Joadja and WollondillyBroadwater River NatureNational Reserves Park DraftDraft Plan ofof ManagementManagement JOADJA AND WOLLONDILLY RIVER NATURE RESERVES DRAFT PLAN OF MANAGEMENT NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service Part of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water November 2010 Acknowledgements The NPWS acknowledges that these reserves are in the traditional country of the Dharawal and Gundungurra people. This plan of management was prepared by staff of the Metropolitan South West Region of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), part of the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water. For additional information or any inquiries about these reserves or this plan of management, contact the NPWS Nattai Area Office, 99 Menangle St, PICTON or by telephone on 4677 0859. Disclaimer: This publication is for discussion and comment only. Publication indicates the proposals are under consideration and are open for public discussion. Any statements made in this draft publication are made in good faith and do not render the NPWS liable for any loss or damage. Provisions in the final management plan may not be the same as those in this draft plan. © Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW, 2010: Use permitted with appropriate acknowledgment. ISBN 978 1 74293 003 9 DECCW 2010/938 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: • The draft plan is placed on public exhibition for at least 90 days and any person may comment on it; • The plan and submissions received on the plan are referred to the Regional Advisory Committee for consideration; • The plan, submissions and any advice from the Regional Advisory Committee are referred to the National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council for consideration; • The plan, submissions and the recommendations of the Advisory Council are referred to the Minister administering the NPW Act, and a copy referred to the Regional Advisory Committee; • After considering the submissions, the recommendations of the Advisory Council and any advice from the Regional Advisory Committee, the Minister may adopt the plan or may refer the plan back to the NPWS and Council for further consideration. 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. Comments should be forwarded to: The Area Manager, Nattai Area NPWS PO Box 99 PICTON 2571 Comments may also be sent via email. Refer to www.environment.nsw.gov.au and then “Find document for comment”, then go to “conservation plans”.) The closing date for comments on the plan is Monday 21st March 2011 All submissions received by NPWS are a matter of public record and are available for public inspection upon request to NPWS. Your comments on this draft plan of management 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. 1 1. LOCATION, GAZETTAL AND REGIONAL CONTEXT Joadja and Wollondilly River Nature Reserves (the planning area) are located on the Southern Highlands of New South Wales approximately 30 kilometres north west of Mittagong, via the Wombeyan Caves Road (see Map 1). Joadja Nature Reserve is 830 hectares in size and was reserved on 1st January 2001. Wollondilly River Nature Reserve is made up of two sections (the eastern and western sections) with a combined area of 971 hectares. Wollondilly River Nature Reserve was reserved on 28th June 2002, with an addition reserved on 13th August 2010. Joadja Nature Reserve and the eastern section of Wollondilly River Nature Reserve were reserved under the Southern Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) agreement. The planning area lies to the south west of Nattai National Park and north of Bangadilly National Park (see Map 1). Sections of vacant crown land surround and connect the planning area. Investigations have been made towards acquiring further vacant crown land on the southern side of the Wollondilly River. The planning area is located in the Wingecarribee Shire local government area and sections of the planning area fall within the Schedule 2 boundary of Warragamba Special Area. The planning area is located within the area of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Catchment Management Authority and the Pejar and Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Councils. 2 2. MANAGEMENT CONTEXT 2.1 LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY FRAMEWORK The management of nature reserves in NSW is in the context of the legislative and policy framework, primarily the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW Act), the National Parks and Wildlife Regulation, the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act), Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and the policies of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). Other legislation, international agreements and charters may also apply to management of the area. In particular, the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EPA Act) may require the assessment and mitigation of the environmental impacts of works proposed in this plan. A plan of management is a statutory document under the NPW Act. Once the Minister has adopted a plan, no operations may be undertaken within Joadja and Wollondilly River Nature Reserves except in accordance with this plan. This plan will also apply to any future additions to these reserves. Should management strategies or works be proposed for these reserves or for any additions that are not consistent with this plan, an amendment to this plan or a new plan will be prepared and exhibited for public comment. Part of Joadja Nature Reserve and all of Wollondilly River Nature Reserve are Schedule 2 lands within the Warragamba Special Area (see Map 1). Under the Sydney Water Catchment Management Act 1998, the purpose of special areas is to protect the quality of stored waters for drinking purposes and to maintain the ecological integrity of their catchments. Warragamba Special Area has an important function of providing relatively unpolluted water to Lake Burragorang, the main source of drinking water for Sydney. Human activity is restricted within the Special Area. A Special Areas Strategic Plan of Management (SASPoM) (SCA 2007) has been prepared by NPWS and the Sydney Catchment Authority (SCA) and a joint management agreement has been signed between NPWS and SCA for the management of the Warragamba Special Area. The SASPoM and this agreement set out the responsibilities of NPWS and SCA in the management of the Warragamba Special Area. 2.2 MANAGEMENT PURPOSES AND PRINCIPLES Nature reserves are reserved under the NPW Act to protect and conserve areas containing outstanding, unique or representative ecosystems, species, communities or natural phenomena. Under the Act (section 30J), nature reserves are managed to: • conserve biodiversity, maintain ecosystem functions, and protect geological and geomorphological features and natural phenomena; • conserve places, objects, features and landscapes of cultural value; • promote public appreciation, enjoyment and understanding of the reserve’s natural and cultural values; and • provide for appropriate research and monitoring. 3 Nature reserves differ from national parks in that they do not have the provision of recreation as a management principle. 2.3 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The planning area is of regional significance for its plant and animal communities. It contains species of plants and animals associated with both the Sydney Basin Bioregion and the South Eastern Highlands Bioregion. The planning area protects the catchments of the Wollondilly and Wingecarribee rivers. These rivers flow into Lake Burragorang, which is the major drinking water supply for the city of Sydney. 2.4 SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT DIRECTIONS Management of the planning area will focus on protection of its significant biological and catchment values. Major strategies to achieve these objectives will be: • control and monitoring of introduced animals, particularly feral goats and pigs; • rehabilitation of degraded areas, including the treatment and monitoring of serrated tussock and other agricultural weeds; • control of erosion and point sources of pollution; and • use of the planning area only for low impact activities, such as walking. 4 3. VALUES The location, landforms and plant and animal communities of an area have determined how it has been used and valued. Both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people place values on natural areas, including aesthetic, social, spiritual and recreational values. These values may be attached to the landscape as a whole or to individual components, for example to plant and animal species used by Aboriginal people. This plan of management aims to conserve both natural and cultural values. For reasons of clarity and document usefulness, various aspects of natural heritage, cultural heritage, threats and on-going use are dealt with individually, but their inter-relationships are recognised. 3.1 GEOLOGY, LANDSCAPE AND HYDROLOGY The planning area lies within the catchment of the Wollondilly and Wingecarribee Rivers, which is part of the catchment for Warragamba Dam. Drainage from Joadja Nature Reserve flows into the Wingecarribee River. The eastern section of Wollondilly River Nature Reserve is located at the junction of the Wingecarribee and Wollondilly Rivers and the western section of Wollondilly River Nature Reserve is located on the foreshore of the Wollondilly River. The topography of the planning area consists of areas of plateau and ridges that drop steeply into deep, narrow valleys. There are cliff lines, scree slopes and rocky outcrops around the upper parts of the valleys. Elevation is between 550 metres and 790 metres above sea level (Mills & Associates 2002a and DEC 2004). Many slopes within the planning area are steep, with inclines of over 50 degrees.