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20-731: It was announced on 28 April 2017 that the Department of Parks and Wildlife would merge with the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority, the Zoological Parks Authority , and the Rottnest Island Authority on 1 July 2017 to form the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions . The earlier stages of administration of Kings Park and other gardens had been by individual autonomous boards. The Kings Park Board had started in 1896. This Western Australia article

40-528: A pest animal and weed control program that included 4 million hectares of conservation reserves and State forests baited for feral animal control, as well as weed control on more than 89 million hectares of unallocated Crown land and unmanaged reserves. There are a number of internationally recognised biodiversity hotspots within Western Australia and in particular in the south west of the state. Parks and Wildlife also managed two long-distance trails:

60-485: A single year for the first time in 2016–17 and a visitor satisfaction level of 92.5 per cent. Each year Parks and Wildlife aimed for a satisfaction rating above 85 per cent, a figure it had achieved for more than 10 consecutive years. 10,910 people were registered volunteers with the department in 2014-15 that helped in a range of projects across the State with 610,000 hours contributed. During 2015–16, 5,189 active volunteers of

80-543: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Department of Parks and Wildlife (Western Australia) The Department of Parks and Wildlife ( DPaW ) was the department of the Government of Western Australia responsible for managing lands described in the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 and implementing the state's conservation and environment legislation and regulations. The minister responsible for

100-669: Is a long-distance walk trail in Western Australia . It runs from Kalamunda in the east of Perth to Albany , and is 1,003.1 kilometres (623.3 mi) long. It is managed by government agencies, and has a foundation. It traverses the Darling Range and has inspired reflections about the state of the Western Australian environment by William J. Lines in his book A long walk in the Australian bush . The name comes from

120-450: Is almost all through state forest, national parks and other reserves, with only a few small sections of farmland. The first half of the track is through the jarrah forests of the Darling Range . It then moves through flatter tall karri forests until reaching the coastline near the town of Walpole. The remainder of the track is through coastal forest and scrub along the south coast, in some sections routed along sandy beaches. The towns

140-560: The 1,000 km Bibbulmun Track for walkers, and the 1,000 km Munda Biddi Trail for cyclists. An important duty of the Department (with the help of the Forest Products Commission crews) was to be responsible for bushfire prevention and suppression on its lands as well as fire prevention in unallocated Crown land and unmanaged reserves. This included conducting controlled burns to reduced fuel load, and research into

160-540: The Bibbulmun, or Noongar people , Indigenous Australians from the Perth area. The route has been changed twice, partly due to it passing through a significant section of forest that was at risk to change from either forestry, bauxite mining or dieback . The track was suggested in 1972. The groups that had suggested and also who were involved in planning with the then Forests Department of Western Australia were: The track

180-457: The behaviour and effects of bushfires. More than 247,360 hectares were prescribed burnt in the three forest regions during the 2016-17 financial year, in addition to the significant burns that have been undertaken by staff in the South Coast , Goldfields , Wheatbelt , Mid West , Pilbara and Kimberley regions up to 2,988,394 hectares. Some of the most severe West Australian bushfires that

200-502: The department had to suppress, in chronological order, include: Earlier forms of Nature conservation in Western Australia were under: The department maintained and coordinated a range of specialist equipment and emergency response vehicles. This included pumpers and tankers and other equipment relating to operations involving search and rescue and firefighting . The Department of Parks and Wildlife had three types of uniforms: Bibbulmun Track The Bibbulmun Track

220-422: The department in the management, maintenance and marketing of the track to ensure that it remains a "long-distance walk trail of international significance and quality". The foundation sells maps and guide books, offers trip planning advice, offers equipment hire and runs courses on camp cooking and navigation. Most people choose to walk sections of the track for one or a few days at a time. Hardy walkers who walk

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240-607: The department was the Minister for the Environment . The Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) was separated on 30 June 2013, forming the Department of Parks and Wildlife (DPaW) and the Department of Environment Regulation (DER), both of which commenced operations on 1 July 2013. DPaW focused on managing multiple use state forests, national parks, marine parks and reserves. DER focused on environmental regulation, approvals and appeals processes, and pollution prevention. It

260-404: The sections consist of half-day walks. At the end of each section is either a town or a purpose-built campsite. Each campsite consists of a three-sided shelter with wooden sleeping platforms, a water tank, a pit toilet, picnic tables and cleared tent sites. In the northern half, most campsites also have a barbecue pit and plate (open fires are banned in the southern section). The Bibbulmun Track

280-435: The total 13,737 registered individuals contributed 638,747 voluntary hours to more than 200 Parks and Wildlife environmental and recreational programs. In 2016–17, Parks and Wildlife's volunteers have contributed to a record number of hours to help conserve and manage WA's natural places, with 5,410 volunteers contributing 723,508 hours. Parks and Wildlife was responsible for the wildlife conservation project Western Shield ,

300-405: The track from beginning to end typically do so in 6 to 8 weeks, although it has been completed in under 12 days. The most popular time to walk the track is during the wildflower season of spring (September – November), going from north to south as the wildflower season starts later in the southern areas. In summer the weather can be very hot and water will be hard to find except in the water tanks at

320-503: The track passes through are Dwellingup , Collie , Balingup , Pemberton , Northcliffe , Walpole and Denmark . Highlights of the track include: The Bibbulmun Track is managed by the Western Australian Parks and Wildlife Service at the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions and The Bibbulmun Track Foundation – an incorporated not-for-profit community-based organisation established to provide support for

340-557: The west of the Bibbulmun Track. The track consists of 58 sections and is marked at regular intervals with triangular signs, most of which have a symbol of the Wagyl . The Wagyl, or Rainbow Serpent , is a snakelike Dreamtime creature that is a common deity in Noongar culture. Each section is approximately one day's walk, except for the northernmost 150 kilometres (93 mi) or so, where

360-474: Was 31,480,868 ha. The land area managed by the department was about 10.6 per cent of the land area of Western Australia . The lands and waters managed by the department received in 2014-15 18.6 million visits a year, with visitor satisfaction at a high level of 89%. The average level of visitor satisfaction with their visit on Parks & Wildlife lands and waters was of 91.4% in 2015–16. Western Australian national parks and reserves received 20 million visits in

380-488: Was announced on 28 April 2017 that the Department of Parks and Wildlife would merge with the Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority , the Zoological Parks Authority and the Rottnest Island Authority on 1 July 2017 to form the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions . The Department of Parks and Wildlife had management responsibilities in: At 30 June 2017, the total area under Parks and Wildlife's care

400-527: Was first opened in 1979 but the third and final alignment and extension through to Albany was opened in 1998 and retains less than 10% of earlier alignments. The Bibbulmun Track is a walker-only trail. No wheeled vehicles of any kind are permitted. It has a parallel long-distance cycling trail – known as the Munda Biddi Trail – that opened all the way to Albany in April 2013. This trail is generally situated to

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