Issues in Australian Protected Area Management

Graeme L. Worboys and Michael Lockwood

Background THE NATIONAL RESERVE SYSTEM OF AUSTRALIA is one of the great land- and sea-use successes of this country. It is an inspiring story of dedicated and visionary individuals, community leaders, conservation organizations, bureaucrats, and outstanding politicians who, from the reservation of Australia’s first national park, the Royal National Park near Sydney 128 years ago, have helped establish more than 7,700 protected areas up to 2007. As a concept, protected areas have stood the test of time despite diverse and pervasive human pressures from surrounding lands and seas. Australia has invested in the active care and management of these lands to achieve this outcome. The Royal, for example, originally established in bushland adjacent to early Sydney settlements, is now surrounded by suburbs. Thanks to sustained management, its coastal scenery, heathlands, rainforests, beaches, headlands, and native animals continue to provide enjoyment and inspiration, regional economic benefits, and protection of these natural systems for their own sake. In the 1960s, grand parks such as Lam- play catch-up in dealing with a formidable ington, Wilson’s Promontory, Kosciuszko, array of threats, such as weeds, pest ani- Cradle Mountain, Belair, Katherine Gorge mals, inappropriate fire regimes, pollution, (now Nitmiluk), and Rottnest Island were and illegal hunting, fishing, and taking of prominent, but there were relatively few water and timber. This protection work and others. Most of Australia’s protected areas clean-up still continues in 2007, and many were established after the 1970s. Driven by areas will require major investments for the community-based pro-conservation cam- long term. A lack of resources, inadequate paigns, and in some cases guided by land- knowledge and suboptimal systems are also use planning processes such as those adopt- hampering the achievement of effective ed by Land Conservation Council in the management outcomes. Working with com- state of Victoria, many protected areas have munities and building capacity through been established Australia-wide. From their partnerships, participatory planning, and beginnings as an obscure land and sea use, sharing successes, such as species con- protected areas of various kinds have risen served and tourism destinations opened, to become a major feature on the Australian has been a wise investment. The system as a landscape. whole, as well as the professionalism and Protected area management is thus in diligence of park staff, are generally valued the direct eye of the community. By the and respected by the community.For exam- 1980s, every state and territory had estab- ple, a survey of Tasmanians showed that lished a professional protected management 70% agree that Tasmania has about the organization, but park staff often needed to right amount of reserve area, while 27% Volume 24 • Number 3 (2007) 33 think that more areas need to be protected; Achieving an effective reserve system 45% place “very high,” and 33% “fairly Australia’s national reserve system is high,” value on Tasmania’s protected areas; unfinished, and there are two imperatives to 80% were satisfied with the performance of complete this action. The first is an obliga- Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service; and tion to Australia’s current and future gener- 98% think that having the parks and wildlife ations that there are sufficient Royal Na- system in Tasmania is a valuable part of the tional Park equivalents extant for the long Tasmanian community (Roy Morgan Re- term to help maintain a sample of natural search 2005). Australia. A benefit of such action is the bio- The community has also expressed diversity and other heritage that is con- concern about the environment. A targeted served, as well as the ecosystem services 2007 Galaxy Research poll revealed that that are sustained. However, the rate of 95% of voters were concerned about cli- habitat change is very great in many loca- mate change impacts on wildlife and natural tions, and this action is urgent. The second areas (WWF Australia 2007). Commis- imperative is to be a responsible party to an sioned by the national affiliate of the World international effort by the secretariat of the Wide Fund for Nature for some marginal Convention on Biological Diversity for each electorates in Australia, the survey also nation to achieve a comprehensive and rep- identified that voters were willing to invest resentative terrestrial reserve system by higher-than-recommended funds in new 2010. For marine environments, a similar protected areas to protect wildlife and natu- international target has been established for ral areas (WWF Australia 2007). This con- 2012. clusion is reinforced by a 2006 community An effective national reserve system survey which found that 88% of Australians must embrace not only those reserves man- believe that if we don’t act now we will aged by government protected area organi- never control our environmental problems zations: indigenous, private, and areas man- (Roy Morgan Research 2006). In a global aged by nongovernmental organizations are context of significant climate change effects increasingly important. Securing and sup- by 2100, a projected 9.3 billion people on porting such areas and their different gover- Earth by 2050, and post-peak oil impacts nance modes are vital. The percentage of by 2020, these concerns are very real. area