Draft Plan of Management: Berowra Valley National Park and Berowra
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Draft Plan of Management Berowra Valley National Park and Berowra Valley Regional Park Berowra Valley National Park and Berowra Valley Regional Park Draft Plan of Management NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service March 2015 © 2015 State of NSW and the Office of Environment and Heritage With the exception of photographs, the State of NSW and the Office of Environment and Heritage are pleased to allow this material to be reproduced in whole or in part for educational and non-commercial use, provided the meaning is unchanged and its source, publisher and authorship are acknowledged. Specific permission is required for the reproduction of photographs. Office of Environment and Heritage has compiled this draft plan of management in good faith, exercising all due care and attention. No representation is made about the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the information in this publication for any particular purpose. OEH shall not be liable for any damage which may occur to any person or organisation taking action or not on the basis of this publication. This publication is for discussion and comment only. Publication indicates the proposals are under consideration and are open for public discussion. Provisions in the final management plan may not be the same as those in this draft plan. Acknowledgements This plan of management was prepared by staff of the Metropolitan North East Region of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), part of the Office of Environment and Heritage. NPWS acknowledges that Berowra Valley National Park and Berowra Valley Regional Park are in the traditional Country of the Guringai and Dharug people. For additional information or any inquiries about Berowra Valley National Park and Berowra Valley Regional Park or this plan of management, contact NPWS at the Valleys Area Office, Lady Game Drive, Chatswood West 2067 or by telephone on (02) 8448 0400. Front cover image: View from Barnetts Lookout (Photo: OEH/L. O’Flynn) Published by: Office of Environment and Heritage 59–61 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000 PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232 Phone: (02) 9995 5000 (switchboard) Phone: 131 555 (environment information and publications requests) Phone: 1300 361 967 (national parks, climate change and energy efficiency information and publications requests) Fax: (02) 9995 5999 TTY: (02) 9211 4723 Email: [email protected] Website: www.environment.nsw.gov.au Report pollution and environmental incidents Environment Line: 131 555 (NSW only) or [email protected] See also www.environment.nsw.gov.au/pollution ISBN 978 1 74359 107 9 OEH 2015/0122 March 2015 Printed on recycled paper ii Invitation to Comment The National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW Act) requires that a plan of management be prepared that outlines how an area will be managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The procedures for the exhibition and adoption of plans of management are specified under Part 5 of the NPW Act and involve the following stages: Public exhibition of draft plan for at least 90 days Each region has a Regional Advisory Committee Plan and submissions to the whose role is to provide advice about park Regional Advisory management and community perspectives Committee for consideration Plan, submissions and Regional Advisory The Advisory Council Committee’s advice to the National Parks and advises the Minister Wildlife Advisory Council for consideration administering the NPW Act. Its membership is drawn from science, education, conservation, recreation and other interest groups The Advisory Council’s recommendations referred back to Regional Advisory Committee, which has 30 days to provide additional comments if desired After considering the plan, submissions, the recommendations of the Advisory Council and advice from the Regional Advisory Committee, the Minister may adopt the plan This draft plan is now being placed on public exhibition for comment. Members of the public, whether as individuals or as members of community interest groups, are invited to comment in writing on this plan of management. Submissions can be made by either: i) writing to: The Planner, NPWS, PO Box 3031 Asquith NSW 2077 ii) submitting comments online at https://engage.environment.nsw.gov.au iii) emailing your submission to [email protected]. The closing date for submissions is Monday 6 July 2015. To make consideration of your submission as effective as possible, it would help us if you: • identify the section heading and number to which your comment relates • briefly explain the reason for your comment and, if appropriate, suggest other ways to address the issue. All submissions received by NPWS are a matter of public record and are available for inspection upon request. Your comments on this draft plan may contain information that is defined as 'personal information' under the NSW Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998. The submission of personal information with your comments is voluntary. iii iv Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Location, Gazettal and Regional Setting...................................................................... 1 1.2 Statement of Significance ............................................................................................ 2 2. MANAGEMENT CONTEXT ................................................................................................ 4 2.1 Legislative and Policy Framework ............................................................................... 4 2.2 Management Purposes and Principles ........................................................................ 4 2.3 Specific Management Directions ................................................................................. 5 3. VALUES ............................................................................................................................. 6 3.1 Geology, Landscape and Hydrology ............................................................................ 6 3.2 Native Plants ............................................................................................................... 8 3.3 Native Animals .......................................................................................................... 10 3.4 Aboriginal Heritage and Culture ................................................................................ 13 3.5 Historic Heritage ........................................................................................................ 14 3.6 Visitor Use ................................................................................................................. 16 3.7 Interpretation, Education and Community Involvement .............................................. 28 4. THREATS ......................................................................................................................... 31 4.1 Pests ......................................................................................................................... 31 4.2 Fire ............................................................................................................................ 34 4.3 Climate Change ........................................................................................................ 36 4.4 Boundary Management ............................................................................................. 37 5. MANAGEMENT OPERATIONS AND OTHER USES ........................................................ 40 5.1 Park Management Facilities and Operations and Other Uses ................................... 40 6. IMPLEMENTATION .......................................................................................................... 42 REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING .............................................................................. 48 APPENDIX 1 ............................................................................................................................ 52 APPENDIX 2 ............................................................................................................................ 54 APPENDIX 3 ............................................................................................................................ 57 v vi Map: Berowra Valley National Park and Berowra Valley Regional Park vii viii 1. Introduction 1.1 Location, reservation and regional setting Features Description Berowra Valley National Park and Berowra Valley Regional Park Location Berowra Valley National Park and Berowra Valley Regional Park (referred to as the ‘planning area’ in this plan) are located approximately 20 kilometres to the north-west of Sydney in New South Wales, Australia. The two parks in this plan have been grouped under the one plan due to their close biogeographical association. Berowra Valley National Park forms the predominant portion of the planning area (see Map). Area Berowra Valley National Park covers 3876 hectares of natural bushland within the Berowra Creek Catchment. The national park also includes the bed of Berowra Creek upstream of where the park is located on both sides of the Creek. Berowra Valley Regional Park covers 9 hectares and includes three management trails where on-leash dog walking is permitted. Reservation Berowra Valley National Park was reserved on 10 September 2012. Berowra date Valley Regional Park was reserved on 27 March 1998. Previous Part of the