CONSERVATION POLICY ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING Key outcome Sound policies, procedures, standards and guidelines, together with consistent resource assessment, planning and monitoring processes, provide the basis for the conservation of nature, Aboriginal heritage and historic heritage in New South Wales. 1 15 CONSERVATION POLICY, ASSESSMENT & PLANNING SIGNIFICANT ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE YEAR • 119 new parks and reserves created • a 10 percent (479,000-hectare) increase in the total area of parks and reserves managed by the NPWS • creation of Lord Howe Island Marine Park, the third marine park in NSW • 15 plans of management adopted for 22 parks and reserves; 18 further plans put on public exhibition • the largest increase in declared wilderness in NSW in any one year — 520,264 hectares • 130,000 new records added to the Atlas of New South Wales Wildlife, bringing the total to 883,000 FOREST ISSUES 25,000 cubic metres of quota quality logs for the next five years, 24,000 cubic metres for Under the National Forest Policy Statement, the following 15 years, the development of a an agreed framework was established between new recovery mill, and a net job increase in the Commonwealth and State governments the timber industry. for the completion of comprehensive regional assessments (CRAs) and the development of a comprehensive, adequate and representative forest reserve system. The CRAs will be even- tually followed by regional forest agreements between the Commonwealth and NSW gov- ernments for each of four forest regions of New South Wales. This policy has been dri- ven by the commitment to the dual objectives of building a world-class reserve system and developing an efficient, value-added, ecologi- cally sustainable timber industry. The Department of Urban Affairs and Planning is the coordinating body for CRAs in NSW, while the National Parks and Wildlife Service has a major responsibility for FORESTS OF NSW STATE the biodiversity, old growth, wilderness, Protected … most of Coolangubra forest was endangered species and cultural heritage CRA transferred to NPWS management as part of the themes. To date the CRA process has resulted Eden CRA process. in more than three years of detailed scientific In Eden, the additions to the reserve system analysis and stakeholder and community con- flowing from the CRA process include all of sultation. As part of the process, the NPWS is the Tantawangalo forests, most of managing some forty projects worth over $8 Coolangubra, an additional 7750 hectares to million. the Brogo Wilderness and the new 15,950- The Eden CRA was the first completed in hectare Yowrie Wilderness. Following the pre- NSW and decisions based on the outcomes of vious addition of 72,000 hectares of new this process were announced by the NSW national parks and nature reserves in the Government in October 1998. These includ- Eden region since the current government ed the addition of 35,000 hectares of forest to came to office in 1995, the total area of parks the parks and reserve system and guaranteed and reserves in the region now totals 234,000 annual wood supply to the timber industry of hectares. 16 In the north-east region of the State (stretch- Sustainable Forest Management Working ing from the Queensland border to the edge of Group established for the CRA process. the Sydney basin), the key conservation out- The Service has been responsible for the come of the CRA process announced in management of the projects to develop cri- November 1998, was the addition of some teria and indicators for ecologically sustain- 387,000 hectares to the reserve system. This is able forest management and for reviewing on top of the 215,000 hectares previously the protective measures and practices declared in the region since 1995. More than applied in forests; 25,000 hectares of vacant Crown land was • development of preliminary assessment subsequently added to the reserve system in reports and providing advice on issues relat- March. ing to compartments proposed for logging In March a series of NSW forest agreements through the Regulatory and Public flowing from the Eden and north-east CRA Information Committee established under processes were signed. These agreements iden- the Timber Industry (Interim Protection) tified ongoing conservation planning processes Act 1992; • participating in Harvesting Advisory Board with potential to expand the forest conserva- meetings and providing input into the tion reserve network. development of harvesting codes; As a result, approximately 76,000 hectares of • continuing to work with State Forests on a high-conservation-value forests are to be con- koala management plan for Pine Creek sidered for inclusion in the reserve network State Forest; and after assessment of the impact on mineral • developing koala prescriptions for north interests and wood volumes (to be completed coast and south coast forests in conjunction by June 2000). As well, 50,538 hectares of with State Forests of NSW and conserva- vacant Crown lands are to