reserved for each bioregion across all Protected area managers need to be governance types is one method for deter- responsive to community issues and con- mining the adequacy of the national reserve cerns. They need to build on the good work system. Other crucial factors are achieving of those who have helped establish protect- an adequate balance between IUCN cate- ed areas and the professional way in which gories I–IV and categories V–VI, the strate- they are managed. We have identified three gic nature of some lands and seas (such as key issues as being of particular significance refugia and connectivity areas), and the bio- as we move forward into the 21st century: diversity conservation quality of reserved (1) establishing an effective reserve system, terrestrial and marine environments. (2) sustaining community support, and (3) Reinforcing the current system is targeting the effective management of pro- another element of an effective national re- tected areas. serve system. Many existing protected areas 34 The George Wright Forum

are surrounded by lands and seas that will with other issues, protected areas need to never be part of the reserve system. A land be seen to be part of the solution, not part of management ethic guided by stewardship a perceived problem. Some examples illus- must be fostered by governments and the trate the point. community. There is no longer any need or • For southern and eastern Australia, justification for the historic and perverse including Tasmania, fires are forecast incentives that helped destroy or modify to be more frequent and more intense. much of Australia’s native habitats, particu- Working with communities to help larly when these are increasingly valuable as mitigate the risks is imperative. This water catchments and are vital to help includes dealing with planning and buffer the forecasted impacts of climate zoning issues, such as amenity migra- change. Strategic investments such as the tion to bushland environments adja- Alps to Atherton (A2A) connectivity con- cent to reserves. servation initiative are providing leadership • With increased drying, water supply for such work. Such initiatives are address- catchments become even more valu- ing the “adequacy” part of a comprehen- able, and the special efforts being taken sive, adequate, and representative national to maintain the natural integrity of reserve system. They require protected area catchments by protected area organiza- managers to think and act at landscape and tions need to be known and widely seascape scales. They demand that protect- supported. ed area managers work in partnership with • With tourism destinations such as the local and regional communities. They are Great Barrier Reef and Snowy part of a new future for protected areas. Mountains affected by climate change, Sustaining community support for pro- alternative arrangements will need to tected areas be considered and introduced to assist the industry. Maintaining community support for the long term is critical to the future of pro- Such initiatives will mean new partner- tected areas. Building broader support, ships. Unexpected issues will also need to including from “non-traditional” con- be dealt with, such as sudden changes in stituencies in both rural and urban commu- pest animal populations and increases in nities, is essential for “mainstreaming” pro- extreme weather events. Building an tected areas and securing a higher level of enhanced adaptive planning and manage- political commitment. Key to this is a wider ment capacity, in partnership with govern- promulgation of the diverse economic, ments, communities, and civil society insti- social, and environmental benefits that pro- tutions, is critical to ensure an effective tected areas supply. The historical formula response to such contingencies. of being relevant, supportive, and responsive to community concerns is also impor- Targeting effective management tant. New challenges and opportunities of protected areas continue to emerge. Climate change is of Lack of funding for protected area course currently at the top of the agenda, management is the single greatest factor and is likely to remain so. In this arena, as impacting effective Australian protected Volume 24 • Number 3 (2007) 35 area management in the 21st century. At an the purchase of local goods and services. average investment of AUD$7.69 per Economic activity generated by protected hectare of protected area, Australia is areas can be a new source of long-term spending only about 50% of the estimated prosperity for areas affected by the declin- AUD$14.20 per hectare that has been iden- ing profitability of agriculture. tified as the necessary investment for a A Master’s degree in Protected Area country ranking highly in the United Na- Administration (MPAA) is needed by pro- tions Human Development Index (James et tected area professionals in senior manage- al. 1999; Worboys 2007). Adequate resour- rial and executive positions. We envisage a cing would positively transform pest ani- time when such a qualification will have a mal, fire management, and weed control similar stature to a Master’s of Business Ad- programs, and could secure improved ministration. Its curriculum would be driv- resilience against threats to water supply en by the need for capable professionals catchments in the face of climate change. It who can respond to the complexity, size, would also underpin investment in tourism and sophistication of running the business through upgraded