Natural tourism in Western Australia
Naturebank is a Western Australian Government initiative that aims to prepare sites for development of quality environmentally sensitive tourist accommodation experiences in the State’s national parks. Naturebank will assist to position Western Australia among the world’s premier ecotourism destinations.
Naturebank offers opportunities for suitably experienced developers to create exceptional ecotourism experiences that provide visitors with an appreciation of natural and cultural values, leaving them with lasting memories of our ancient landscapes and cultures.
Naturebank provides a management structure to ensure projects achieve ongoing environmental and social outcomes. Naturebank projects will assist the State’s regional communities through responsible tourism practices that provide training and employment opportunities and stimulate businesses by local purchasing of goods and services. Similar successful ecotourism ventures already operate in Western Australian national parks including Purnululu, Karijini and Cape Range.
Naturebank works by identifying potential sites in selected national parks and undertaking the pre-release development clearances required to present them to market as a Naturebank opportunity. Sites are subjected to a rigorous clearance process and will not be progressed unless they meet strict environmental and cultural requirements. Pre-release development clearances vary from site to site and may include flora and fauna surveys, heritage assessments and groundwater studies. It also entails addressing park management plan requirements, site amenity, site access, infrastructure and consultation with the host community and traditional owners.
Naturebank is not about cutting corners in the planning processes. It is about the Government ensuring that a site has appropriate environmental and cultural clearances, the necessary infrastructure is available (eg. water, access) and is sustainable. This work removes much of the upfront uncertainty and provides guidance for the developer.
Release of Naturebank opportunities is by an open competitive process. Expressions of interest are invited from private sector developers with a business model that embraces responsible tourism practices and demonstrates a commitment to the environment and Aboriginal culture. After evaluation of the expressions of interest, proponents are shortlisted and they are then invited to submit a full development proposal. The successful proponent will be offered a performance based lease with social and environmental performance conditions that reflect the values of the area. The period of lease offered to a successful proponent will be determined after giving due consideration to the level of capital investment to be made and the operating risk.
Naturebank is intended to be an ongoing program with new destinations and sites progressively added to the list of potential projects.
Naturebank is jointly managed through a partnership between Tourism Western Australia and the Department of Environment and Conservation. Tourism Western Australia is responsible for the development, promotion and protection of Western Australia’s iconic tourism experiences. The Department of Environment and Conservation has the lead responsibility for protecting and conserving the State’s environment on behalf of the people of Western Australia. This includes managing the State’s national parks, marine parks, conservation parks, State forests and timber reserves, nature reserves, marine nature reserves and marine management areas.
If you would like to find out more about Naturebank or be notified about future site releases then please register your interest by sending your contact details to naturebank@westernaustralia.com.