botanic Gardens, the Park is now implementing ex-situ conservation work, and have planted and nurtured 600 plants at Booderee, with another 200 to be planted in spring 2020.

Result

Target achieved.

To evaluate our performance against this criterion, and to apply a consistent approach across all parks, reporting has been assessed via a central team since. To measure our performance against this target, we quantify the proportion of invasive species being monitored for population trends; the proportion of species with targeted control actions; and the proportion of species with either ‘decreasing or stable’, ‘increasing’ and ‘unknown’ population trends.

The proportion of invasive species that are monitored for trends has slightly increased from 35 per cent to 38 per cent since 2018–19 (see Figure 5: Trends in management and monitoring of invasive species—proportion of populations targeted by control actions and proportion of populations monitored for trends). This increase is due to additional species monitored for trends in 2019–20, including through new feral cat monitoring programs initiated on Norfolk Island and in Kakadu National Park. Both programs are supported by government funding mobilised by the Threatened Species Commissioner.

Figure 5: Trends in management and monitoring of invasive species—proportion of populations targeted by control actions and proportion of populations monitored for trends

The proportion of invasive species that are targeted by control actions has remained relatively stable over the past two years, at 47 per cent in 2018–19 and 48 per cent this year. This figure is a decrease from a high of 65 per cent in 2017–18 (see Figure 5: Trends in management and monitoring of invasive species—proportion of populations targeted by control actions and proportion of populations monitored for trends), which can be largely explained by a reduction in weed control actions in Christmas Island National Park, resulting from resourcing constraints. Christmas Island National Park is in the process of developing a Weed Management Strategy that will inform future decisions around weed management and allocation of resources.

The proportion of priority invasive species with ‘decreasing or stable’ population trends has increased 24 per cent in 2019–20 when compared to 2018–19 (see Figure 6: Population trends for invasive species—proportion of populations with decreasing or stable trend; increasing trend; or unknown trend). Given this result, we have achieved our target. Contributing to this improvement are two species on Christmas Island (the yellow crazy ant and the lac scale insect) that have had their populations reduced through an extensive island-wide aerial baiting campaign in late 2019, complementing an ongoing biological control program. Additionally, a number of weed species on Norfolk Island have moved from ‘unknown’ trend to ‘stable or decreasing’ trend, likely responding to the weed control operations undertaken in the park.

The proportion of invasive species with ‘increasing’ populations trends has reduced from 20 per cent to 16 per cent. This reason for this positive result is complex, with many species shifting between different trends when compared to 2018–19. For example, both the para grass in Kakadu and yellow crazy ants on Christmas Island moved from ‘increasing’ to ‘stable or decreasing’ trends, while the Bitou bush in Booderee National Park moved from ‘stable or decreasing’ to an ‘increasing’ trend.

Figure 6: Population trends for invasive species—proportion of populations with decreasing or stable trend; increasing trend; or unknown trend

Definitions:

• ‘Priority invasive species’ are defined as the list of invasive species that have been identified by park based Natural Resource Managers as species of management concern. Invasive species present, but not of concern are excluded. In 2019–20 there were 82 invasive species of concern within parks.
• ‘Monitored for trends’ is defined as either being monitored through a formal sampling-based monitoring program or being assessed for trend through expert assessment. Monitoring and assessment that can only provide distribution or other non-trend data is not included.
• ‘Targeted by control actions’ are defined as the species that benefit from recovery actions undertaken on park, whether those actions are targeted species-specific actions, or actions that address widespread threats to a number of species (e.g. fire management, weed control, feral animal control).

Source of data: Park level monitoring programs

Break out box 2:

Pulu Keeling National Park is internationally recognised as an Important Bird Area. Staff have trialled monitoring seabird numbers using drones, as an alternative to on-ground surveys which can be challenging in the forests that dominate the island. The drone surveyed all seabirds, including red footed and masked boobies and frigate birds, across the entire terrestrial area of the island.

