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CARING FOR NAMADGI TOGETHER

Report on the management of NamadgiNational Park

prepared with the assistance ofan ACT Government Environment Grant

NATIONAL PARKS ASSOCIATION OF THE ACT INC

JUNE 2002

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 Context of the planning process3

1.1 Changes to government of the ACT3

1.2 Alpine National Parks Agreement 4

1.3 Increased national understanding of need to protect

biodiversity4

1.4 Changes in population and lifestyles5

1.5 Additions to park6

2 Values of the Park8

2.1 Natural values8

2.1.1 Wilderness8

2.1.2 Landscape 9

2.1.3 Flora and fauna 9

2.1.4 Catchment protection and water supply13

2.1.5 Oxygen production and carbon dioxide store14

2.2 Cultural Values14

2.2.1 Indigenous cultural heritage15

2.2.2 Non-indigenous cultural heritage16

3 Management 20

3.1 Broad philosophy and management objectives20

3.2 Need for good knowledge base21

3.3 Management issues for resource conservation21

3.3.1 Need for zoning21

3.3.2 Post-1986 wilderness studies and government 22

3.3.3 Natural values27

3.3.4 Cultural values 34

3.3.5 Fuel and Fire Management.37

3.3.6 Visitor use38

3.3.7 Role of community groups44

4MAIN ReC0MMENDATIONS46

4.1 Vision46

4.2 Management objectives46

4.3 Supporting recommendations46

4.3.1 General46

4.3.2 Knowledge base47

4.3.3 Management of natural values47

4.3.4 Management of cultural values49

4.3.5 Management of visitor use49

5 REferences51

6 Appendices55

A. Management practices for Aboriginal and historical

resources pp37-39 of 1986 Management Plan55

B. List of points in 1986 Management Plan that need

Updating58

Acknowledgment

NPA ACT acknowledges the ACT Government’s support for the production of this document through its Environment Grants Program

Disclaimer

The views and findings contained in this report do not necessarily reflect those of the ACT Government and its agencies.

Produced by the National Parks Association of the ACT (Inc)

P.O. Box 1940 Woden ACT 2606

1 Context of the planning process

1.1 Changes to government of the ACT

The present Management Plan (MP) for Namadgi was adopted in 1986, written by the then Department of Territories. It was designed to be read in conjunction with the Namadgi Policy Plan (1986) which was prepared by the National Capital Development Commission.

The Namadgi Policy Plan brought together points from the Cotter River Catchment Policy Plan (Draft August 1985) and the Gudgenby Area Policy and Development Plan (1984). The publications, Cotter River Catchment Environmental Analysis (NCDC 1986) and Gudgenby - Proposed Gudgenby National Park Landuse Study (APNWS 1976) provide detail about the areas, which is still useful.

Much has changed since the publication of the 1986 MP, not least being a change in legislative structure with self government in the ACT. A second major administrative change has been the agreement with Native Title Claimants and the institution of a joint Interim Advisory Board.

The present policy of Environment ACT, the government department with responsibility for Namadgi, is to produce generalised Management Plans for reserved areas and to supplement these with more detail in Implementation Plans.(Fig1).

Fig 1

At the same time many activities within NamadgiNational Park are covered by territory-wide strategies, such as the Campground, Vertebrate Pest Management, Weeds and Nature BasedTourism Strategies. It is most important that actions determined by these strategies comply with the MPs of the reserved areas. The MPs are statutory documents and so should clearly state the overriding policies that determine management of the reserves. The MPs should determine which activities are suitable for the reserve, with the territory-wide strategies giving useful territory-wide overviews and relating activities on reserved lands to the same activities on other lands. (recommendations 1,2)

Implementation Plans at present are being based on management actions listed in the MPs. If this procedure continues to be followed it is essential that such management actions are expressed in terms to allow the IPs to be effective, and that they be given realistic and achievable priorities that have meaning for managers faced with choices of what action to do next. Parks and Conservation Service budgets should include the financial resources to enable the IPs to be achieved. (recommendations 3,4)

