Pyrenees Shire Council, Media Release, 30 June 2021

Council notes with interest the latest announcement from the Victorian Government on new National Parks in Victoria’s Central West.

Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio announced a 15,000-hectare Pyrenees National Park and a 5282-hectare Mount Buangor National Park.

In 2019, Council advocated for the community, and provided a submission to the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council’s Central West investigation

The submission reflected the desire to ensure community needs were best met in any new park arrangements.

While Council understands the importance of protecting the biodiversity values of our parks, Council remains concerned about impacts of this decision on some other uses of the public land.

These uses include recreational and competitive horse riding and the provision for the collection of firewood.