Result

Target achieved.

Our aim for 2019–20 was to increase the knowledge base of marine parks for adaptive and effective park management through our target of increasing the number of long-term monitoring sites. Long-term monitoring sites include all sites that have two or more data points in time, and form part of datasets to establish time series trends about park values and pressures. This year, one new long-term monitoring site was established at Tasman Fracture Marine Park resulting in 36 sites overall.

Previously established baselines and sites are located in Geographe, Great Australian Bight, Cod Grounds, Solitary Islands, Tasman Fracture, Freycinet, Oceanic Shoals, Coral Sea, Ashmore Reef, Mermaid Reef, Lord Howe, Flinders, Huon, Gulf of Carpentaria, Wessel, Arafura, Arnhem, West Cape York, Perth Canyon, Shark Bay, Gascoyne, Argo-Rowley and Kimberley Marine Parks.

Throughout 2019–20 resources were also redirected to collecting additional baseline information for Gascoyne, West Cape York, Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs mesophotic reefs (Lord Howe) Norfolk Island, Roebuck and Kimberley Marine Parks. Social and economic baselines were established for recreational users at nine sites in proximity to Australian Marine Parks (Wessel, Coral Sea, Solitary Islands, Jervis, Freycinet, Geographe, Two Rocks, Jurien and Ningaloo Marine Parks). This monitoring has improved the knowledge base for management of the marine parks, and will over time, help to support an evidence-based approach to long-term management.

Source of data: Number of long-term monitoring sites and baseline data.

Analysis of performance

Our first purpose is to protect and conserve the natural and cultural heritage values and living cultures of our parks, restoring their health and integrity where needed. In our terrestrial parks we strive to fulfil this purpose through monitoring programs, recovery and control actions targeted at threatened or invasive species. In marine parks we aim to meet this purpose by implementing our management plans to protect the natural and cultural values and collaborative park management through our advisory committees.

Our performance against the resilient ecosystems purpose is influenced by the unique and complex operating environment across the Parks Australia estate. The context of a changing climate, increased pressures on biodiversity and living cultures and pollution of parks and gardens should be considered when analysing Parks Australia’s performance. Actions to mitigate these influences were taken throughout the year, resulting in the development of the Director of National Parks Climate Change Statement; the development of a program to remove ghost nets and marine debris from our marine parks networks; and the implementation of large-scale invasive species mitigation projects, like the successful aerial baiting of yellow crazy ants and lac scale insects on Christmas Island.

The COVID-19 pandemic, necessitating the temporary closure of some parks, provided an opportunity to implement additional monitoring of threatened and invasive species, as well as implementing new research projects led by Parks Australia staff. For example, while Kakadu National Park was closed to the public, research into the impacts of increased dry season traffic on fauna was undertaken. Similarly, upgrades to the mala (Rufous Hare-wallaby) enclosure at Uluṟu‑Kata Tjuṯa National Park were undertaken during the closure period.

Continuing resource constraints during 2019–20 challenged our capacity to realise all of our natural and cultural value management aims. To increase our capacity, we collaborated with local organisations, state and territory governments and the Department undertake our activities. For example, feral cat management in Kakadu was undertaken in collaboration with the Threatened Species Commissioner and the Northern Territory Government, while research on the Norfolk Island Green Parrot continued with Monash University, University of Melbourne and the National Environmental Science Program.

It should be noted that 2019–20 will be the last year that these purposes – in this case ‘Resilient places and ecosystems’ – will be reported on. During the last year, the Director of National Parks developed a new Performance Framework to enhance our purpose, and improve the relevance, reliability and completeness of our performance criteria and targets. This new framework will assist in responding to recommendations from the Australian National Audit Office report on the Management of Commonwealth Parks (June 2019), and will form the basis of Director of National Parks reporting beginning 1 July 2020.