NPA assessed the Implementation Planning process in a report presented to Environment ACT (NPA 2001) and concluded that:

  • the planning put into IPs can only have positive effect when backed by sufficient resources and greater continuity of staff than in the past few years;
  • cost effective planning is probably best done through a three year plan;
  • continuing actions need to be listed separately, so that the main function of IPs is to concentrate on actions that have quantifiable outcomes, while still ensuring that funds are allocated to the continuing actions;
  • the Murrumbidgee River Corridor IP would make the most effective model (of the examples examined) with the reporting component and expression of targets improved;
  • follow up is needed, for example with checklists to ensure rangers know what they are expected to do on patrols
  • maps of weed occurrences (as in Canberra Nature Park IP) and of fire occurrences are very useful.

1.2 Alpine National Parks Agreement

The two states, NSW and Victoria, and one territory, the ACT, have adjoining national parks in Australia’s south-eastern alpine region. They and the Commonwealth of Australia have agreed on aspects of management of the parks in order to more effectively manage the whole alpine region, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, and have established the Australian Alps Liaison Committee to assist with implementing co-operative programs.

This agreement is an important one. It should be continued and the AALC should be given sufficient resources by all four governments to allow it to be effective. (recommendation 5)

1.3 Increased national understanding of need to protect biodiversity

As well as local changes to administrative structures there has been a change in the national understanding that, in an increasingly developed world, the need to protect biodiversity and natural processes is essential for our very survival, that is, of the need ‘to look after country’.

This understanding has been expressed in some legislation, such as the Heritage Rivers Act 1992 (Commonwealth of Australia), and strategies and agreements.

The National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development (1996) accepts the need for setting aside and managing protected areas and that there may be a cost to do so, and states that facilities and services are "to be provided in accordance with the biophysical limits of an area". It also states that "within the protected area system, land designated as wilderness may be of particular importance for biological diversity conservation. Areas designated as wilderness must be large and relatively undisturbed, with core areas remote from mechanical access and edge effects. The absence of artificial barriers to the movement of native species and of artificial channels such as roads and power line easements, which aid the movement of exotic species is doubly beneficial to biological diversity conservation."

The Australian Natural Heritage Charter (1996) is another expression of this change in understanding. It provides voluntary guidelines for looking after natural heritage. It espouses an ethos of intergenerational equity, the principle of existence, the principle of uncertainly and the precautionary principle (that a lack of full scientific certainty should not be a reason for postponing measures to protect the environment).

The long term commitment needed for protecting biodiversity is summed up by Worboys et al in Protective Area Management (2001, p145): "Protected area management is about managing for the long term. It is about instigating conservation work programs that may be in place for generations of managers. It is also about innovative and cutting edge decisions made by well informed and dynamic managers. It is about organisations that are adaptive and that have a capacity for continuous improvement. Those organisations that respect, retain and utilise their depth of talent and experience will have most success in conserving our heritage."

NPA ACT agrees that protecting biodiversity is a long term commitment that requires talented and experienced staff that need to be respected and retained. so their depth of talent can be fully utilised. (recommendation 6)

1.4 Changes in population and lifestyles

Since the park was declared there have also been changes in regional population, and people's lifestyles and expectations. All of these will mean greater use of the park and will demand more resources from management to maintain the park's values. That is, just as the urgency of the park's role in conserving biodiversity has become better recognised, demands that could make that role more difficult are increasing.

Canberra's population has grown significantly, although not as fast as in the 1960s and '70s. It is expected to continue to grow. Population has also increased in the areas surrounding the ACT. There are also more visitors to the ACT, some of whom come to visit the outdoors. This latter component is likely to increase more significantly in the future as Namadgi takes some of the spill from the more highly used parts of Kosciuszko National Park and those seeking a more remote experience with good access find that Namadgi provides satisfaction.

