Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council
Function and Role
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Function
The Parks and Wildlife Commission Advisory Council is established under the Parks and Wildlife Commission Act 1999. The Council is to comprise “persons who have an interest or expertise and knowledge in matters relating to the environment and the management and conservation of natural resources”. The role of the Council is to “advise the Commission on matters concerning the management of parks and wildlife” (Section 41).
Recent Government initiatives to increase engagement of Aboriginal traditional owners in protected lands management (as set out in the Parks and Reserves (Framework for the Future) Act 2003), and also to enhance conservation activity outside protected lands, means that the advisory role covers a broad range of issues.
In the spirit of this legislation and related propositions advanced in the Parks and Conservation Masterplan, the Minister for Parks and Wildlife, the Commission and the Director have interpreted the Council’s role to include all matters relevant to the management of the Northern Territory’s protected lands system and to the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife, wherever located.
Interpretation of the Advisory Role
The Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council has been established as an expert, independent and objective body to advise the Government, through the Commission and Director of Parks and Wildlife, on ways of achieving the highest standards of management of protected lands and wildlife in the Northern Territory.
It is important to note that the Council is regarded by Government as having a mandate to bring a diversity of skills, perspectives and opinions to bear on conservation and park management issues. Unlike the previous Commission Board, there is no obligation on the Council to reach consensus or to present a single view. Indeed, one of the most important contributions sought from the Board is its potential to suggest innovative strategies and a wide range of well-considered options for addressing problems or opportunities.
Independent Council members are expected to promote high standards from managers of parks and wildlife, identify risks and opportunities that may not occur to those operating within the public sector, and expand the thinking available to the government in general and the Parks and Wildlife Service in particular.
