Woodman Point Regional Park Management Plan
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Woodman Point Regional Park Management Plan 2010 Conservation Commission of Western Australia Department of Environment and Conservation City of Cockburn Department of Transport Department of Sport and Recreation Woodman Point Regional Park Management Plan 2010 PLANNING TEAM The Planning Team, representing the managers of Woodman Point Regional Park, coordinated the development of this plan on behalf of the Conservation Commission of Western Australia. The Planning Team was assisted by a consultancy team led by CoastWise. Jacinta Overman Department of Environment and Conservation Brendan Dooley Department of Environment and Conservation Tim Bowra Department of Environment and Conservation Tim Swart Department of Sport and Recreation James Holder Department of Transport Robert Avard City of Cockburn ii How to Use This Plan This Plan is divided into chapters and sections as set out in the table of contents. Guiding principles are stated at the beginning of each chapter. An objective is given at the beginning of each section, followed by a discussion of the main issues and then strategies, which list responsible agencies and a priority rating. Priority ratings provide an indication of the relative importance of a strategy. Key performance indicators are listed in the Plan and outline performance measures, targets and reporting requirements. A number of issues raised in this Plan are interrelated and are dealt with under more than one section. Where this is the case, the discussion refers the reader to other related sections. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Numerous individuals and groups have contributed valuable ideas and information in the preparation of this Plan and their efforts are gratefully acknowledged. In particular, the contribution of the Woodman Point Regional Park Community Advisory Committee is appreciated. The assistance of the CoastWise consultancy team is also appreciated. NOMENCLATURE Inclusion of a name in this publication does not imply its approval by the relevant nomenclature authority. THE CONSERVATION COMMISSION OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION All national parks, conservation parks, nature reserves, and other similar reserves are vested in the Conservation Commission of Western Australia. These reserves are managed on behalf of the Conservation Commission of Western Australia by the Department of Environment and Conservation. As the controlling body, the Conservation Commission of Western Australia is responsible for having management plans prepared for all lands that are vested in it. This plan has been prepared by the Department of Environment and Conservation on behalf of the Conservation Commission of Western Australia. iii Preface Regional parks consist of areas of land that have been identified as having outstanding conservation, landscape and recreation values. Regional parks may consist of land areas managed by a range of different management agencies, and private landowners. Regional parks therefore, provide the opportunity for a consortium of land managers and land owners to work together to develop a coordinated management approach. The concept of regional parks was first proposed in 1955 in the Stephenson-Hepburn Report. This report recommended that land required for future public purposes be identified and reserved. The Perth Metropolitan Region Scheme (MRS) was established in 1963 and the process of reserving land for ‘Parks and Recreation’ began. Since then, State planning agencies have been reserving and acquiring land in anticipation of the time when regional parks would formally be created. In 1997, the Government of Western Australia announced a commitment to introduce legislation to give regional parks legal standing and vesting in the former National Parks and Nature Conservation Authority, now the Conservation Commission of Western Australia (Conservation Commission). To date eleven regional parks have been established in the Perth metropolitan area with coordination of their management progressively transferred to the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC). However, many of the reserves within regional parks remain the management responsibility of local government and other management agencies such as the Department of Sport and Recreation (DSR). DEC plays an important coordinating role in bringing all management agencies together. In addition, DEC facilitates the involvement of Community Advisory Committees, which provide ongoing community input to the management of the parks. This management plan represents a commitment by DEC, DSR, the Department of Transport (DoT), the City of Cockburn, and the community to cooperatively manage Woodman Point Regional Park. The primary responsibility of DEC is to manage the areas of the Park that are vested in the Conservation Commission and coordinate the involvement of other management agencies. DSR is primarily involved in managing the Woodman Point Recreation Camp, and the City of Cockburn continues to manage the reserves vested in it. DoT is responsible for the management of the Woodman Point Recreational Boating Precinct and associated infrastructure. Woodman Point Regional Park is important for its nature conservation value, its cultural heritage and for the recreational opportunities it provides. The Park protects a threatened ecological community of Rottnest cypress and Rottnest tea tree. It has cultural significance for Aboriginal people, and is rich in heritage places relating to the development of Western Australia. Woodman Point is intrinsically linked to Cockburn Sound, Jervoise Bay and Owen Anchorage and provides a regionally important access point to these protected embayments for water-based recreation activities in the southern metropolitan area. While the Park has undoubtedly high nature conservation value, it is at the same time beset by a number of management issues such as widespread weed invasion, fire risk, feral animal impacts, development pressures and vandalism. This management plan, which is based on previously prepared ecological, recreational and historical surveys and information collected during the study period, seeks to establish a clear vision as to how best to manage and protect Woodman Point Regional Park. The Woodman Point Regional Park Community Advisory Committee was established early in the planning process to provide input during the preparation of the plan. The draft plan was released for public comment on 30 August 2002 until 30 November 2002. This final plan reflects the outcomes of the investigative and consultative periods and provides the way forward for the sustainable and cooperative management of the Woodman Point Regional Park. It is recognised that a considerable period of time has elapsed since the draft management plan was released for public comment in 2002. The delay in preparing the final management plan in no way diminishes the value of the contributions made by any organisation or individual. These contributions are important, and remain critical to the integrity of the management plan and ultimately, to the management of the Park. Some issues that impacted on the draft management plan in 2002 may no longer be current or may have changed. New issues have also arisen. In finalising the management plan, DEC has attempted to capture the changes that have occurred since 2002 with individual stakeholders and managing agencies, without compromising the integrity of the original process of developing the draft plan. iv Table of Contents A. INTRODUCTION 1 1. Purpose and Status of the Management Plan ........................................................................1 2. Regional Parks........................................................................................................................1 3. Woodman Point Regional Park...............................................................................................2 4. The Management Planning Process and Community Involvement........................................5 B. PRINCIPAL MANAGEMENT DIRECTIONS 6 5. The Vision for the Park............................................................................................................6 6. Legislation and Management Policies ....................................................................................6 7. Park Boundary ........................................................................................................................6 8. Land Tenure............................................................................................................................7 9. Park Management Zones........................................................................................................8 10. Integrated Management of the Park .....................................................................................12 11. Key Performance Indicators, Monitoring and Reporting .......................................................12 12. Research...............................................................................................................................13 C. CONSERVING THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT 14 13. Guiding Principles for Conserving the Natural Environment.................................................14 14. Geomorphology, Geology, Soils and Hydrology...................................................................14 15. The Coast and Foreshore .....................................................................................................15 16. Flora and Vegetation.............................................................................................................17