CASE STUDY 1: Kakadu Healthy Country

The invasive para grass (Brachiaria mutica) threatens important cultural and ecological values of Kakadu’s Nadab floodplains. A project led by Bininj, involving Traditional Owners, Kakadu National Park staff, Njanjma Rangers, National Environmental Science Program (NESP) Northern Australia Environmental Resources Hub researchers from the University of Western Australia, Charles Darwin University, CSIRO and Microsoft worked toward controlling the weed in the region.

This project combined aerial spraying and ground methods to control the weed at the foot of Ubirr, an important cultural site and visitor destination. Funding from the Director of National Parks to continue the program resulted in significant employment for the Traditional Owners of Nadab. Artificial Intelligence (AI) software, developed by NESP researchers and Microsoft, measures the success of the project and allows Traditional Owners and Park staff to see the results of their hard work. So far, para grass coverage of the treated area has decreased from 67 per cent to 17 per cent.

As a result, biodiversity of the area has improved, and Traditional Owners can source bush tucker from traditional hunting areas again. Traditional Owner Michael Bangalang said: “Everything’s changed now. We can see magpie geese, and people go hunt for freshwater turtle. And it’s getting really good now – reminds me of a long time ago when old people used to go hunting. Today it’s really good for us, for new start and a new generation now.”

CASE STUDY 2: Norfolk Island Morepork

The Norfolk Island morepork owl is a hybrid between Ninox novaeseelandiae undulata and the subspecies N.n. novaeseelandiae, listed as Endangered and Migratory under the EPBC Act. The owl is one of 20 Australian birds listed in the Australian Government’s Threatened Species Strategy as most at risk of extinction over the next 20 years. In 2017–18 it was estimated that between 45 and 50 owls exist, with no known successful breeding occurring since 2011.

Working with the Office of the Threatened Species Commissioner, a group of experts met at Norfolk Island to discuss strategies to improve the conservation outcomes for the Norfolk Island morepork. The group identified an immediate need to provide safe-nesting natural hollows, and Norfolk Island National Park staff installed 15 new nest boxes across the island.

By December 2019, one of the nest boxes within the Park was home to some morepork chicks. Parks Australia staff retrieved the chicks to conduct a health analysis, take blood for genetic testing and band for further monitoring. The chicks successfully fledged from the nest in January 2020- the first known to have survived to fledging in over 10 years.

Ongoing research and monitoring will improve understanding of breeding ecology, social systems, movement and dispersal of the species. Genetic analysis will also provide a better understanding of the structure and health of the birds’ population.

CASE STUDY 3: Conservation of Scrub Turpentine at Booderee National Park

Scrub Turpentine (Rhodamnia rubescens) is in danger of local extinction and is Critically Endangered in New South Wales. The species occurs close to its southern limit at Booderee National Park, where one of two known stands was lost to disease a few years ago. In an effort to conserve the remaining stand, Park staff sampled cuttings and succeeded in propagating a small number of plants, now held in the Booderee Botanic Gardens’ nursery.

To secure a broader representation of genetic material, Park staff worked with the Australian National Botanic Gardens, the Eurobodalla Regional Botanic Gardens (ERBG) and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. In 2019, 10 sites were visited in the Jervis Bay to Batemans Bay region. Cuttings were taken and shared between the ERBG and Booderee where they were successfully propagated.

In the summer of 2019–20, bushfires ripped through most of the wild sites, as well as the ERBG and its stock of propagated plants. With much of the wild populations perishing in the bushfires, the ex-situ plants at Booderee have become a significant genetic resource covering the southern populations of the species.

Booderee continues to build the species’ ex-situ genetic diversity by sampling the Illawarra area. Propagation material has been collected from eight sites between Nowra and Northern Wollongong. Assuming successful propagation, Booderee will become the custodians of an extensive Rhodamnia rubescens collection, with a broad representation of the species’ genetics from across the south coast.

