National Parks Act Annual Report 2017 © The State of Victoria Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning 2017 This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. You are free to re-use the work under that licence, on the condition that you credit the State of Victoria as author. The licence does not apply to any images, photographs or branding, including the Victorian Coat of Arms, the Victorian Government logo and the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) logo. 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Notes • During the year the responsible minister was the Hon Lily D’Ambrosio MP, Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change. • In this report: – the Act means the National Parks Act 1975 – DELWP means the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning – Minister means the Minister responsible for administering the Act – PV means Parks Victoria – the Regulations means the National Parks Regulations 2013 – Secretary means the Secretary to the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. • On 23 March 2017 ‘Budj Bim National Park’ was gazetted under the Geographic Place Names Act 1998 as the new name of Mount Eccles National Park. Legislation to amend the name in the National Parks Act was introduced into Parliament in June 2017. This report uses the name as it appears in the Act as at 30 June 2017. Cover image Errinundra National Park (image: Mark Antos) Accessibility If you would like to receive this publication in an alternative format, please telephone DELWP Customer Service Centre 136 186, email [email protected], or via the National Relay Service on 133 677 www.relayservice.com.au. This document is also available on the internet at www.delwp.vic.gov.au Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Foreword This annual report on the working of the National Highlights of the year for the parks system included: Parks Act 1975 for the year ended 30 June 2017 is provided to the Minister for Energy, Environment and • releasing the approved management plan for the Climate Change, the Hon Lily D’Ambrosio MP, under Greater Alpine national parks and finalising the draft section 35 of the Act. management plan for the River Red Gum parks The Act establishes the statutory basis for the • another broad program of activities to protect and protection, use and management of an outstanding enhance natural and cultural values in parks system of more than 100 national and other parks across the state, together with monitoring and covering approximately 3.45 million hectares. research to support park management The Secretary has statutory responsibility for • furthering partnerships with Traditional Owners, ensuring that the parks and other areas to which the including in the development of management plans Act applies are controlled and managed in • further work on the development of the Grampians accordance with the Act. Parks Victoria is responsible Peaks Trail for managing those areas on the Secretary’s behalf and works in partnership with the Department of • constructing additional facilities for visitors with Environment, Land, Water and Planning. disabilities During the year Protecting Victoria’s Environment • introducing legislation into Parliament to add most – Biodiversity 2037, Victoria’s biodiversity plan, was of the highly significant Anglesea Heath to the released. The plan recognises the critical role played Great Otway National Park. by our national parks and other protected areas in the conservation of the state’s biodiversity. It also Legislation was also introduced to change the name acknowledges their contribution to a range of of Mount Eccles National Park in the Act to Budj Bim ecosystem services, the health and well-being of National Park following its inclusion in the Register of Victorians and the state’s nature based tourism Geographic Names. This recognises the outstanding industry. The plan includes initiatives to enhance the cultural significance of the Budj Bim area and value of and benefits derived from our parks. complements the work being done to seek World Heritage listing for the Budj Bim Cultural Landscape (which includes the park). Volunteers and partner organisations continued to make a valuable and much appreciated contribution to a wide range of park management activities during the year. I also acknowledge the extensive and committed contributions which Parks Victoria and DELWP staff made to the protection and management of our parks in 2016–17. Christine Wyatt Acting Secretary Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Annual Report 2017 1 Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Contents Foreword 1 Contents 2 A representative parks system 3 Areas managed under the Act 3 Changes to areas managed under the Act 3 Management and other planning 4 Managing natural and cultural values 5 Managing natural values 5 Monitoring natural values 9 Researching natural values 10 Managing cultural values 11 Managing fires and floods 12 Managing fire 12 Managing recovery from fires, floods and storms 13 Encouraging visitors and tourism 14 Enhancing visitor enjoyment and tourism 14 Visits to parks 14 Licensed tour operators 14 Informing, interpreting and educating 15 Partnering with Traditional Owners 16 Joint management 16 Co-operative management 16 Other Traditional Owner partnerships 16 Partnering with the community 17 Volunteers 17 Supporting visitors with disabilities 17 Supporting park management 18 Management arrangements 18 Legislation 18 Authorities under the Act 19 Enforcement 20 Interstate cooperation 20 Advisory bodies 21 Appendix 1 – Areas managed under the National Parks Act 22 Appendix 2 – Location of parks and other areas 32 2 Annual Report 2017 Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning A representative parks system Areas managed under the Act Changes to areas managed under the Act As at 30 June 2017 there were 139 areas with a total On 5 August 2016 a total area of 201 hectares area of approximately 3.45 million hectares managed was added to the parks system and a total area under various provisions of the Act. Appendix 1 lists of 0.6 hectares was excised. the areas and Appendix 2 shows their location. Additions were made to the following parks: The 139 areas comprised: • Dandenong Ranges National Park – section • 124 areas listed on various schedules to the Act of unmade government road near Mt Evelyn (<0.01 ha) – 45 national parks (Schedule Two) • Murray-Sunset National Park – two areas of – 3 wilderness parks (Schedule Two A) purchased land (161 ha) in the vicinity of Walpolla Creek and several areas of unmade government – 26 state parks (Schedule Two B) road (21 ha) – 5 coastal parks, 3 historic parks, 1 nature • Warrandyte State Park – purchased land (6.7 ha), conservation reserve, 8 regional parks and unreserved Crown land (0.5 ha) and a section of Haining Farm (Schedule Three) unmade government road (1 ha) at Pound Bend – 3 marine and coastal parks, 2 marine parks, • Cape Liptrap Coastal Park – forested area of 1 marine reserve, 1 national heritage park and Crown land in the headwaters of Cooks Creek east 1 nature conservation reserve (Schedule Four) of the Fish Creek–Walkerville Road (8 ha) – 13 marine national parks (Schedule Seven) • Steiglitz Historic Park (3 ha) – three areas of – 11 marine sanctuaries (Schedule Eight) purchased land and an area of unreserved Crown land (1 ha) and two sections of redundant unmade • 15 non-scheduled areas to which particular government road (2 ha). provisions of the Act apply. Excisions were made to the following parks: The Act also defines the following areas within particular national parks: • Lake Tyers State Park – cleared land east of Nowa Nowa incorrectly added to the park in 2012 (0.3 ha) • 19 wilderness zones (Schedule Five) in 7 national parks (see Appendix 1) • Steiglitz Historic Park – a narrow strip along Hay Track to provide legal access to freehold land • 22 remote and natural areas (Schedule Six) in (0.3 ha). 12 national parks (see Appendix 1) There were also technical amendments or • 4 designated water supply catchment areas in the corrections to the plans of Dandenong Ranges and Great Otway, Kinglake and Yarra Ranges national Great Otway national parks, Lake Tyers State Park, parks. Gadsen Bend Park and Steiglitz Historic Park. Annual Report 2017 3 Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Management and other planning • Point Nepean National Park Master Plan renewal – consultation was completed on a discussion As at 30 June 2017, there were approved paper and the draft master plan, and the final plan management plans for all or parts of 43 national was prepared for release in mid-2017 parks, 3 wilderness parks, 25 state parks, 18 other parks and reserves, 13 marine national parks and The revised plan places a stronger emphasis on 11 marine sanctuaries. the