THREE new national parks and seven new and expanded regional parks are being established to help protect Victoria's flora and fauna and enhance visitor opportunities.
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Created by linked existing state forest, parks and reserves, the new national parks will include the combining of the Wombat State Forest and Lerderderg State Park to create the 44,000 hectare Wombat-Lerderderg National Park between Daylesford and Bacchus Marsh.
A 15,000-hectare Pyrenees National Park will be created west of Avoca while the 5282-hectare Mount Buangor National Park will see the existing state park north of Buangor doubled in size.
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"This is an important step to help protect our incredible range of native plants and wildlife," Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said.
"These parks will be a drawcard for nature-based tourism and recreation and an important destination for the community to learn from nature and experience the great outdoors.
"These new national parks and all of the parks being created or expanded will enhance the opportunities for Victorians to experience our state's unique landscape now and into the future."
Native flora like Mount Cole Grevilliea, Pyrenees Gum and rare and threatened species including the Powerful Owl, Barking Owl, Swift Parrot, Southern Greater Glider and Brush-tailed Phascogale will have increased protection in the new national parks.
The Victorian government has committed $4 million to establish the new boundaries for the parks.
The funding will also be used to establish two new conservation parks and expand other regional parks in Victoria's Central West.
Seven new and expanded regional parks will also be created near Bendigo, Daylesford and Avoca.
These will provide a range of activities including horse-riding, dog-walking and recreational prospecting.
Surveying and mapping work is now being conducted by the Surveyor-General Victoria. It is the is the first step towards permanent protection of the new parks through legislation.
The state government has added more than 250,000 hectares of protected forests in Victoria since 2019.
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