Booderee will continue to lead the species’ regional conservation efforts. As an insurance policy against ex-situ plant losses, and to spread the risk, the next step for Booderee will be to build up stock for distribution to other botanic gardens.

Purpose 2: Multiple benefits for Traditional Owners and local communities

To support the aspirations of Traditional Owners and local communities in managing land and sea country

Result

Target 1 not achieved.

On-park Indigenous employment is a priority for the Director of National Parks and the Traditional Owners in each jointly managed park. In 2019–20, 197 individuals or 34.6 per cent of Parks Australia employees (including casuals) identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. This represents an 18 person decrease in Indigenous staffing from 2018–19 (215 staff). However, as a proportion of the overall Parks Australia workforce this year, Indigenous employment is comparable to the previous year (34.5% in 2018–19 and 34.6% in 2019–20).

Over the course of the 2019–20 financial year, major events have impacted Indigenous employment within the three jointly managed Parks. The closure of the Uluṟu climb in October 2019 saw a change to business practices and staffing levels. Between late 2019 and early 2020, Booderee National Park closed in response to the severe bushfires across New South Wales. Between March and June 2020, all three jointly managed Parks closed to protect local communities in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. These closures reduced the need for casual staff including Indigenous employment.

Despite the result this year, the Director remains committed to supporting a range of opportunities to assist the transition between casual roles and permanent employment for Indigenous staff. Complementing the Parks’ funded Community Ranger schemes, the implementation of the Indigenous Employment Pathways Project will provide opportunities to build capacity and develop skills and retention strategies for our staff and members of local communities.

The jointly managed parks also deliver school based educational activities for local Indigenous students, with Booderee and Kakadu hosting Junior Ranger programs, through which Indigenous staff develop teaching and monitoring skills, while enabling the transfer of intergenerational knowledge. These initiatives aim to improve the historically lower rates of permanent Indigenous employment within the Australian Public Service.

Source of data: Departmental Employee/Manager Self Service Statistics.

Target 2 achieved.

In 2019–20 we continued to use our purchasing power to generate economic activity for Indigenous people and Traditional Owners. In addition to the Indigenous employees and contractors directly employed by Parks Australia, the Director of National Parks engaged numerous Indigenous contractors.

This financial year, we established 214 new contracts¹with 32 Indigenous suppliers totalling approximately $3.69 million (GST inclusive). This marks a 29 per cent ($0.83 million) increase from 2018–19 in the value of services sourced from Indigenous providers. This increase reflects a high volume of procurement activity across the organisation and several medium-to-high value contracts being awarded to Indigenous providers.

In addition, we also extended the Service Level Agreements with the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council, which will see approximately $0.78 million of additional services sourced from an Indigenous provider.

Details of the 2019–20 Indigenous procurements by the Director of National Parks are reported as part of the Department’s portfolio-wide reporting available at: https://www.awe.gov.au/about/reporting/annual-report.

Source of data: Indigenous Procurement Register data.

Break out box 3:

The third breeding season of Booderee National Park’s reintroduced eastern quolls is under way. Two females trapped in July had young in their pouches. The effort to re-establish a wild population of this species in Booderee has seen a number of successes, with some quolls not only surviving in the wild after being raised in captivity but also breeding successfully. Towards the end of 2020 we will be radio-tracking joeys to gain more information about how the species matures.

Analysis of performance

Our second purpose is to support the aspirations of Traditional Owners and local communities in managing their land and sea country, as well as providing economic and cultural benefit. In 2019–20 we did not increase the overall number of Indigenous staff but did maintain the proportion of Indigenous staff in our workforce. The value of park services provided by Indigenous providers was increased by $0.83 million, an increase of 29 per cent from 2018–19.

