Queensland is inching closer to its goal of having 17 per cent of the state declared a protected area by 2035, with the Governor signing off on another 474 hectares becoming national and state parks.

Environment minister Steven Miles said the latest acquisitions meant just under 8 per cent of Queensland was now considered protected land.

Researchers have urged the state government to choose land which was home to threatened species, rather than just cheap to protect.

Previous efforts to set aside land to save protected and threatened species have all but failed, research has found, with animal numbers continuing to decrease. That's been put down to economics winning out over research.

Earlier this month, Dr Miles, announcing $12.1 million in funding for koala protection, admitted that it was time for a change in thinking in how the state set aside land, with a University of Queensland report finding existing protection measures had done nothing to bolster south-east koala populations.

An expert panel has been established to investigate ways to reverse the trend in declining populations - and save those the south-east has left.

"This is about saying what we can do differently, what can we do differently from a conservation perspective, what can we do differently from a town planning perspective," Dr Miles said earlier this month.

"It could well do [mean more State Parks]. Again, I don't want to pre-empt those [ideas from the panel] but I think we are likely to focus our effort and investment into larger tracks of what we know is good habitat that can sustain lots of koalas, rather than trying to enforce sparse and stressful habitat protections that aren't, frankly, good for koalas."

On Saturday, Dr Miles said the latest acquisitions "all have ecological or cultural significance".

"We know climate change will place increasing pressure on Queensland's environment, affecting plants, animals and ecosystems," he said.

"By creating more national parks and reserves, government can develop strategies to manage them to maintain healthy habitats and build resilience to climate change.

"Effective management will give flora and fauna the best chance of survival as Queensland's climate changes.

"Through acquisition, we are ensuring high conservation values are protected and maintained for future generations to explore and enjoy."

The declarations this week include:

·  38,402 hectares of former regional park added to Currawinya National Park, about 113km west of Cunnamulla. The added area originally cost $1.1 million and is part of a significant wildlife corridor, and contains part of the upper catchments of creeks that flow into the Ramsar-listed lake systems of the park.

·  586.6 hectares added to Lamington National Park on the eastern edge of the Lamington escarpment in the Gold Coast hinterland. This important addition was announced on the park's 100th birthday in 2015. It has a range of biodiversity values, and links two sections of the national park.

·  15.9 hectares of cassowary habitat added to Moresby Range National Park southeast of Innisfail.

·  39.9 hectares of unallocated State land added to Mt Barney National Park. The added land has significant conservation values, including habitat for the golden-tipped bat.

·  67.7 hectares dedicated as Dinden Regional Park, 8km south of Cairns.

·  3ha of unallocated State land added to Springbrook National Park.

·  the new 34 hectare Noosa Regional Park 1 beside the Coolum Eco Industrial Park day-use area near Peregian Springs.

·  57 hectares added to Tewantin National Park, purchased under the Koala Habitat Program for $740,000.

·  1580 hectares of unallocated State land added to Undara Volcanic National Park about 196km southwest of Cairns. The land is part of the Granite Range, which is of state conservation significance.

·  369 hectares added to Bouldercombe Gorge Regional Park 1, which is 26km south of Rockhampton. The land was donated by local conservationists to protect the endangered plantDecaspermum struckoilicum.

·  0.2421 hectares added to Cape Upstart National Park. The formerly freehold land was given to the State for conservation purposes.

·  Amalgamation of seven Gold Coast regional parks totalling about 26 hectares into one park, David Fleay Regional Park.