Cape Range National Park Management Plan No 65 2010 R N V E M E O N G T E O H F T W A E I S L T A E R R N A U S T CAPE RANGE NATIONAL PARK Management Plan 2010 Department of Environment and Conservation Conservation Commission of Western Australia VISION By 2020, the park and the Ningaloo Marine Park will be formally recognised amongst the world’s most valuable conservation and nature based tourism icons. The conservation values of the park will be in better condition than at present. This will have been achieved by reducing stress on ecosystems to promote their natural resilience, and facilitating sustainable visitor use. In particular, those values that are not found or are uncommon elsewhere will have been conserved, and their special conservation significance will be recognised by the local community and visitors. The park will continue to support a wide range of nature-based recreational activities with a focus on preserving the remote and natural character of the region. Visitors will continue to enjoy the park, either as day visitors from Exmouth or by camping in the park itself at one of the high quality camping areas. The local community will identify with the park and the adjacent Ningaloo Marine Park, and recognise that its values are of international significance. An increasing number of community members will support and want to be involved in its ongoing management. The Indigenous heritage of the park will be preserved by the ongoing involvement of the traditional custodians, who will have a critical and active role in jointly managing the cultural and conservation values of the park. ii PREFACE Cape Range National Park is an outstanding conservation and recreation asset providing an important gateway to the Ningaloo Marine Park. Together these magnificent natural jewels, which have been earmarked for possible World Heritage listing, are recognised amongst the nation’s most valued conservation, recreation and tourism icons. The diverse landscapes and habitats of the national park and marine park support an outstanding array of wildlife including spectacular coral reefs and fish species, iconic species such as whale sharks and manta rays and extraordinary assemblages of subterranean creatures many of which are found nowhere else in the world. Cape Range also has important cultural and scientific values with evidence of previous human habitation and culture as well as geological and biological evolution. In recognition of the area’s world class qualities, the Commonwealth Government has nominated areas of the Cape Range peninsula and Ningaloo Marine Park for World Heritage. The Conservation Commission of Western Australia is committed to supporting and working with the Government to this end. The management prescriptions in this plan along with those in the Management Plan for the Ningaloo Marine Park and Murion Islands Marine Management Area 2005-2015 provide for protection of the parks’ significant natural and cultural values and are therefore an important contribution towards achieving World Heritage listing for the area. Cape Range National Park and Ningaloo Marine Park are now included on the National Heritage list. This management plan is for the Cape Range National Park and has been prepared by the Department of Environment and Conservation on behalf of the Conservation Commission or WA. In accordance with section 55 of the CALM Act, the term of the final management plan will be 10 years from the date of gazettal, or until the plan is superseded by a new management plan. The Department and the Conservation Commission understand that effective management of Cape Range National Park depends on partnerships with the community. Proposals in this plan have been developed by taking into consideration comments received from the community and key stakeholders during preparation of the plan. This included input from a community advisory committee, submissions to a publicly released issues paper, meetings with stakeholders and feedback from community meetings and workshops principally held by the former Department for Planning and Infrastructure in preparing the Ningaloo Coast Regional Strategy Carnarvon to Exmouth (WAPC 2004) (Ningaloo Coast Regional Strategy). This management plan strikes an acceptable balance between ecological and socio-economic demands. Ongoing community involvement in the management of Cape Range National Park will be vital. To this end, the plan provides for education and public participation programs to raise community awareness, understanding and cooperation with management. There is a particular focus on providing for the involvement of Indigenous peoples in management of the park. The plan gives practical recognition to the need for Indigenous peoples to practice their culture (including to care for country) and protect heritage sites. Strategies to ensure that this can happen have been incorporated into this plan. Marine and coastal environments are complex, integrated systems and it is therefore essential that management of these areas is also integrated, coordinated and complementary. To this end, the regional context of the park has been a key consideration during the planning process and strategies have been developed with adjacent land and marine uses in mind. The plan has sought to provide for seamless management with other Department managed areas in the region (e.g. the marine park and Jurabi and Bundegi Coastal Parks). This plan has been developed in close collaboration with the development of the Management Plan for the Ningaloo Marine Park and Murion Islands Marine Management Area 2005-2015, and both are consistent with the broader planning framework provided by the Ningaloo Coast Regional Strategy. The Conservation Commission and Department will seek to achieve the plan’s objectives by taking the actions specified. Improvements in management are planned through adaptive management strategies built into the document. The Department and Commission are committed to implementation of the plan. Reports by the Conservation Commission on implementation of the plan will make it clear if any actions have not been progressed and for what reasons. iii NOMENCLATURE Inclusion of a name in this publication does not imply its approval by the relevant nomenclature authority. The words Jinigudira, Baijunju and Thalanyji can be spelt in numerous ways. This spelling should also be seen to encompass all other spellings. For the purposes of this management plan ‘the park’ refers to the Cape Range National Park and ‘the Department’ refers to the Department of Environment and Conservation. iv CONTENTS VISION ...................................................................................................................................................ii PREFACE ...............................................................................................................................................iii NOMENCLATURE .................................................................................................................................iv CONTENTS.............................................................................................................................................v PART A. INTRODUCTION .....................................................................................................................1 1. Brief Overview .......................................................................................................................................1 2. Regional Context ....................................................................................................................................1 3. Management Plan Area...........................................................................................................................2 4. Key Values..............................................................................................................................................2 5. Public Participation.................................................................................................................................3 PART B. MANAGEMENT DIRECTIONS AND PURPOSE ......................................................................4 6. Vision......................................................................................................................................................4 7. Legislative Framework ...........................................................................................................................4 Legislation........................................................................................................................................4 Land Classification...........................................................................................................................5 Obligations and Agreements ............................................................................................................6 8. Management Arrangements with Aboriginal People.............................................................................7 9. Management Planning Process ...............................................................................................................8 10. Performance Assessment ........................................................................................................................8 11. Existing Tenure.......................................................................................................................................9