Our performance against this purpose was undertaken under a cooperative operational environment, as Booderee, Kakadu, and Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Parks are jointly managed by Traditional Owners and the Director of National Parks. Under these arrangements, Traditional Owners have granted long-term leases to the Director so their land may be protected as a national park and enjoyed by all. Part of the agreement is that park management should feature traditional land management skills, and that the Director works with Traditional Owners and local Indigenous communities to share knowledge and to encourage interest in working with Parks Australia in the future.

While our achievements this year were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Director retains an ongoing commitment to honour lease commitments for providing Indigenous employment opportunities. For example, in 2019 Kakadu National Park had the highest rate of Bininj/Mungguy employment related to fire management activities in the parks history and continues to build capability in this area. While at Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park, an Aṉangu work experience program was developed and is ready for implementation, and the Muṯitjulu Community Ranger program re-established a women’s work program and strengthened the men’s work program. Parks Australia’s Indigenous Employment Capability Framework was also finalised this year and is ready to be implemented in 2020–21.

To support management in Australian Marine Parks this year, we established collaborative deeds supporting partnerships with Aboriginal Corporations representing Traditional Owners in our North, North-west and South-west Marine Parks Networks. A sea country education program was also developed in the Temperate East Network, in collaboration with local Aboriginal groups, and delivered to primary schools across the New South Wales south coast.

This year we also enhanced the decision-making capabilities for the three Boards of Management, including convening the Boards of Management from Booderee, Kakadu and Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Parks in Canberra from 17–19 September 2019. Over 50 representatives, speaking over half-a-dozen Indigenous languages, took part in the three-day program, which provided governance training and the opportunity for the Boards to engage with and learn from each other.

As explained above, 2019–20 will be the last year that this purpose –‘Multiple benefits for Traditional Owners and local communities – will be reported on due to the development of a new Performance Framework for the Director of National Parks.

CASE STUDY 4: Esperance Nyungar connections to sea country

Parks Australia and the Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (ETNTAC) are working together to recognise and respect the role of Nyungar people in caring for sea country in the Eastern Recherche and South-west Corner Marine Parks.

Tjaltraak Esperance Nyungar country has provided marine subsistence to the Nyungar people for thousands of years. Esperance Nyungars have a strong spiritual connection to their wadarng boodja (sea country) through stories and songs, and all sea creatures are culturally significant to the six family groups on Tjaltjraak country.

Parks Australia and ETNTAC have established a working relationship to protect and care for sea country, and support sharing of Esperance Nyungar culture, language and heritage. As part of this partnership, Parks Australia supported a cultural camp to discuss the interconnectedness of the yoween (moon), ngaiam (sun) and tuul (stars) down to boodja (country), through to beel (creeks), and into the wadarng (sea) and out to koolbich (islands), and identify customary practices that maintain these connections.

The camp was part of a broader on-country meeting with 106 participants, including elected Directors, recognised Elders and senior knowledge holders, rangers, ETNTAC staff and younger family members from the six Nyungar family groups. The next stage of the collaboration is to illustrate wadarng boodja values, aspirations, and stories to communicate cultural connections to the broader community. The values identified will guide management decisions and inform future research projects.

CASE STUDY 5: Uluṟu welcomes a new era

Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa is home to its Traditional Owners, Aṉangu, and is recognised internationally as a living cultural landscape. It has been a long journey to this recognition which reached another significant milestone in 2019 with the closing of the Uluṟu climb.

The first non-Indigenous visitors to Uluṟu marveled at its grandeur and many who followed were determined to climb the giant sandstone massif with little regard to, or awareness of, its cultural significance or the wishes of Aṉangu. The Handback of Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa to Aṉangu in 1985 signaled the start of a new vision for tourism to the park, which welcomes visitors to learn about the cultural significance of Uluṟu while respecting Aṉangu land.

The 2010–2020 Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park Management Plan outlined criteria and a process for closing the Uluṟu climb, which was followed by a nation-wide expression of interest, aimed at attracting new activities to the park, reflective of the cultural and natural environment. In October 2017, the Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa Board of Management agreed that the criteria had been met and made the unanimous decision to set a date for the climb closure, symbolically coinciding with the 34th anniversary of Handback, on 26 October 2019.

