Jenolan Caves Strategic Plan 2019–2022 www.jenolancaves.org.au ii Jenolan Caves Strategic Plan Contents Introduction – purpose of the plan iv Who we are 1 The Trust 1 Significance 4 Challenges and opportunities 6 Challenges 6 Opportunities 7 Mission 8 Our Values 9 Goals 10 Connection 10 Conservation 12 Community 14 Sustainability and performance 16 Enablers 18 Employer of choice 18 Continuous Improvement and Innovation 19 Partnerships 19 iii Introduction – purpose of the plan This plan sets out the strategic direction for the management of Jenolan Caves. It links the commitments of the Environment Energy and Science group of the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE) with business planning for Jenolan Caves. It ensures our efforts are focussed and aligned, so as to maximise our success. This strategic plan aligns with the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve (JKCR) Plan of Management (PoM), and it is recommended that this plan is read in conjunction with the JKCR PoM, in particular Table 9 – List of Management Responses. iv Who we are The Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust is part of the Environment Energy and Science group of the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment. We are the custodians of the natural and cultural heritage of Jenolan Caves, enabling our community to care for it, and our visitors to experience and enjoy it. Jenolan Caves are in the lands of the Burra Burra people, a clan group of the Gundungurra Aboriginal Nation. These lands also hold significance for Aboriginal people of the Wiradjuri Nation. The land, water, plants and animals of the Reserve are integral to Gundungurra spirituality and contribute to Aboriginal identity. Aboriginal communities associate natural resources with the use and enjoyment of foods and medicines, caring for the land, passing on cultural knowledge, kinship systems and strengthening social bonds. Aboriginal heritage and connection to nature are inseparable and need to be managed in an integrated manner across the landscape. The Trust is party to the Gundungurra Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA). The Gundungurra ILUA is a 10-year, legally binding contractual Aboriginal heritage agreement under the Native Title Act 1993 between the Gundungurra and connection Traditional Owners and the land and water managers, within the Gundungurra Native Title Agreement Area. Through the Gundungurra to nature are ILUA relationships are strengthened and shared obligations are agreed inseparable and to with land and water managers, supported by a principle of assisting Gundungurra people to continue their cultural, social, economic, physical need to be managed and spiritual relationship with their Ngurra. in an integrated manner across the The Trust landscape. The Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust is a body corporate established under the provisions of Schedule 3 of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW Act). Administrative Arrangements Orders published in April 2014 transferred the Trust to the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH), now within the Environment Energy and Science group of the Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (DPIE). The Trust is responsible to the Minister for the Environment. The Minister has appointed an Administrator to care for, control and manage the visitor use and services zone of the Reserve. The Director of the Trust reports to the Administrator and directs cave and tour operations, hotel management and the provision of technical and specialist services within the visitor use and services zone. There are around 100 staff members employed and/or contracted by the Trust. The Trust is aligned with NPWS and receives corporate support from NPWS and DPIE. The Trust works collaboratively with the NPWS – Blue Mountains Branch in the care, control and management of the Reserve as a whole and has a service level agreement in place with NPWS landforms and Rehabilitation unit to undertake environmental monitoring of the VUSZ. A Jenolan Management Advisory Group (JMAG) meets monthly to oversight the financial and general administration of Trust. JMAG comprises the Administrator, senior representation from National Parks and Wildlife Service, the Trust Director and senior management team. Jenolan Caves Strategic Plan 1 An Audit and Risk Sub-Committee of the JMAG has also been established for several years. This committee is currently independently chaired. The chair routinely liaises with the Audit Office on behalf of the Trust to provide assurance of the Trust’s overall performance and compliance. The Trust also receives support from the DPIE finance team. Whilst the Trust is aligned with NPWS, it differs in that it is financially independent and relies on self-generated revenue ($10–$11 million derived from around 220,000–240,000 visits per year) to cover its operational expenses. Major maintenance and capital works programs receive direct funding from the NSW Government. The Trust also differs from NPWS in that it is required to submit its own Annual Report and is audit as a separate entity. The Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve The Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve, spread over 3,085 hectares, is a protected area established under the NPW Act. The Reserve is one of eight properties in the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area and its world heritage values are protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The Reserve is listed on both the national and state heritage lists under the EPBC Act and the Heritage Act 1977 respectively, and is within the outer catchment of the Warragamba Special Area (Water NSW Act 2014). The Reserve is divided into two management zones: the conservation management zone, managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), and the visitor use and services zone, an area of around 50 hectares managed by the Jenolan Caves Reserve Trust in accordance with the NPW Act. The visitor use and services zone covers the primary karst area of the Reserve and includes 12 show caves, six semi-developed caves and six adventure caves. There are four accommodation options providing a total of 90 rooms, including the Jenolan Cabins, the Gatehouse, Mountain Lodge and the historic Caves House with Chisolms Restaurant, the Caves Cafe, Jeremiah’s Bar and Gift Shop. The zone also includes associated services and utilities such as a sewage treatment plant, workshops, hydro-electric power system, car park for 400 vehicles, historic gardens, weirs and water reticulation systems, much of which dates back to the early and mid-20th century. The Reserve is zoned SP3 Tourist within the Oberon Local Environment Plan 2014. The objectives of the zone are: • to provide for a variety of tourist-oriented development and related uses • to ensure that development occurs in a manner that maintains and enhances the scenic quality, the ecological and geological systems and the heritage significance of the Jenolan Caves Reserve. 2 Jenolan Caves Strategic Plan Primary Legislative and Policy Framework • National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 • Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016 • Heritage Act 1977 • Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cmth) • Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 • Protection of the Environment Operations (POEO) Act 1997 • Public Health Act 2010 • Water Industry Competition Act 2006 • Water Management Act 2000 • Water NSW Act 2014 • Liquor Act 2007 • Government Sector Employment Act 2013 • Work Health and Safety Act 2011 • State Environmental Planning Policy (Sydney Drinking Water Catchment) 2011 • Burra Charter 2013 • IUCN Guidelines for Cave and Karst Conservation 1997 • Natural Heritage Charter 2002 Licences • Liquor licence • Water licences Binda Cabins and Jenolan Caves • Environment Protection Licence (Sewerage Treatment Plant) Jenolan Caves Strategic Plan 3 Significance Throughout this document you will see reference to the Natural and Cultural Heritage* of Jenolan Caves. To assist the reader in interpreting the deeper meaning implied by these terms the follow explanations are offered: Natural Heritage Caves and Karst Jenolan Caves are highly regarded for the aesthetic qualities of the caves and cave formations, reflected in cave names such as Aladdin and Diamond Cave. The range and diversity of the karst and decoration, including a remarkable diversity of mineral species, is varied, profuse and equal to the finest in the world. Along with its natural beauty, the Reserve has the ability to yield information on the geological history of NSW and of the Australian continent, and for the archaeological and paleontological potential. A large number of invertebrate fossils have been discovered in the limestone of the Jenolan Caves. The geomorphic history of the Jenolan Caves system is extremely complex. The cave system contains an exceptionally diverse variety of karst and cave types, illustrating the full range of processes and products from incipient, scarcely perceptible depressions, through to multistage cave developments and decayed remnant features. Jenolan is one of the largest and most beautiful interconnected cave systems in Australia and is an outstanding site of geological and speleological interest. Biodiversity The Jenolan Caves are located within the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area (GBMWHA) within the Jenolan Karst Conservation Reserve, which is known for being a biodiversity hotspot. The GBMWHA was inscribed on the World Heritage List due to its: • outstanding examples of ongoing ecological and biological processes significant