Tenth World Wilderness Congress Symposium; 2013, 4-10 October; for Wilderness Management in South-East Australia and Salamanca, Spain
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Wilderness Management within an Australian Interstate Context Franz Peters Abstract—Conservation, reserve management within an interstate as the main railway lines end either in NSW at Nowra south context is not unique in or to Australia. Nevertheless, the policy of Sydney, and for Victoria at Bairnsdale located in East and procedures derived from various, state legislation often creates Gippsland, east of Melbourne, some hundreds of kilometres ambiguity for interstate, land management agencies. This compels from the subject region. such agencies to adopt specific approaches and strategies to landscape In common with the Australian continent and immediate management. This paper provides a context for wilderness manage- islands, this region is part of the continuum of Aboriginal ment in south-east Australia and outlines how the NSW National culture and kinship with land and sea. It is characterised Parks and Wildlife Service and Parks Victoria have assembled the by a landscape of narrow coastal plains rising into steep Genoa River Interstate Liaison Committee, a committee of people hinterland and escarpment forests furnishing catchments focusing on a “nil tenure”, approach to cross border conservation which flow into relatively intact estuaries. within the Genoa River Catchment. The Genoa River catchment More than 30 percent of the region is now protected in ei- contains 101,000 ha (249,576 acres) of public and private lands ther national park or nature reserve under the management including the 25,500 ha (63,011 acres) Genoa Wilderness protected of national park authorities, or protected as flora protection within conjoining, interstate national parks. As a unique bioregion reserves managed by forestry agencies (Australian Depart- in Australia, where geology, vegetation communities and their fau- ment of Sustainability, Environment, Water Populations nal assemblages undergo dramatic changes from the coast to the and Communities 2013). The primary impacts upon the escarpment, the subject Committee’s management focus includes: region’s catchment values and the Aboriginal cultural values wilderness, biodiversity and fire, introduced vertebrate pests and remain those associated with the early clearing of land for weeds, and recreational visitation. agriculture, logging and forest roading and in some cases fire management practices. Within this extensive area of south east Australia there are two areas of interstate managed wilderness: the Nadgee- Howe Wilderness situated on the coast and the Genoa Wil- Introduction ______________________ derness situated in the middle reaches of the Genoa River north-west along the NSW/Victorian state border (Figure 1). There are thousands of hectares of land in the south east The Nadgee-Howe Wilderness Area of 25,900 ha (64,000 corner of Australia comprising south eastern New South acres) is situated within the NSW managed Nadgee Nature Wales (NSW) and the Far East Gippsland region of Victoria Reserve and Victorian managed Croajingolong National which remain relatively unvisited, of both private and public Park and is considered to be the best representation of pre- domain, containing a diverse range of forest ecosystems. European coastal vegetation in south eastern Australia Other than the coastal zones which were afforded access by (Parks Victoria website 2013). Croajingolong National Park sea, significant parts of this region were the last frontiers for is a dedicated United Nations Educational, Scientific and explorers and early settlers. To this day the region is only Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Biosphere Reserve. serviced by two main highways, subsidiary roads and trails, By contrast, the Genoa Wilderness (25,500 ha – 63,011 acres), gazetted in the early 1990s also forms one of the largest areas of high quality wilderness in south-eastern Australia. This cross border wilderness is situated in the southern sections of the South East Forests National Park in NSW adjoining the northern extent of Coopracambra National Park managed by Parks Victoria (Figure 2). In 1999, the need for Franz Peters is the Manager for the Bombala Area, Far South Coast Region of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Office of Environment and a collaborative approach to managing the Genoa Wilderness Heritage, 153 Maybe Street Bombala, New South Wales, 2632. AUSTRALIA. led staff from Parks Victoria and the NSW National Parks [email protected]. and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to establish the Genoa River In: Watson, Alan; Carver, Stephen; Krenova, Zdenka; McBride, Brooke, Interstate Liaison Committee (GRILCO). Before describing comps. 