Rockingham Lakes Regional Park Proposed Final Management Plan 2010 Conservation Commission of Western Australia Department of Environment and Conservation City of Rockingham Rockingham Lakes Regional Park Proposed Final Management Plan 2010 PLANNING TEAM The Planning Team, representing the managers of Rockingham Lakes 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 Environmental Resources Management Australia Pty Ltd. Jacinta Overman Department of Environment and Conservation Brendan Dooley Department of Environment and Conservation Tim Bowra Department of Environment and Conservation Paddy Strano City of Rockingham 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 draft management plan and their efforts are gratefully acknowledged. In particular, the contribution of the Rockingham Lakes Regional Park Community Advisory Committee is appreciated. The assistance of the Environmental Resources Management Australia Pty Ltd 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 (Conservation Commission). These reserves are managed on behalf of the Conservation Commission by the Department of Environment and Conservation. As the controlling body, the Conservation Commission 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. 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 landowners to work together to develop a coordinated management approach. Set in a rapidly growing urban area, Rockingham Lakes Regional Park is a network of environmentally significant lands containing coastal, wetland and upland ecosystems. The park occupies a significant proportion of the City of Rockingham, and is not only important for conservation in this urban context, but also for the range of recreational opportunities it provides. The park crosses the unique Rockingham-Becher Plain, from the coastal promontories of Cape Peron and Port Kennedy, to the wetlands of Lakes Cooloongup and Walyungup. This area is significant for its geomorphic landforms because the distinct parallel sand ridges indicate the positions of former shorelines, providing a record of sea level changes over the past 7,000 years. Wetlands have formed in between the sand ridges, and these are also significant because they form part of an evolutionary time sequence and support unique vegetation communities. The Becher Point Wetlands are listed as wetlands of international significance under the Ramsar Convention. Thus the area is of considerable interest and importance for research on coastal history, the evolution of wetlands and biological succession. The park also contains significant flora and fauna, including two ‘threatened ecological communities’: sedgelands in Holocene dune swales and thrombolites at Lake Richmond. In addition, the woodlands and wetlands around Lake Cooloongup, Lake Walyungup, Tamworth Hill, Tamworth Hill Swamp, Anstey and Paganoni Swamps are important remnants of ecosystems that were once widespread on the Swan Coastal Plain. While the park has undoubtedly high nature conservation values and contains some popular recreation areas, it is at the same time beset by a number of critical management problems, such as vegetation degradation and loss, widespread weed invasion and feral animal impacts. This management plan, which is based on previously prepared ecological, recreational and historical surveys, as well as information collected during the study period, seeks to establish clear objectives on how best to manage and protect Rockingham Lakes Regional Park. The Rockingham Lakes Regional Park Community Advisory Committee was established early in the planning process to provide input during the preparation of the plan. The plan has been developed through consultation with a range of stakeholder groups and it reflects their contributions. The draft plan was released for public comment on 27 October 2003 until 27 February 2004. This final plan reflects the outcomes of the investigative and consultative periods and provides a way forward for the sustainable and cooperative management of the Rockingham Lakes Regional Park. It is recognised that a considerable period of time has elapsed since the draft management plan was released for public comment in 2003. 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 were identified in the draft management plan in 2003 may no longer be current or may have changed. New issues have arisen. In finalising the management plan, DEC has attempted to capture the changes that have occurred since 2003 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. Rockingham Lakes 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................................................................................................................................................ 8 9. Interim Management Arrangements.......................................................................................................... 10 10. Park Management Zones.................................................................................................................... 10 11. Integrated Management and Planning of the Park and Adjacent Areas. ............................................ 15 12. Key Performance Indicators, Monitoring and Reporting...................................................................... 16 13. Research ............................................................................................................................................ 16 C. CONSERVING THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT 18 14. Guiding Principles for Conserving the Natural Environment ............................................................... 18 15. Geomorphology, Geology and Soils ................................................................................................... 18 16. The Coast and Foreshore................................................................................................................... 19 17. Hydrology and Wetlands..................................................................................................................... 22 18. Flora and Vegetation........................................................................................................................... 25 19. Threatened Ecological Communities .................................................................................................. 30 20. Fauna.................................................................................................................................................