maintenance of vehicle of protected area management. This is big access, walking tracks, waste removal, and business, and we are long past the stage other visitor services. This would come at a where base-level bachelor degrees are ade- time when Australian domestic tourism will quate. Protected area executives and senior become more important thanks to very high managers must have content knowledge and post-peak oil aviation fuel prices. experience—as well as the leadership, gov- While enhanced government invest- ernance, business, and political skills—to be ment will be crucial—indeed, every effort effective in what is a highly contested and must be made to ensure that governments competitive environment. Specialist train- place sufficient priority in meeting their ing is an obvious path to this end. public-good obligations related to protect- Knowledge is critical for protected area ed areas—sustainable financing of an effec- management. Science, both natural and tive national reserve systems will also social, provides an essential base for deci- require more concerted efforts to broaden sion-making. More than ever, knowledge- the funding base. Protected area managers based decisions in support of new govern- need to get better at recovering the costs of ment initiatives, resourcing protected areas, service provision to particular user groups and forecasting risks are needed. With cli- such as tourists, as well as more effectively mate change, an understanding of the varia- accessing private-sector and philanthropic tion in values from a known baseline is crit- willingness to pay to secure nature conser- ical information, as is the nature of threats. vation outcomes. New science–management partnerships Improved funding will help investment with research organizations will be needed in the critical research needed to support to generate the new knowledge to manage adaptive management, and therefore effec- protected areas in the 21st century. tively managed parks. Additional finances State of the parks reporting is emergent for parks would increase investments made in Australia. This is a significant step, in regional (local) communities and boost reflecting both the theoretical underpinning local economies through employment and of protected area management (such as the 36 The George Wright Forum IUCN Management Effectiveness Evalua- tems, new partnerships with research tion Framework) and a degree of sophistica- organizations, and new staff competencies tion in planning, organizing, and reporting to design and implement adaptive manage- on management achievements by organiza- ment regimes. Reporting must become a tions. More of this work is needed, and a springboard for learning and improved goal to create a state of the parks report for management effectiveness. Systems that Australia is a minimum position. Achieving inspire a national state of the parks capacity such a report provides a transparent state- will also facilitate cooperative management ment about the condition and threats to our initiatives, such as A2A and the Australian parks nationally, and provides a service to Alps Memorandum of Understanding. the community, for such information will also track what is happening to our country Conclusion from threats such as climate change. Australian protected area management Importantly, such reports are supporting in this century needs to focus on achieving evidence-based arguments to government an effective national reserve system. treasury departments for increased funding. Managers need to work with the communi- An Australian state of the parks reporting ty by participating in a range of partnership system will demand collaboration between and governance initiatives designed to organizations to establish data collection deepen and broaden the support base and frameworks and protocols, determine on- management capability for protected areas. going monitoring regimes, and pursue new A range of measures are needed to secure research into the core evaluation subjects effective management, including establish- required for protected areas assessments ing sufficient and sustainable finance, (Worboys 2007). Effective state of the parks enhancing training for senior managers and reporting capacity will also require policy-makers, and implementing new lev- improved information management sys- els of national accountability and learning. References James, A.N., K.J. Gaston, and A. Balmford. 1999. Balancing the Earth’s accounts. Nature 40, 323–324. Roy Morgan Research. 2005. Use, Knowledge and Value of Tasmanian National Parks by the Tasmanian Community. Hobart: Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service. ———. 2006. Global Survey: Vast Majorities Agree We Must Act Now on Environmental Problems. Poll conducted for the 2006 Future Summit. Sydney: The Australian. Worboys, G.L. 2007. Evaluation subjects and methods required for managing protected areas. Ph.D. Thesis, School of Environment, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Gold Coast, Queensland. WWF [World Wide Fund for Nature] Australia. 2007. Voter Opinions on Climate Change and Nature Protection. Sydney: Galaxy Research. Graeme L. Worboys, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, 3 Rischbieth Crescent, Gilmore, ACT 2905, Australia; [email protected] Michael Lockwood, School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, P.B. 78, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia; [email protected] Volume 24 • Number 3 (2007) 37