be considered for tion groups. possible inclusion in the reserve system unless they are unsuitable for declaration (to be com- PARK AND RESERVE DEDICATION pleted by January 2003) or there are continu- ing major constraints. Major advances in park and reserve establish- ment were achieved in 1998–99. In all, 119 Conservation protocols new parks and reserves were created during the year, and over 479,000 additional hectares Throughout 1998–99, the NPWS played a incorporated into the NSW reserve system. central role in the implementation and con- Since March 1995, 171 new parks and tinued refinement of the protocols used for reserves have been established, with more managing conservation values within timber- than 1,004,000 hectares of new areas formally production areas. These protocols are an inte- gral part of the government’s forestry reforms protected. Many of the new areas resulted and reflect the increased importance being from negotiations concerning the eastern given to conserving biodiversity within state NSW forests, as part of the development of a forests. comprehensive forest reserve network. In addition to forest reserves in the south-east The management strategies adopted by the and north-east, several other important new protocols represent a shift towards protection reserves included: of landscape elements. Protection of landscape elements conserves habitat and biodiversity Giralang Nature Reserve and Mullion Range for the fullest range of fauna possible while at State Recreation Area (1658 hectares). These the same time balancing other forest manage- reserves are 10 kilometres north east of ment demands. Throughout the year the Orange and include white box, yellow box NPWS worked closely with State Forests to and red gum woodlands, with river oak com- refine and structure the conservation proto- munities along the watercourses. Together cols so that they could form the basis of man- with other Crown reserves, they form a signifi- agement under the regional forest agreements. cant habitat corridor and protect prominent landscape features. The NPWS has participated in other issues during the past year, such as: Jagun Nature Reserve (100 hectares). Located immediately north of Valla Beach on the • representation on the Ecologically north coast, the reserve protects littoral 17 CONSERVATION POLICY, ASSESSMENT & PLANNING rainforest, tall moist eucalypt forest and banksia forest on the foredune. It is an area of high habitat diversity and includes habitats associated with the picturesque Oyster Creek. Towarri National Park (2505 hectares). The reserve is part of the spectacular Liverpool Range, south-west of Murrurundi. Habitats range from high-altitude tussock grassland to subtropical rainforest at the western margin of its range. There were also major additions to existing reserves, including: Culgoa National Park (6691 hectares added). Floodplain vegetation, including Coolibah woodland, and relic sand dunes. The addition samples two quite distinct bioregions. JOEL WINTER/NPWS Now there are three … in February the waters around Lord Howe Island became NSW’s newest marine park. They contain the world’s southern-most barrier coral reef. Marine parks One new marine park was created during the year. The Lord Howe Island Marine Park (48,000 hectares) was declared on 26 February. There are now three marine parks — the other two being Solitary Islands (71,100 hectares) and Jervis Bay (21,450 hectares) — conserving a total of 140,550 hectares of sensitive marine environment. JOEL WINTER/NPWS Created under the Marine Parks Act 1997, these parks are managed by the Marine Parks Additions to parks and reserves during the year included another 581 hectares to Warrumbungle National Park, providing increased protection for the habitat of Authority with significant support, resources the threatened brush-tailed rock wallaby. and expertise contributed by the NPWS and NSW Fisheries. Severn River Nature Reserve (2343 hectares The Lord Howe Island Marine Park includes added) contains plateau woodland protecting all ocean waters contained between mean the catchment of the Severn River. high water mark and out to three nautical miles around Lord Howe Island, the Warrumbungle National Park (581 hectares Admiralty Islands and Balls Pyramid (approxi- added). The addition of lands associated with mately 23 kilometres south east of Lord Howe Mt Uringerie protects the largest area of habi- Island). The park includes the world’s south- tat for the brush-tailed rock wallaby in the ern-most barrier coral reef and is notable for area and includes white box woodlands, one its great species diversity and endemism. of the most threatened vegetation communi- There are over 300 species of algae (11 per- ties in the State. cent are endemic), over 1500 species of mol- Yengo National Park (6,000 hectares added) luscs (several are endemic) and 433 species of now contains the near-pristine catchment for fish (six percent are endemic). The signifi- Mogo Creek and the large wetland of St cance of Lord Howe Island and its surround- Albans Common.