There is also greater mobility within the population, with many more people owning 4WD vehicles and trail bikes and expecting to use them off well graded roads. Many people also own mountain bikes and want to use them on bush tracks, often without any consideration for the erosion their wheels can cause, or the risks of their being stranded beyond reasonable walking distance of assistance. It is extremely probable that more mechanical devices will be developed in the future.

With local government in the ACT and the groundswell of community support for Landcare and Parkcare involvement, there is also a greater expectation of consultation about decisions of management policy. The park was formed in response to persistent informed lobbying from community groups, particularly the National Parks Association of the ACT. There has also been a much greater recognition of the role of Aboriginal people played in managing the land for thousands of years and of rights to Native Title. At present there is a formal channel for a limited community involvement through the Natural Resources Management Committee which has replaced the Environment Advisory Committee and its subcommittees, as well as the larger Ngun(n)awal and wider community involvement in the Interim Namadgi Advisory Board which was formed as part of the agreement with the Ngun(n)awal elders. Annual forums are also planned.

The ACT community has many people well educated in environmental matters, including some who have been involved in government environment programs. These people can make a significant voluntary contribution to the management of the park, and do so through the NPA, the Gudgenby Bush Regeneration Group, Kosciuszko Huts Association, Canberra Alpine Club and Canberra Bushwalking Club. Other groups who use the park also contribute through work parties.

The role of community groups in assisting Park Management needs to be continued and formally recognised. (recommendation 6)

1.5 Additions to park

Since the 1986 MP was prepared there have been significant additions to the park in the northern (lower) Cotter Catchment and Mt Tennent area. The proposed wilderness area within the Park has been gazetted and the Bimberi Wilderness Area across the border in KosciuszkoNational Park has also been declared.

In 1996 the Ginini and Cheyenne flats were designated a significant wetland under the international Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar Iran 1971) and a management plan developed as required by the 4th Conference of Contracting Parties to the convention in 1990 (Environment ACT 2001).

There have also been many changes within the park (see Appendix B). Some, such as the partial removal of the Boboyan Pine Plantation and the regeneration of that area, were foreshadowed in the MP. Others, such as the removal of the tracking station buildings, were not.

Because of all the changes outlined above it is definitely time for a new MP to be developed.

Map 1 Comparison of 1986 and present boundaries of NamadgiNational Park. The 1986 boundaries are filled in; more recent additions shown in outline only.

2 Values of the Park

The Park has exceptional natural and cultural values. The natural values are considered below under the categories:

  • wilderness
  • landscape
  • flora and fauna
  • catchment protection and water supply
  • oxygen production and carbon dioxide store

Cultural values are considered under the main categories of:

  • indigenous
  • non-indigenous

2.1 Natural values

The natural values of the Park are in remarkably undisturbed condition, particularly those in the wilderness area, and in a second potential wilderness area to the east of the Boboyan Road.

  • Several sites are listed on the Australian Heritage Commission’s Register of the National Estate.
  • The range of habitats and the fact that some species are at the edge of their distribution make for unique diversity.
  • The wet sclerophyll and rainforest gullies are of particular interest for habitat diversity and species distribution.
  • The Park contains significant and undisturbed sub-alpine ecosystems.
  • The Park contains significant undisturbed high altitude wetlands and riparian systems, partly as a result of the dams on the CotterRiver preventing access by introduced fish species.
  • The Park has some of the best mammal habitat in the ACT.
  • Several species declared endangered in the ACT are resident in the Park.
  • This results in unique values for research, education and recreation.

2.1.1 Wilderness

Wilderness is a quality of large areas in an essentially natural state, with intact ecological processes and where human interference has been limited. Modern industrial society is so intensive and widely pervasive that any areas left with a wilderness quality have become increasingly valuable for that quality.

