By Margaret Maccoll
Introducing National Park entry fees to Noosa was a suggestion made by Noosa Parks Association’s forum speaker Tony Groom that was met with wide support from guests last Friday.
Tony Groom was born at Binna Burra, won a Churchill Fellowship to study National Parks around the world in 1973 and has been involved with them ever since.
Tony who now runs International Park Tours said there were few national parks that did not charge entry fees and invest the funds in the park’s upkeep.
Queensland is one of the few places in Australia and the world where the entry to national parks is free to individuals, although tour groups are charged a fee, he said.
Tony said National Parks were important for preserving the world’s fauna and flora, their habitats and their gene pools.
Increasingly they are being regarded as valuable spiritual resources where people can escape to from their hectic urban lives to relax and recuperate, he said.
Tony also touched in his talk on the interest in introducing eco-tourism facilities into National Parks saying the idea was being received with a mix of excitement and apprehension.
He said the issue was maintaining and preserving the parks and providing for visits.