2015. Science and stewardship to protect and sustain wilderness the work of GRILCO it is prudent to provide a background values: Tenth World Wilderness Congress symposium; 2013, 4-10 October; for Wilderness management in south-east Australia and Salamanca, Spain. Proceedings RMRS-P-74. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Depart- describe the Genoa Wilderness. ment of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. 208 p. USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-74. 2015 91 Peters Wilderness Management within an Australian Interstate Context Figure 1—Map of the Genoa River Catchment including the Wallagaraugh River as it is located within south east Australia. Map by Franz Peters. Figure 2—Genoa and Wallagaraugh Rivers and Mallacoota Inlet Catchments including south east Australian wilderness boundaries. Map by Max Beukers. 92 USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-74. 2015 Wilderness Management within an Australian Interstate Context Peters Wilderness in South East exists that once declared, wilderness is land unmanaged, wasted or moreover posing a threat to society from natural Australia _________________________ events such as wildfire. A Précis Within this preservation conundrum, there is a growing desire in Australia to augment the use of wilderness and in State governments in Australia legislate for the protection some cases exploit it to enhance local and regional economies, of wilderness and generally include objectives regarding the yet ensure that the values of wild places are being passed restoration of land to its condition before European colonisa- onto future generations whilst providing the benefits associ- tion. In Victoria the National Parks Act 1975 provides for ated with increased national and international tourism. The areas of land to be declared Wilderness Parks, yet also al- Australian National Landscapes program discussed later in lows for the formation of Wilderness Zones which are areas this paper, seeks to promote such benefits. Politicians and within declared national parks similar to those in NSW. bureaucrats in Australia are also being persuaded by argu- Victorian legislation also provides for the establishment of ments to ‘unlock’ wilderness areas for recreational pursuits Reference Areas within Wilderness Zones for higher protec- not normally aligned with self reliant activity. Pursuits such tion established under the Reference Areas Act 1978. Refer- as horse riding and mountain biking are being suggested. In ence Areas provide a reference for comparative studies with NSW, a selection of wilderness areas have become the recent other sections of land where various activities and types of focus for a pilot program which may sanction horse riding human interaction happen, showing the effects of human in the subject areas based on the precedence of historic use alteration and utilisation of the land. Reference Areas are of mountain passes and bridle trails. fundamentally managed by an Advisory Committee (State of Victoria 2013). In NSW the Wilderness Act 1987 affords declared wilder- Do We Need More Wilderness? ness the most secure level of protection, requiring it to be Using estimates of the total wilderness area in Australia, managed in a way that will maintain its wilderness values Watson et al (2009) determined that between 2000 and 2006 and pristine condition by limiting activities likely to dam- of the 2.93 million km2 of wilderness (38 percent of land area, age flora, fauna and cultural heritage. Nearly all declared mostly in northern and western Australia), only 14 percent wilderness is within national parks and nature reserves and was protected in 2000. This value increased marginally to it is actively managed for fire, pests and weeds, consistent 19 percent by 2006 as the size of the Reserve System itself with management practices applied elsewhere throughout increased by 37 percent (i.e., from 652,597 km2 to 895,326 the reserve system. NSW was among the first Australian km2). Watson and his colleagues further suggest that Aus- states to legislate for wilderness protection (Office of Envi- tralia’s growth in reserve area has not captured the neces- ronment and Heritage 2011). sary wilderness; instead, gains were made in areas largely The Colong Foundation for Wilderness, Australia’s longest- modified by humans. serving community advocate for wilderness, based in NSW, The recent debate in Australia includes a focus on the has a Wilderness Vision: To have all wilderness in NSW management of our dwindling species rather than placing protected and managed by 2020. The foundation’s program emphasis on reserving land. In his essay, Flannery (2012) proposal 1.4 Cross Border Wilderness Management states discusses the Australian government’s focus on ecosystem that the NSW NPWS Wilderness Unit should prepare and management rather than species management, a reduction regularly review memoranda with parks agencies in adjoining