Waratahs are Going Missing From NSW National Parks

NSW National Parks has warned people to stop cutting and picking waratahs from their precious natural habitat.

NSW National Parks has stated that rangers have noticed waratahs going missing from national parks after suspected interference from hikers. Over 20 flowers have disappeared from Brisbane Water National Parks alone.

Waratahs are protected by the Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016, and it’s illegal to pick them anywhere in NSW. A licence is required to pick protected and threatened plants for commercial, research, or conservation purposes.

It’s particularly important not to cut waratahs as they need to go through their full lifecycle to produce seeds. Interrupting this cycle prevents further plants from growing in the ecosystem. In fact, the Gibraltar Range waratah (Telopea aspera) was one of 20 species recently added to the ‘threatened’ list in Australia.

In order to prevent the flowers from being picked, NSW National Parks has now painted stems with non-toxic blue paint and introduced new signs to the parks.

About the Waratah

The bright red flower of the NSW waratah species (Telopea speciosissima) is famously the official floral emblem of NSW. It’s such a well-loved native flower that it was once a hot contender for the national flower of Australia!

Five species of waratah grow from the northern tip of NSW to the southeastern parts of Victoria and Tasmania. Waratahs are famous for flowering over a six-week period during spring in national parks near the Sydney region, however, they flower later in cooler climates.

In NSW, you can find the waratah in bloom in several parks, including Blue Mountains National Park, Muogamarra Nature Reserve, and the Royal National Park.

Read more: Where to Find Wildflowers Near Sydney (and Around NSW)

Feature image by @wanderer_rachel