Nature's Voice edition 5 - July-August 2010

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Nick Roberts Water for Parks Project

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onservation groups have condemned a Brumby Government decision to allow recreational shooting of native waterbirds in the new Murray River Park, which stretches between Wodonga and Mildura.

A letter obtained by the VNPA under FOI confirms that the State Government will allow this activity in large areas of the new park.

We are deeply alarmed about this.

It smacks of a backroom deal that will severely undermine the protection of 35,000 ha of public land and endanger threatened species.

The decision was revealed in a letter from Environment Minister Gavin Jennings to Field and Game Australia and the Sporting Shooters’ Association.

This decision will severely tarnish what should have been the government’s most significant conservation achievement in this term – the establishment of red gum parks.

Environment groups say Premier John Brumby has walked away from his commitment to fully protect the new park.

Allowing shooting of native waterbirds in parks is contrary to

Will we see scenes like this in the new Murray River Park?

the government’s own Community Engagement Panel report.

All native animals should be safe in our parks. This decision threatens the integrity of the new park and risks damaging its ecotourism potential.

The groups call on the Premier to reverse the decision to allow duck hunting in Murray River Park.

There is still time to fix this. The

Photo: Noah Hannibal

Premier appears to be receiving very poor advice that threatens his Government’s credibility on the environment.

Victorian Minister for Environment and Climate Change Gavin Jennings officially opened our new red gum national parks (Lower Goulburn, Warby Range – Ovens River, Barmah and Gunbower) and Nyah-Vinifera Park on 29 and 30 June.

Central Victorian forests opened to woodchipping?

The VNPA and local groups are alarmed at a Brumby Government decision that opens the door to woodchipping of state forests in central Victoria.

An allocation order giving VicForests access to timber from central and western Victoria was posted on the DSE website in March without any public consultation.

It grants VicForests ownership of the

region’s timber for 15 years, starting in 2012, to make up for a shortfall in timber supplies due to recent bushfires in eastern Victorian forests.

This reverses a policy commitment made in the Victorian Timber Industry Strategy just last year, which clearly ruled out any role for VicForests in western and central Victoria.

Central Victoria’s forests are

currently managed by DSE, and only limited logging is allowed, mainly for firewood. VicForests supplies most of its timber to woodchipping companies.

The groups call on Premier John Brumby to categorically rule out woodchipping or increased logging of these precious forests, and ensure that VicForests plays no role in their future.

More: www.media.vnpa.org.au.

Traditional Owner rangers for the red gum parks, and below, celebrations at the official opening of the new parks. Photos: Shepparton News

All work and some play for red gum rangers for the next three years. They will then return to the Corporation to continue to manage conservation and cultural heritage programs in the jointly managed parks.

The new team received a warm welcome, has taken part in induction programs with Parks Victoria and YYNAC (including training with their Elders), and has now commenced work.

Together, Parks Victoria and the

Five Aboriginal Traditional Owners began work in May as rangers on Yorta Yorta Country in Victoria’s new River Red Gum parks.

The new team is the result of a collaborative effort by the Yorta Yorta Nation Aboriginal Corporation (YYNAC), the Federal Government and Parks Victoria. This initiative is the first of its kind in Victoria.

The rangers are employed by the YYNAC and seconded to Parks Victoria

Yorta Yorta will implement a combination of contemporary and traditional land management practices – resulting in benefits to the environment, culture and visitor experiences in the parks.

Editor: Michael Howes Design: John Sampson Printing: Tara Press Nature’s Voice is the VNPA’s quarterly newsletter. The deadline for our OctNov 2010 edition is 17 September.

Address: Level 3, 60 Leicester St, Carlton 3053 Tel: 03 9347 5188 Fax: 03 9347 5199 Website: www.vnpa.org.au Email: vnpa@vnpa.org.au ABN: 34 217 717 593 ISSN: 1837-6681 c: 60 m: 0 y: 100 k: 27

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Thanks for giving us your input!

Many thanks to the 60 members and supporters who attended the VNPA’s education workshop and Special General Meeting on Saturday 19 June.

Last year the VNPA established a working group to develop our Community Education and Engagement Strategy. The workshop was held to obtain feedback on the working group’s progress so far.

Those present took part in a group exercise to discuss the draft vision and themes the working group has come up with. Ideas put forward will

2 – Nature’s Voice | No 5 | July-August 2010

be discussed at future working group meetings. There will be opportunities for further input from members in coming months.

The Special General Meeting was held after the workshop to discuss and vote on amendments to the VNPA constitution. These amendments were approved by a unanimous vote of the VNPA members present.

It was great to see so many committed people giving their time to contribute to the VNPA’s work. Your support is very much appreciated.

Victorian National Parks Association

Anger at government plan to abolish VEAC

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he future of planning for the protection of Victoria’s native plants and animals is under threat by a Brumby Government decision to abolish the independent Victorian Environmental Assessment Council.

As VEAC released a ground-breaking discussion paper on Victoria’s remnant native vegetation, a coalition of 20 environment groups called on the Government to abandon plans to abolish the highly respected Council.

VNPA Executive Director Matt Ruchel said it was vital to retain VEAC to ensure that Victoria’s wild places are kept safe for future generations.

