Shannon and D'entrecasteaux National Parks: Management Plan
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Shannon and D’Entrecasteaux National Parks Management Plan No. 71 2012 R N V E M E O N G T E O H F T W A E I S L T A E R R N A U S T SHANNON AND D’ENTRECASTEAUX NATIONAL PARKS Management Plan 2012 Department of Environment and Conservation Conservation Commission of Western Australia VISION By the year 2022, the natural and cultural values of the parks are in the same or better condition than in the year 2012 and there will be a greater understanding of the threats and impacts on these values. The parks will continue to support a wide range of nature-based recreational activities that are compatible with the conservation values whilst preserving the remote nature and wilderness values of the parks. The local community as well as the wider community will highly value the parks and will want to be involved in their protection and conservation. The Indigenous cultural heritage of the parks will be kept alive and promoted by active and ongoing involvement of the traditional owners who will have been able to reconnect with and care for their country. i PREFACE All national parks, conservation parks and nature reserves in Western Australia are vested in the Conservation Commission of Western Australia. The Department of Environment and Conservation, in accordance with the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984, carries out the management of these reserves and prepares management plans on behalf of the Conservation Commission. The Conservation Commission issues draft management plans for public comment and provides final management plans for approval by the Minister for Environment. The Conservation and Land Management Act specifies that management plans must contain: a statement of the policies or guidelines proposed to be followed; and a summary of operations proposed to be undertaken. This final management plan is for the Shannon and D’Entrecasteaux national parks, the proposed additions to the parks and the section 5(1)(g) reserve adjacent to Lake Jasper as well as two small section 5(1)(g) and 5(1)(h) reserves enclaved within D’Entrecasteaux National Park. The plan replaces the Shannon Park and D’Entrecasteaux National Park Management Plan 1987-1997 (CALM 1987). In accordance with section 55 of the Conservation and Land Management Act, the term of the final management plan will be 10 years, or until the plan is superseded by a new management plan. Changes since the Previous Management Plan The parks have been managed according to the Shannon Park and D’Entrecasteaux National Park Management Plan 1987-1997. Since 1987, many of the tenure proposals in the previous plan have been implemented, including the gazettal of Shannon National Park in 1988. Due to further tenure proposals and changes since the previous management plan, the Shannon and D’Entrecasteaux national parks required a new management plan. Changes since the previous management plan include changes in legislation and policy, new research and knowledge, increased demand for and use of the parks and a shift in societal values, which are summarised below and reflected throughout this management plan. Changes in Government Legislation and Policy The Conservation Commission was formed in 2000 to replace the National Parks and Nature Conservation Authority as the controlling body for the terrestrial conservation reserve system in Western Australia. Changes to the Conservation and Land Management Act have given the Conservation Commission responsibility for submitting management plans to the Minister and developing guidelines for monitoring and assessing the implementation of the management plans. Consequently management plans are now outcome-based in terms of performance assessment, and include Key Performance Indicators that will be assessed by the Conservation Commission. A bioregional approach to conserving Australia’s biodiversity has been developed. In the south-west ‘forest ecosystems’ have been defined to further the establishment of a comprehensive, adequate and representative reserve system for the State. The Department has developed the Identification And Management Of Wilderness And Surrounding Areas policy. There is an opportunity to gazette wilderness within the parks and this management plan identifies proposed wilderness areas to be gazetted and managed according to the policy. New legislation such as the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Such changes provide stronger protection for species and communities within the State. The development of an Environmental Weed Strategy for Western Australia, which rates weeds according to specific criteria to aid in determining priority for control. The development of the updated Policy Statement No. 19 Fire Management which includes 12 scientific principles which places a greater emphasis on burning for biodiversity and fire ecology. The development of the Conservation and Land Management Regulations 2002 and a revised Policy Statement No. 18 Recreation, Tourism and Visitor Services and