The wilderness value of the Upper Cotter, Naas Creek and western catchment of the Gudgenby was recognized in the 1986 MP. The wilderness area proposed then has since been gazetted. More recent wilderness assessments indicate that a much more extensive area should be considered as wilderness (see section 3.3.2 below). However, although the value of and need for wilderness is as much, or even more, accepted today, its definition recognises the prior occupation and maintenance by indigenous people and would not be expressed as it is in the 1986 MP.

Part of the Park east of the Boboyan Road also has a significant area with excellent wilderness qualities and should formally be declared as wilderness. (recommendation 16)

2.1.2 Landscape

Together with the TidbinbillaRange (national park section of Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve) the ranges of Namadgi, which include the ACT’s highest peaks, form a highly significant backdrop to Canberra, the “bush” capital. Its significance is increased by the presence of snow in winter, providing an unusual view within Australia, even more unusual among the nation’s capital cities.

The landscape views are also significant from many viewpoints within the Park and from the two public roads on which through-traffic traverses the Park. They include views of cleared valleys, rocky tors, slopes and cliffs.

2.1.3Flora and fauna

NamadgiNational Park, the jewel in the crown of the ACT park system, covers 45% of the Australian Capital Territory. Namadgi’s 106,000 hectares contain rugged mountains, rocky slopes, forests, woodlands and valleys that provide outstanding landscapes and a diverse flora and fauna. Portions of the Australian Alps within Namadgi constitute a significant and relatively undisturbed reserve for sub-alpine species of plants and animals.In addition to providing wildlife habitats for rare and endangered species, Namadgi affords opportunities for research, education and recreation based on natural values. These values have been recognized by the public, and by academics and are confirmed by the registration of many Namadgi sites on the register of the National Estate.

Threats to the natural values of Namadgi are often site specific and must be carefully taken into account when considering issues such as road, fire trail and track construction, campgrounds and other tourist facilities. Commercial development within the park is inconsistent with preservation of natural values and should be prohibited.(recommendation 34)Recognition, appreciation and protection of the natural values of NamadgiNational Park must constitute the core objective driving Namadgi’s Plan of Management. (recommendation 10)

Significant Sites

Dry open forests, rocky heaths and swamps are the characteristic environments of NamadgiNational Park but there are three major habitats of special significance in the Park. These occur particularly in the Northern Cotter Catchment which was not included within the original boundaries of the Park, nor are they dealt with in the 1986 Plan of Management. These three habitats are:

  • the wet sclerophyll forests;
  • wet forest gullies in wet sclerophyll forests, and
  • sub-alpine woodland that reaches its northern limit at Mt.Coree.

The Park also has significant wetlands. In 1996 the Ginini Flats Wetlands were designated as a Ramsar Site, that is as a significant site under the international Convention of Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran 1971).

The forests and wet gullies of Alpine Ash (Eucalyptus delegatensis) and Brown Barrel (E. fastigata) are particularly important habitats in terms of species diversity and species distribution that reach their westernmost limit in the Park. The northern-most extension of the Australian Alps, the peaks surrounding the UpperCotterValley, contains flora and fauna characterized by montane and sub-alpine components affiliated to the alpine environment of northern Victoria and the SnowyMountains. (Fraser, 1988 p. 28)

The high natural value of NamadgiNational Park is beyond dispute. It should be managed to standards and principles applying to places on the World Heritage List and in accordance with management guidelines of the Commission On National Parks of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. (recommendation 11) (Boden and Fraser 1991, p.69 and Appendix D)

In his major report on the natural and cultural features of NamadgiNational Park, Robert Boden (Boden and Fraser 1991) lists significant geological and geomorphological sites. Included are sites of interest, sites of significance and those on the register of Classified Sites by the National Trust of Australia and on the Australian Heritage Commission’s Register of the National Estate. (Boden and Fraser 1991, Table 1) Major investigations and surveys of ACT flora and vegetation up to 1988 are also listed and reviewed. (Ibid. p. 17-18)