Director of National Parks facts for kids

The Director of National Parks is a special role in the Australian Government. This person is in charge of looking after many of Australia's amazing natural places. These include national parks on land (terrestrial) and special protected areas in the ocean (marine protected areas). These places are set up under an important law called the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, often called the EPBC Act.

Parks Australia is a team that works with the Director of National Parks. They help manage six national parks, the Australian National Botanic Gardens, and 60 Australian marine parks. Parks Australia is part of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

What is the Director of National Parks?

The role of the Director of National Parks was created by the EPBC Act. It's a bit like a special company that is made up of just one person – the person appointed to the job. This means the person holding the title is the corporation.

This role started on 17 July 2000. It continued the work of an older role called the Director of National Parks and Wildlife, which existed under a different law from 1975.

As of November 2023, the Director of National Parks is Ronald 'Ricky' Archer. He is a Djungan man and is the first Indigenous person to hold this important position. Ricky Archer leads efforts to protect and manage some of Australia's most valuable national parks. He often works closely with the Traditional Owners of these lands.

What Does the Director Do?

The Director of National Parks has several important jobs under the EPBC Act:

• They manage special reserves and conservation zones that belong to the Australian Government.
• They work to protect the amazing variety of plants and animals (biodiversity) and the important history (heritage) in these reserves.
• They support research to learn more about these special natural areas.
• They work with other countries to help set up and manage national parks and nature reserves around the world.
• They give advice and make suggestions to the Australian Government Minister for the Environment.

Places They Look After

The Director of National Parks is responsible for managing many different types of protected areas:

• Six national parks that are managed by the Australian Government.
• The Australian National Botanic Gardens, which is a huge garden full of Australian plants.
• 60 Australian marine parks, which are special areas in the ocean.
• One Commonwealth marine reserve.

Sometimes, the Director lets other groups help manage these places. For example, the Heard Island and McDonald Islands Commonwealth Marine Reserve is managed by the Australian Antarctic Division. This group is also part of the Department of the Environment and Energy.

It's important to know that the Director of National Parks does not manage the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. That huge and famous marine park is looked after by a different group called the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

About Parks Australia

Parks Australia is the team that helps the Director of National Parks. They used to be called the Australian Nature Conservation Agency and the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Service. Since 2022, they have been part of the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water.

The staff at Parks Australia are part of the federal environment team. They help manage the six Commonwealth national parks. These include famous places like Kakadu National Park, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, and Booderee National Park. They also help with Christmas Island National Park, Pulu Keeling National Park, and Norfolk Island National Park. On top of that, they assist with the Australian National Botanic Gardens and all the Australian Marine Parks.

See also

• NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service
• Protected areas managed by the Australian government