The London-based National Park City Foundation has "encouraged" the South Australian Governnment to "properly protect" Adelaide's "nature and recreation spaces."

The Foundation has declared Adelaide to be a "National Park City" - only the second one in the world after London.

*The River Torrens / Karrawirra Pari. Rather than re-wilding, the State Government wants to invite massive riverbank development*

The Foundation rejected submissions from APA and dozens of others that to make such a declaration, without any assurances of Government policy change, would effectively greenwash the raft of ongoing attacks on your Open Green Public Adelaide Park Lands.

We wrote to the National Park City Foundation on 16 August 2021, pointing out (with eight examples) how the SA Government was "actively working against the principles of the Universal Charter for National Park Cities."

Among other things, we highlighted the State Government's plan to destroy Helen Mayo Park with a $662 million stadium and its proposals to re-zone 70 hectares of Riverbank Park Lands for future large-scale development.

*Helen Mayo Park next to Montefiore Rd - targeted for destruction to make way for the State Government’s proposed stadium, aka “Riverbank Arena”*

However, in determining the application by the South Australian Government, the National Park City Foundation decided that it should not "attempt to impede local democratic process" and advised that over 2,000 people had signed the Adelaide National Park City Charter.

In response to APA's portrayal of the State Government as hypocritical, Daniel Raven-Ellison of the National Park City Foundation promised that a full report on the decision would be published during the first quarter of 2022;

"The success of Adelaide National Park City will very much depend on individuals, groups and organisations working together to make good decisions that lead to the city becoming greener, healthier, wilder and more climate resilient.

"You have the potential to shape Adelaide National Park City by contributing to it, sharing it, promoting good practices, holding it to account, shining a light of weaknesses and helping it to deliver for the people of Adelaide."