Submission to the Office of Environment and Heritage
Couchy Creek Nature Reserve – Draft Plan of Management
The Caldera Environment Centre (CEC) welcomes the OEH initiative to develop a plan of Management for the Couchy Creek Nature Reserve. Our organisation strongly supports the efforts of National Parks and Wildlife Service to manage problem weeds and other threatening processes that undermine the ecological integrity of these protected areas.
We wish to make the following specific comments about the plan:
- There is no specific budget allocated for the work. Is the proposed work to be undertaken within the annual budget of NPWS?
- There is no mention of whether the annual budget is to be increased to take account of this new responsibility
- There are no specific dates of commencement for the work detailed in the plan of management.
- Table 3: Actions. 17 of the 19 management responses are listed as a “high priority” which is defined as “must be undertaken in the near future”. The phrase is somewhat ambiguous and the CEC would like to know, when is that to be?
- Management responses 5.1.1, 5.1.3, 5.5.2, 5.7.3 and 5.7.4 require ongoing financial and physical resources. What capacity does OEH or NPWS have to employ new staff or sub-contractors to undertake this work?
- Myrtle Rust is mentioned as a specific threat to species in the familyMyrtaceae; is this disease already a problem in Couchy Creek NR; and other than good hygiene on the part of OEH staff and contracted workers, are there any plans to actively control this disease in the park?
General Comments:
Bush Regeneration is mentioned repeatedly through the document as a means of weed control, but no details are provided about the types of regeneration activities to be undertaken or what chemical herbicides are allowed to be used. There is some debate within the community about the use of herbicides and whether this is appropriate in a natural resource management context. While we acknowledge the limitations of financial constraints prevent organic techniques being employed and understand that productivity of weed control increases when herbicides are used, the explicit adoption of the methodology as outlined by the Big Scrub Rainforest Landcare Group (2005) Subtropical Rainforest Restoration Manual would ensure that contractors have clear guidelines and prevent ‘cavalier’ herbicide use. This would also help alleviate public uncertainty about work practices within NPWS boundaries.
The CEC would also like to see greater involvement of the public (particularly local residents) and community groups such as Landcare in undertaking work as contractors within Couchy Creek NR. It is our belief that with greater public involvement, a sense of ownership and pride can be cultivated in the local community and nearby residents, when involved in projects and work will have more incentive and be motivated to report illegal activities such as those described in section 3.5. Is there any possibility of formalising the unofficial tracks, or camping grounds within the Couchy Creek NR to make the area more accessible to bushwalkers or mountain bike riders? Such a concept could firstly help remove the illegal nature of such activities (as they are already occurring regardless of the regulations) and, secondly, if managed with a token fee structure, formalising (existing) illegal activities may provide opportunity to provide a source of revenue for the area.
Yours Sincerely
Samuel K. Dawson,
Secretary Caldera Environment Centre,
On behalf of Paul HopE Hopkins,
Coordinator, Caldera Environment Centre.
= = = Posted 01-Sep-2012 = = =
