Hundreds gathered at a rally, calling on the Victorian government to reject a proposal to establish more national parks, which they say would lock out users and impact regional economies.
Demonstrators are concerned they would lose access to these areas and activities like fishing, hunting and camping would be restricted.The Victorian government says no decision has been made and expects a report summarising community consultation to be handed to them in June.
This plan is similar to the Great Forest National Park, a separate proposal to link more than 500,000 hectares of Victorian forest in the same area, put forward by the Victorian National Parks Association. Chris Wilson, who travelled more than 230 kilometres from Mansfield to attend, said he was worried about restricted access.
"We've got people in there now caring for the bush by getting out the invasive species, and the introduced species, and the game animals," he said.Victoria's Minister for Environment Steve Dimopoulos said the Victorian Environmental Assessment Council report was only "one part of the process".
"If we actually turn them into a park or a reserve, Victorians could do any number of things in these forests... they can camp, they can ride, they can walk, they can enjoy nature, they can take their kids and grandkids into nature to enjoy it.
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