associated guidelines which reflect the new regulations, incorporates a wider range of recreational activities and clarifies issues with pre-existing uses that may not be necessarily permitted in national parks but have arisen from the creation of new national parks from state forests where these activities were formerly permitted. The policy on commercial beekeeping in national parks is being reviewed and this management plan takes the reviewed policy into consideration. ii New Research and Knowledge Recognition of the potential impacts of climate change (and decreasing rainfall). Impacts associated with management of the broader catchment have been recognised, in particular adjacent land use impacts on hydrology and water quality within the parks. The wetland areas of the parks have been identified as potential acid sulphate soil areas. Further surveying and research has been carried out with regards to flora, fauna and communities within the parks. In particular threatened ecological communities have been identified which require specific management to address threats such as feral pigs. A series of wetland surveys along the south coast have assessed the values of the wetlands within the parks and many have been identified as being of national importance. More knowledge has been gained with regard to diseases and their effects on species within the parks. Fire management has undergone a major change recently. There is now a strong emphasis given to using fire to manage for biodiversity at a landscape scale. Further surveying has aided in assessing the threat status of the State’s plants and animals. Landscapes in the State have been identified and described as Landscape Character Types. The parks have been further assessed in terms of scenic quality. Archaeological surveys in the parks, in particular in the Lake Jasper area, have dramatically improved knowledge of cultural values. Research into the impacts of horse-riding in the parks has been carried out. Increased Demand for and Use of the Parks Pressure on the parks has increased in terms of recreational use and demand as well as mining, commercial use and infrastructure to service Windy Harbour and private property enclaves. There is a marked increase in four-wheel drive use of the parks. Many of the tracks within the parks require consolidating or seasonal closure and the previous management plan needs updating and/or clarification in this regard. Many of the visitors to the parks are also seeking new adventure activities that were not planned for in the previous management plan. There is increased pressure on the parks to remain remote as visitation to the south-west increases. Management arrangements with regards to power-craft on Lake Jasper are no longer workable and impacts warrant changing the previous plan. There is a need to identify further opportunities for walktrails and built accommodation to meet the demand for a range of recreational opportunities within the parks. There is also a need to upgrade/rehabilitate many of the existing camping areas. iii NOMENCLATURE Inclusion of a name in this publication does not imply its approval by the relevant nomenclature authority. The word ‘Nyoongar’ can be spelt in numerous ways. The spelling of Nyoongar in this form should be seen to encompass Noongar, Nyungar, Noongah and Nyungah spellings. The ‘parks’ refer to Shannon National Park, D’Entrecasteaux National Park and an adjacent section 5(1)(g) reserve north of Lake Jasper, formerly comprising some private property and part of D’Entrecasteaux National Park. Two further small reserves are part of the parks; a section 5(1)(g) reserve on the top of Mt Chudalup and a section 5(1)(h) reserve that incorporates the lighthouse at Pt D’Entrecasteaux. The ‘planning area’ refers to the parks (as defined above) and proposed additions to the parks. Whilst this management plan is specifically for the ‘parks’, it is the objective of the Department that the proposed additions to the parks are managed in a similar way, especially where the Department is the managing body. During the life of this management plan, the additions are proposed to be added to either Shannon National Park or D’Entrecasteaux National Park. Therefore, where management refers to the ‘parks’, this will include any additions to the parks subsequent to gazettal of this management plan. When ‘South West’ is used in this management plan, it refers to the South West Planning Region used by the South West Development Commission and Western Australian Planning Commission. The South West Planning Region follows the boundaries of the shires of Harvey, Collie, Boyup Brook and Manjimup. The South West Planning Region does not correspond with the regional boundaries of the South West Region of the Department of Environment and Conservation. When ‘south-west’ is used, it refers to the general south-west corner of Western Australia. In this management plan, records used for ‘endemic fauna’ refer to fauna with their natural range being restricted to the south-west and ‘endemic flora’ refers to flora being endemic to the Warren bioregion.