Hunting is still illegal in NSW national parks, and will remain that way until at least the end of this year.
In the wake of controversy, misunderstandings and the misinformation spread by anti-hunting groups, the NSW Game Council has put out information to clarify the status of hunting in the state’s national parks.
The information, posted on the GC website, states: “The program is expected to begin in early 2013, once the management and access arrangements have been approved by the Minister for the Environment and the areas are so declared.
“Until then, any shooting by members of the public in any national parks and reserves is illegal and subject to penalties.”
Official notification of the program’s commencement will be given 30 days beforehand.
The 79 areas that are to be included in the program are still being assessed, and part of this process involves the identification and mapping of exclusion zones.
The exclusion zones are be created to ensure there is no shooting in sensitive areas, such as near residences or where there may be a danger to national parks staff and visitors.
While hunters are optimistic the program will be run along similar lines to the system used in state forests, the Game Council says details of how the program will operate are still being developed.
“As details of the program are finalised, and during its operation, Game Council NSW and NPWS will be providing information to the public about where and how the program will operate,” the Game Council stated.
However, the website does make it clear hunting dogs will not be permitted into the parks.
For more details, see the Game Council website.
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