http://www.greatforestnationalpark.com.au/
Victoria’s proposed Great Forest National Park could draw almost 380,000 extra visitors a year to the Central Highlands, add $71 million annually to the local economy and generate 750 jobs with a little private investment, according to a new report by the Nous Group, commissioned by the Wilderness Society.
Even without private investment, simply declaring the national park, improving park infrastructure and visitor management, and establishing the Healesville-to-Eildon hiking trail could generate 520 jobs, attract an extra 242,000 visitors a year and add $48 million annually to the economy in 10 years’ time and growing.
Steve Meacher, the President of Friends of Leadbeater’s Possum, said: “The Great Forest National Park would also help save Victoria’s rapidly disappearing Mountain Ash forests, the tallest flowering trees in the world, and the state’s animal emblem that calls them home, the Leadbeater’s Possum, which is teetering on the brink of extinction. It would help keep secure Melbourne’s vital drinking water supplies.”
https://www.timberbiz.com.au/great-forest-national-park-numbers-dont-add-up/
CEO of VAFI (Victorian Association of Forest Industries), Tim Johnston, said that the proposed park would mean shutting down the native timber industry in the Central Highlands, resulting in the loss of thousand of jobs and businesses, not only in the immediate area but also across the state.
“A recent Deloitte Access Economic Report Economic assessment of the native timber industry in the Central Highlands showed that $573 million in revenue was generated annually by industry in the region, resulting in the direct employment of 2,117 full time equivalent workers.
“I note that the report into the proposed GFNP claimed that for an investment of $45 million from government and private enterprise, it could deliver around $70 million annually and create 760 full-time jobs however, this is not adequate to cover the loss the state would see from the devastating effect the park would have on the forest, fibre and wood products industry in Victoria,” Mr Johnston said. “The numbers simply don’t add up.
