WALPOLE WILDERNESS AND ADJACENT PARKS AND RESERVES Management Plan 2008 Department of Environment and Conservation Conservation Commission of Western Australia VISION The Walpole Wilderness is a vast natural and wild landscape embracing the essence of the southern forests and coast of Western Australia. Old majestic jarrah, karri and tingle forests surround imposing granite peaks, peaceful rivers, heathlands, wetlands and tranquil inlets, and overlook picturesque sandy beaches, sheer coastal cliffs and the Southern Ocean. The Walpole Wilderness will be recognised as an important component of an international biodiversity hotspot, where natural and cultural values, such as wilderness, tingle forest, a threatened and highly endemic and relictual flora and fauna, threatened ecological communities, old growth forests and wetlands, and our knowledge of them, will be maintained and enhanced for future generations. This ancient landscape will be recognised for its great visual and aesthetic appeal and for its rich Aboriginal heritage and stewardship, which will be encouraged through joint management with Aboriginal people. People will find inspiration, enjoyment and livelihoods, and understand and appreciate the natural environment and cultural heritage of the Walpole Wilderness. Sustainable use of the area, reflecting a custodial spirit, will provide benefits to future generations. Front cover images: Main photo: Wilderness view from Mt Frankland, photo by Paul Roberts, DEC. Other photos: Park visitors at the Tree Top Walk, photo by Michael James. Tassel flower Leucopogon verticillatus, photo by Paul Roberts, DEC. i PREFACE National parks, conservation parks and nature reserves in WA are vested in the Conservation Commission of Western Australia (Conservation Commission). In accordance with the Conservation and Land Management Act 1984 (CALM Act), the Department of Environment and Conservation (the Department) carries out the management of these reserves and prepares management plans on behalf of the Conservation Commission. The Conservation Commission issues draft plans for public comment and provides final plans for approval by the Minister for the Environment. The CALM Act specifies that a management plan must contain: a statement of the policies or guidelines proposed to be followed; and a summary of operations proposed to be undertaken. In accordance with section 55 of the CALM Act, the term of the finalised management plan will be 10 years, or until the plan is superseded by a new management plan. Changes Since the Previous Management Plan Walpole-Nornalup National Park, the only reserve within this management plan’s planning area with a previous management plan, has been managed according to the Walpole-Nornalup National Park Management Plan 1992-2002 (CALM 1992) for more than a decade. In this time, there have been a number of changes that have led to differences in this plan including: legislative changes or changes in Government policy; knowledge of the values of the planning area has increased significantly; and an increase in people’s understanding and appreciation of the environment and the opportunities it presents. Legislative or Government Policy changes The Commonwealth’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 provides protection for threatened species and communities. Changes to the CALM Act in 2000 have replaced the National Parks and Nature Conservation Authority with the Conservation Commission as the controlling body for the terrestrial conservation reserve system in WA. This change has given the Conservation Commission responsibility for submitting management plans to the Minister and developing guidelines for monitoring and assessing the implementation of management plans. Consequently, management plans are now outcome-based in terms of performance assessment, and include Key Performance Indicators against which performance will be assessed by the Conservation Commission. There is an increased commitment by the State Government to involve Aboriginal people in management of the conservation reserve system and to raise the profile of Aboriginal culture. The Government released the consultation paper ‘Indigenous Ownership and Joint Management of Conservation Lands in Western Australia’ in 2003. The Government’s ‘Protecting Our Old Growth Forests’ Policy promoted the cessation of logging in 100% of all old growth forests and the protection of these areas in a Comprehensive, Adequate and Representative (CAR) reserve system involving the creation of new national parks within the South West. The Walpole Wilderness (WW) has the highest profile and the largest area of these. The Walpole Wilderness Area Community Advisory Committee has been advising the Department on planning and management for the reserve system of the planning area. A policy commitment by the State Government to create the WW, based on significant public interest, has led the Department to develop Department Policy No. 62 – Identification and Management of Wilderness and Surrounding Areas. This plan applies Department Policy No. 62 – Identification and Management of Wilderness and Surrounding Areas to ii identify areas within the WW that may be gazetted as wilderness areas (see Part C Managing Wilderness Values). The State Government’s ‘Environment’ Policy committed to working towards the creation of a marine conservation reserve for the Walpole and Nornalup estuaries. A management plan for the Walpole and Nornalup Inlets Marine Park is in preparation (see Section 3 Planning Area). The marine park lies adjacent to and surrounds parts of the Walpole-Nornalup National Park and there is significant interaction between the two reserves, particularly for a variety of visitor access and activities (see Section 30 Visitor Activities and Use). This plan will ensure that future management of both the marine and terrestrial parks is consistent and integrated. Knowledge of the values of the planning area Since the completion of the Walpole-Nornalup National Park Management Plan (CALM 1992), knowledge of the values of the area has increased significantly. The Comprehensive Regional Assessment for WA’s South West Forest Region in 1998 provided detailed assessments of natural values, national estate, wilderness, social values, forest resources and ecologically sustainable forest management for the region (see Section 7 Legislative Framework and Section 14 Biogeography). Other State and Federal processes have significantly contributed to the improvement and presentation of knowledge, such as: an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of Australia in 1995 and subsequent biodiversity audit of WA’s bioregions in 2003; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and other climate change studies and projections for Australia from 1999; the knowledge of the critical role of fire in biodiversity conservation has developed in recent years, and the Department now applies fire to not only reduce the negative impacts of wildfires on societal values, but also to conserve biodiversity. A review of fire in ecosystems of the south-west of WA was undertaken in 2003; the Environmental Weed Strategy for WA (CALM 1999a) rates weeds according to specific criteria to aid in determining priority for control; the ‘Western Shield’ program (1996 to present) is the biggest wildlife conservation program in Australia involving aerial and ground baiting of more than 3.5 million hectares of land managed by the Department for the introduced predators, the fox and feral cat; and salinity and natural resource management planning between 1996 and 2004 has advanced the understanding of landscape processes and threats, and focused efforts in the management of natural landscapes. Increase in people’s understanding and appreciation of the environment There has been a change in people’s attitudes and values, and a growing interest in and appreciation of old growth forests and wilderness. The concept of the Walpole Wilderness, first developed by Donna Selby and Kathy Roberts, was put forward by the South Coast Environment Group in 1998 and since that time there has been an increasing recognition of the need to protect key areas with highest wilderness quality. There has also been a significant increase in people’s appreciation and use of the environment for recreation and tourism. Visitor numbers in Walpole-Nornalup National Park have increased from about 87 000 to 194 000 per year during the past 10 years. This has been, in part, a result of the construction of the Tree Top Walk and improvements to other recreation facilities in the area. Carlsen and Wood (2004) have shown there has been a change in visitor activities and the reasons for visiting – most significantly, visitors in the early 1980s came to enjoy activities such as fishing (73% of visitors), whereas in the past few years there has been a significant reduction in the level of fishing (now 12%) and an increase in the number of visitors coming to enjoy the natural environment (86%). Many of the visitors to the parks are seeking new adventure activities that were not planned for in the previous management plan, such as climbing and hang iii gliding, and visitors are increasingly wanting remote experiences while the remoteness of the planning area is being threatened by increased visitation. Increasing visitor use of the parks and demand for activities (such as walking, four-wheel driving and trail bike riding) and facilities (such as camping and built accommodation) requires