Draft Wild Horse Management Plan Kosciuszko National Park © 2016 State of NSW and Office of Environment and Heritage The Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH) has compiled this draft plan in good faith, exercising all due care and attention. No representation is made about the accuracy, completeness or suitability of the information in this publication for any particular purpose. OEH shall not be liable for any damage which may occur to any person or organisation taking action or not on the basis of this publication. Readers should seek appropriate advice when applying the information to their specific needs. All content in this publication is owned by OEH and is protected by Crown Copyright, unless credited otherwise. It is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) , subject to the exemptions contained in the licence. The legal code for the licence is available at Creative Commons . OEH asserts the right to be attributed as author of the original material in the following manner: © State of New South Wales and Office of Environment and Heritage 2016. Acknowledgements This Draft Wild Horse Management Plan was prepared by staff of the Southern Ranges Region of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) incorporating the advice of the Kosciuszko National Park Horse Management Plan Review – Independent Technical Reference Group. Specialists were engaged by NPWS to identify community understanding of park values and views on wild horse management in the park, and to assess the cultural heritage values of wild horses in the park. Valuable information and comments were provided by NPWS staff, including botanists, ecologists, threatened species officers, and staff specialists in pest management, science and research, community and stakeholder engagement, and heritage management. Local NPWS staff including managers, rangers and field staff with a depth of knowledge, skills and experience in wild horse management and other operational issues in the park were also integral to the preparation of the draft plan. This, along with information, views and opinions provided by stakeholders and members of the public, has assisted NPWS in formulating this draft plan. Kosciuszko National Park is managed by the Southern Ranges Region of the NPWS which is part of the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH). For additional information or enquiries about the plan, contact the NPWS Regional Office at: PO Box 2228, Jindabyne NSW 2627; visit the office at: Kosciuszko Road, Jindabyne; or call us on (02) 6450 5555. Published by: Office of Environment and Heritage 59 Goulburn Street, Sydney NSW 2000 PO Box A290, Sydney South NSW 1232 Phone: +61 2 9995 5000 (switchboard) Phone: 131 555 (environment information and publications requests) Phone: 1300 361 967 (national parks, general environmental enquiries, and publications requests) Fax: +61 2 9995 5999 TTY users: phone 133 677, then ask for 131 555 Speak and listen users: phone 1300 555 727, then ask for 131 555 Email: [email protected] Website: www.environment.nsw.gov.au Report pollution and environmental incidents Environment Line: 131 555 (NSW only) or [email protected] See also www.environment.nsw.gov.au ISBN 978 1 76039 355 7 OEH 2016/0271 May 2016 Kosciuszko National Park Draft Wild Horse Management Plan Contents Contents...................................................................................................................... iii List of figures ............................................................................................................. iv List of tables ............................................................................................................... iv Invitation to Comment ................................................................................................. 1 Summary ...................................................................................................................... 3 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 4 How the 2016 Draft Wild Horse Management Plan was prepared ............................. 4 Our vision ................................................................................................................. 5 Background ................................................................................................................. 5 Why Kosciuszko National Park is important .............................................................. 5 Horses in the park ..................................................................................................... 8 Impacts of horses in the park .................................................................................. 13 Strategic approach to wild horse control ................................................................ 22 Objectives ............................................................................................................... 22 Strategies ............................................................................................................... 23 Control methods to be used in the park................................................................... 24 Other considerations ............................................................................................... 28 Wild horse management regions ............................................................................ 31 Wild horse management zones ............................................................................... 34 References ................................................................................................................. 44 iii Kosciuszko National Park Draft Wild Horse Management Plan List of figures Figure 1. Kosciuszko National Park and surrounds.................................................. 7 Figure 2. Wild horse populations in the park........................................................... 10 Figure 3. Wetlands and bogs are sensitive to trampling. Horses crossing have changed the hydrology, causing them to dry out and increase the amounts of silt deposited downstream (Photo: M Bowden, 2007) ................................. 16 Figure 4. Examples of track formation and trampling of vegetation caused by horses in the Rams Head area of Kosciuszko National Park (Photos: K Green) .................................................................................................................. 17 Figure 5. Stream bank disturbance and siltation on Peppercorn Creek resulting from drinking and crossing by horses (Photo: G Wilks, 2007) ....................... 18 Figure 6. Damage to Bill Jones hut, Cooleman Plain, caused by wild horses (Photos: G Stroud, NPWS, 2015) ....................................................................... 19 Figure 7. Wild horses crossing roads in the park pose significant risks to motorists as evidenced by this vehicle accident involving a wild horse on the Cabramurra–Khancoban Road (Photos: M Bowden, 2009) ............................. 20 Figure 8. Management Regions ................................................................................ 32 Figure 9. Management Zones overview ................................................................... 38 Figure 10. Management Zones in Northern Region................................................. 39 Figure 11. Management Zones in Central Region ................................................... 40 Figure 12. Management Zones in Southern Region ................................................ 41 List of tables Table 1: Environmental impacts ............................................................................... 15 Table 2: Summary of management zones ............................................................... 34 Table 3: Key to localities ........................................................................................... 42 iv Kosciuszko National Park Draft Wild Horse Management Plan 2016 Invitation to Comment This Kosciuszko National Park Draft Wild Horse Management Plan has been developed with input from an Independent Technical Reference Group, an extensive community and stakeholder engagement process, a review of the heritage significance of wild horses in Kosciuszko National Park and a thorough review of the 2008 Kosciuszko National Park Horse Management Plan. The draft plan is now being placed on public exhibition for comment. Members of the public, whether as individuals or as members of community interest groups, are invited to comment in writing on this plan. The draft plan is on exhibition until 8 July 2016. You can provide your written submission in one of the following ways: use the online submission form at engage.environment.nsw.gov.au/consult email your comments to [email protected] post your submission to The Project Officer, Kosciuszko National Park Wild Horse Management Plan Review, National Parks and Wildlife Service, PO Box 2228, Jindabyne NSW 2627. To make consideration of your submission as effective as possible, please: outline areas where you agree or disagree and/or the positive and negative aspects of the plan in your opinion identify the section heading and number to which your comment relates briefly explain the reason for your comment and, if appropriate, suggest other ways to address the issue. All submissions received by NPWS are a matter of public record and are available for inspection upon request. Your