PARK WATCH Article September 2026 |

Victoria is lagging behind in our internationally agreed 30×30 targets, says Doug Robinson, VNPA Councillor

National parks and protected areas are one of the best ways to protect nature, and Victoria isn’t pulling its weight. 

In December 2022, Australia was one of 188 countries to sign the Kunming Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), a landmark pact to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. Its headline promise is the ’30 by 30’ target: to protect or conserve at least 30% of the world’s lands and waters by 2030.

Earlier this year, every Australian jurisdiction signed up to help deliver this target as part of a national implementation plan to look after nature and help fulfil Australia’s commitment to the GBF.

The plan commits governments to: expanding number and size of protected areas and; prioritising the places that matter the most for biodiversity. These are the places that build a representative and well-connected reserve system. It’s a goal that lines up neatly with the Victorian Government’s own commitment, made in its 2037 Biodiversity Plan, to ‘maintain and enhance a world-class system of protected areas’.

So how is Victoria tracking? Not well. By national standards, Victoria is a laggard, ranking sixth out of Australia’s eight jurisdictions. As of 2024, only 18% of the state’s land and inland waters were protected, a rise of only 0.5% since 2016 (noting recent additions in the central west aren’t included). Marine protected areas are also lagging, with no additions since 2002 and a policy ban on creating new ones since 2018.

A reserve system with gaping holes

Protected areas aren’t just assessed by size. They’re assessed against the National Reserve System’s scientific criteria of ‘comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness.’ On that score, the Victorian Government also has a long way to go. The state’s own Biodiversity 2037 Plan admits as much, estimating that approximately 2.1 million hectares of additional land needs protecting to achieve the world-class system promised. 

The gaps are stark. One in three of Victoria’s 29 bioregions fails to meet the national benchmark of having at least 10% of its area protected. And 579 of the state’s habitat types have no protection at all.

Victoria’s marine parks look better on paper than they are in reality. Many so-called ‘marine protected areas’ still allow recreational fishing. Strip those out and only 5% of Victorian waters are genuinely protected, the second lowest of any state or territory in Australia. It’s also been more than 25 years since Victoria last formally re-assessed its marine and coastal areas to look at what needs protecting.

A chance to catch up

The national 30 by 30 commitment is a rare opportunity for Victoria to close the gap. Queensland and South Australia have both recently released protected area strategies to guide their own progress. Victoria urgently needs to do the same for its land and seas if it’s serious about building the world-class reserve system it has promised.

30 steps to completing our world class reserve system

  1. Develop a protected area strategy for Victoria’s land and seas to work out key gaps and priorities on public and private land.
  2. Re-establish a dedicated fund for buying land to help meet protected area targets for highly cleared bioregions and habitats, and to help protect habitat for threatened wildlife.
  3. Create a dedicated fund to support establishment of Indigenous Protected Areas, as part of Victoria’s Treaty commitments.
  4. Re-establish the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council (VEAC), or similar, as an independent body to oversee and advise on public land use.
  5. In line with Priority 19 in the Biodiversity 2037 Plan, adopt a whole-of-government approach to delivering 30×30 outcomes, which entails protection and conservation commitments by authorities and agencies.
  6. Increase Trust for Nature’s Revolving Fund capacity with a one-off government contribution of at least $25 million from the Sustainability Fund or similar.
  7. Amend existing legislation so land protected under conservation covenants is exempt from local government rates (as in NSW).
  8. Better protect state forest across eastern Victoria, including:
    Create a Great Forest National Park or significantly expand and link existing Central Highlands parks, including linking Yarra Ranges, Baw Baw, Kinglake and Lake Eildon national parks and Cathedral Ranges, Bunyip and Moondarra state parks.
    Expand and link East Gippsland national parks, including Alpine, Coopracambra, Croajingolong, Errinundra and Snowy River.
    Support Emerald Link, a community-led, conservation initiative for East Gippsland.
    Assess and nominate eastern Victoria’s forests for UNESCO World Heritage listing.
  9. Implement recommendation 20 from VEAC’s Statewide Assessment report (2016) to prioritise investigation into the Southwest region, Strzelecki Ranges and Gippsland Plains bioregions to identify opportunities to expand the reserve system.
  10. Commit to completing Melbourne’s grassland reserves as required as part of the Melbourne Strategic Assessment.
  11. Increase protection of all native grasslands (and other grassy habitats) across Victoria on both public and private land by using all available means, including purchase, conservation covenants, planning tools and significantly increased penalties for illegal clearing.
  12. Complete implementation of central west parks including formalisation of promised smaller reserves and regional parks.
  13. Accelerate the transition to proper protection for state forests across Victoria, including Special Protection Zones and Immediate Protection Areas.
  14. Implement recommendation 21 from VEAC’s Statewide Assessment report (2016) to review the comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness of Victoria’s marine protected areas and identify additional areas for inclusion.
  15. End recreational fishing in all existing marine parks.
  16. Commit to a Marine Spatial Plan for Western Port Bay, backed by a Western Port Fund to deliver it.
  17. Change existing legislation to recognise designated Ramsar wetlands like Western Port Bay as formal protected areas.
  18. Commit to a standalone environment minister who controls all aspects of the portfolio, including public land management, without conflicting responsibilities.
  19. Commit to funding national parks and other protected areas to at least one per cent of the State Budget.
  20. Implement recurrent funding for Traditional Owner co-management of national parks and other public lands as part of Victoria’s Treaty commitments.
  21. Maintain parks and reserves for the primary purpose of nature conservation and enjoyment of nature – not as opportunities for development.
  22. Commit to reinstate fisheries officers, restore park ranger numbers and rebuild specialist capacity in compliance, biodiversity, heritage and recreation management, and park planning.
  23. Fully fund and implement the Victorian Deer Control Strategy.
  24. Restore funding and frontline capacity to tackle invasive species across the state.
  25. Create a standalone regulator (or expand the Conservation Regulator’s role) to oversee Forest Fire Management Victoria’s fire prevention and logging-like activities.
  26. Make sure the ban on native forest logging is maintained, and that all logging loopholes are closed off.
  27. Reinstate the Victorian Marine and Coastal Council (or similar) to provide independent advice to government on appropriate use of marine and coastal habitats.
  28. Make sure the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act’s Scientific Advisory Committee is retained, to provide independent integrity for this key piece of state nature law.
  29. Develop a threatened wildlife strategy and recurrent funding to implement it (as done in other jurisdictions).
  30. Recognise the wishes of 80% of all Victorians who say they want more parks!