Ask most people about the purposes and benefits of national parks and other protected areas and they're likely to tell you about the protection of flora, fauna, scenery and historical features, and about recreation and tourism.

All these are important values of parks. National and other parks are well recognised for their vital role in protecting our natural environment and cultural heritage, and in bringing social benefits in terms of the physical, mental and spiritual health of individuals and the community - as recognised by the Healthy Parks, Healthy People campaigns in Victoria and other states.

Parks also bring measurable direct and flow-on economic benefits to local, regional, state and national economies. These economic benefits are a key enabler for communities to function and prosper, allowing them to build social cohesion, social capital and healthy communities.

The Value of Parks - The economic value of three of Victoria's national parks (pdf 3.6MB)

The Value of Parks - Inspire, Refresh, Conserve, Protect, Play (pdf 2.5 MB)