Sensitively implementing the closure was always going to be challenging. A strategy was carefully planned, then implemented by a cross-cultural, inter-agency working group.

The result was a quiet, respectful closure that acknowledged the past, followed the next day by a festival to celebrate the future. Hosted by the joint management partners, the celebration at the purpose-built Talinguṟu Nyakunytjaku event site was attended by local organisations, businesses, dignitaries, performing artists, media, staff and many Aṉangu from across the region. Inma (traditional ceremony and dance) by Aṉangu from across the region was a highlight.

Purpose 3: Amazing destinations

To offer world class natural and cultural experiences, enhancing Australia’s visitor economy

Result

Target 1 not achieved.

Our first target for 2019–20 was to increase our visitor numbers by 5 percent. While nearly one million people visited our terrestrial parks and gardens in 2019–20, this number represents a decrease of 25 per cent when compared to the previous year (see Table 10: Visitors to terrestrial parks and gardens over 5 years). Given this result, we did not achieve our target.

Every terrestrial park and garden experienced a decline in visitor numbers due to impacts of bushfires, poor air quality, hailstorms, and the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which resulted in closures restricting visitor entry.

The Australian National Botanic Gardens closed due to high fire danger and poor air quality associated with summer bushfires from 23 December 2019 to 13 January 2020, then due to hail damage from 20 to 24 January 2020 (with a partial closure continuing until 7 February) and from 25 March to 17 May 2020 due to COVID-19.

Booderee National Park was closed from 19 December 2019 to 17 January 2021 due to risk from surrounding bushfires, and again from 26 March to 24 June 2020, due to COVID-19. Kakadu and Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Parks were also closed from 27 March to 19 June 2020, due to COVID-19. Christmas Island and Norfolk Island National Parks remained open, but restrictions due to COVID-19 restricted non-essential travel both to and from the islands from 18 March and are ongoing as of 30 June.

Visitation in our 58 Marine Parks cannot be accurately counted at present as the combined park area totals over 283 million hectares, with an almost infinite number of entry points. In the future, remote sensing may allow visitor numbers to be estimated.

Source of data: Visitation statistics from park e-ticketing systems, park entry ticket sales, traffic counters and local tourism associations.

Target 2 achieved.

Our second target for 2019–20 was to maintain or improve levels of visitor satisfaction. Over two thousand visitor surveys were conducted across the Australian National Botanic Gardens, Kakadu National Park and Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park in 2019–20. Overall, 95 per cent of visitors were satisfied or very satisfied with their visit in 2019–20, compared to 93 per cent of visitors in
2018–19.

Source of data: Visitor satisfaction surveys.

Break out box 4:

A new boardwalk has been constructed on Christmas Island, allowing visitors to get up close and personal with the pounding sea and natural blowholes on the south coast of the island. When the swell is up, the waves crashing against the cliffs forces water through the narrow tunnels in the limestone, sending spouts of water up to 20 metres into the air.

Analysis of performance

Our third purpose aims to offer world class natural and cultural experiences, that contribute to Australia’s visitor economy. To measure our performance against this purpose, our targets are to increase visitor numbers and improve the level of visitor satisfaction.

Closures of the parks and gardens during 2019–20 had a significant impact on park visitation. Between December 2019 and February 2020, Booderee and the Australian National Botanic Gardens were periodically closed due to encroaching bushfires, high fire danger and hazardous air quality, as well as following a severe hailstorm that damaged ANBG visitor infrastructure.

The COVID-19 pandemic also necessitated the closure of all jointly managed parks and the ANBG, and limited access to the island parks in the second half of the financial year. Given this unprecedented operating environment, we shifted our focus to the virtual world through digital marketing strategies to engage with our visitors and stakeholders.

In 2019–20, Parks Australia’s websites had 4 million page views with 1.1 million unique visitors (an increase of 13.8 per cent compared to 2018–19) .Our social media accounts also recorded a noteworthy 7,264,930 post impressions this year, driven by the development of engaging content showcasing the natural and cultural heritage of our national parks, botanic gardens and marine parks. We also focused on sharing the work of our staff in caring for land and sea country through conservation projects, rewilding projects and scientific research.

Showcasing our destinations through partnerships with the tourism industry also contributed to growth in our social media accounts. For example, Uluṟu-Kata Tjuṯa National Park participated in Tourism Australia’s ‘Live From Aus’ promotion, featuring two days of live broadcasts. A live stream of the sun setting at Uluṟu reached more than 4.7 million people in 40 countries and attracted tens of thousands of likes and comments. The broadcast was introduced by Aṉangu women and was accompanied by a specially curated Indigenous soundtrack that included local bands including the Mala Band and Docker River Band.

As explained above, 2019–20 will be the last year that this purpose – Amazing destinations – will be reported on due to the development of a new Performance Framework for the Director of National Parks. However, visitor numbers and satisfaction will still be reported on under the new framework from 1 July 2020.

Break out box 5:

During a recent survey conducted by the Australian Museum, 22 endemic land snail species were found in Norfolk Island National Park. One of these was a critically endangered species, Advena campbelli, which was found surviving in a single, small rainforest gully, with an area of only 10 m x 60 m.

CASE STUDY 6: Virtual Species Discovery

A key part of achieving Parks Australia’s goals for resilient places is discovering, identifying and documenting Australia’s biodiversity. Bush Blitz- Australia’s largest nature discovery program contributes to building this knowledge by undertaking expeditions around Australia to document plants and animals. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and travel restrictions, a new approach to Bush Blitz was developed to continue this vital work.

The result was the Backyard Species Discovery virtual project, which allows Australia’s citizen scientists to help build Australia’s biodiversity knowledge by documenting plants, animals and fungi found in their own backyards. Images and sound recordings are uploaded to the Atlas of Living Australia, where professional botanists and zoologists can identify them. Since May 2020, contributors have added over 67,000 species observations.

Community members can also identify plants themselves using apps such as EUCLID – an app that identifies species of Eucalypts. Eucalypts are one of the dominant tree groups in Australia, with more than 800 known species, many of which can be difficult to tell apart. Identification of these species is an important part of their conservation. EUCLID provides an up-to-date, easy to use, identification tool for this iconic group of plants. It was developed by the Centre for Australian National Biodiversity Research - a joint venture between CSIRO and the Director of National Parks.

CASE STUDY 7: Ian Potter National Conservatory

The Ian Potter National Conservatory is the first major development from the Australian National Botanic Gardens (ANBG) 20-year Master Plan – announced by the Australian Government in June 2015. The Conservatory will be a national and international showcase of some of Australia’s most beautiful and unusual tropical native flora. The Conservatory will feature tropical plant species from Kakadu National Park, the Wet Tropics of northern Queensland and Christmas Island. It is expected to be a major tourism draw card while also operating as a world-class research facility for rare and threatened Australian tropical plants.

The Conservatory’s stunning design is the result of a national competition won by Sydney-based architects CHROFI. The Conservatory is funded by the Director of National Parks and a $1.5 million grant from The Ian Potter Foundation. The Friends of the ANBG have also contributed $150,000 towards the interpretative signage within the Conservatory.

The Conservatory will increase the diversity of Australian plant species in the Garden’s unique living collection and provide a safe haven for numerous threatened species into the future, many of which have never been cultivated or displayed to the public before.

Construction of the Ian Potter National Conservatory is planned to commence in November 2020 and open to the public in early 2022. As a world - class and innovative facility it is one of the most significant new developments in the 50-year history of the Australian National Botanic Gardens
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