“VEAC and its predecessors have played a key role in creating Victoria’s park system. This sneaky decision, made without consultation, will dismantle a key conservation body,” he said.

Don Saunders, Conservation Coordinator for Bird Observation and Conservation Australia, said VEAC and its predecessors had served

Remnant native vegetation paper released This comprehensive Discussion Paper was released on 27 June as part of VEAC’s on-going investigation into Victoria’s remnant native vegetation.

You can download the Discussion Paper from www.veac.vic.gov.au, or call VEAC on 1800 134 803 for a free printed copy.

Written submissions are welcome and due by Monday 30 August.

VEAC is looking at vegetation on public land outside Victoria’s largelyintact landscapes (such as national parks), and at how this can best be used and managed to improve ecological linkages.

VEAC is also holding consultation workshops across Victoria. Phone 9637 9902 or email veac@dse.vic.gov.au if you need more information or wish to attend.

Victoria well for almost 40 years as an independent source of expert advice on land use and ecological issues.

“Importantly, VEAC’s investigations require extensive community consultation, but this requirement could be lost if VEAC is absorbed into a larger organisation,” he said.

Friends of the Earth spokesman Cam

Walker said that at a time of climate change impacts and other threats we need VEAC more than ever.

The groups have sent a letter to the Premier, along with petitions with over 2400 signatures calling on him to support and expand VEAC and commence a number of new independent investigations.

Sustainable firewood future for Victoria To protect our forests and their flora and fauna, the VNPA wants to phase out the use of native forests for firewood production, replacing it with firewood from sustainable tree plantations on previously cleared land.

The River Red Gum Community Engagement Panel recommended that the government “should actively support the development of dryland mixed species agro-forestry … to assist in providing local firewood”.

This should include incentives to landholders to invest in agroforestry, which would bring multiple benefits in tackling salinity, improving biodiversity and storing carbon.

The Melbourne firewood market is Victoria’s largest, and delivers the highest prices to growers. However, the market is currently restricted by DSE’s uncompetitive low pricing of wood products from public land. www.vnpa.org.au

GetUp forests campaign Advocacy group GetUp said recently that a truly transformative moment is opening up in the 30-year struggle to protect Australia’s native forests.

GetUp says the forestry industry is ready to sit down with the conservation movement to talk about a transition to a more sustainable future.

“We need to build a mass movement – imagine 50,000 Australians behind a set of Forestry Principles to guide the industry, retailers and all levels of government to a sustainable future!

“Ninety per cent of Australians are in

favour of protecting the native forests of Tasmania, NSW and Victoria.”

More: www.getup.org.au/campaign/ForestryPrinciples

Incentives, and changes to uncompetitive pricing structures, would assist the development and expansion of this market.

The scheme could produce some

30,000 tonnes of timber a year, based on a 15-year rotation and a conservative Mean Annual Increment of five cubic metres/ha.

More: www.firewood.vnpa.org.au.

Nature’s Voice | No 5 | July-August 2010 – 3

Victoria’s marine areas need greater protection Dr Geoff Wescott Associate Professor of Environment, Deakin University

Congratulations to Paige Shaw on her piece in June Park Watch and for her efforts in protecting marine biodiversity while working at the VNPA. Her departure is a big loss to the organisation and to Victorian marine conservation.

In the article she outlines the values of marine national parks and marine sanctuaries, and points out that Victoria’s 2002 reservation of 5.3% of our coastal waters in these highprotection Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) was ‘a good start’.

So it was – but very little has happened since, as the figures reveal.

Victoria now has 45 terrestrial national parks, covering a total of 11.9% of the state’s total area (approx.

25% of our public land), but only 13 marine national parks, covering 5.3% of the sea (which is all public ‘land’).

In the past eight years, six new land national parks have been established, but NO new marine national parks at all.

Looking to the future, there have so far been no commitments by this government to add to the marine national park estate. And if VEAC is disbanded, it is unclear what the mechanism would be for reviewing sea use and hence for recommending new MPAs. Readers can see why the VNPA’s

Paige at the ‘Dragons Lair’, just outside of Photo: Matt Krumins Port Phillip Heads.

marine biodiversity campaign (and campaign to retain VEAC) are sorely needed. Please support them.

New staff members bolster VNPA campaign team VNPA members and staff were sorry to farewell Marine and Coastal Project Officer Paige Shaw recently, as she has returned to her native Canada.

Paige did some very solid marine conservation work while she was with us, particularly on the marine and coastal sections of our Nature Conservation Review. We sincerely thank Paige and wish her all the best back in Canada.

Simon Branigan came to us recently to work on the Bastion Point campaign, but has now taken on Paige’s role with statewide marine campaigns as well.

Simon has recently moved from Tasmania, where he completed a master’s degree in Environmental Management and worked for peak NGO Environment Tasmania as Policy Coordinator.

He has worked in environmental fields for over ten years in NSW, WA, Tasmania and now Victoria in both on-ground bushland management/

AGM and Council nominations

Simon Branigan.

VNPA President Fred Gerardson invites all members to the VNPA AGM, to be held from 6 pm on Tuesday 12 October 2010 at 60 Leicester St, Carlton.

Nominations are open for positions on the VNPA Council or one of its Standing Committees. To nominate, you must be a financial member of at least 12 months’ standing at the date of nomination. Nomination forms are available from the VNPA office.

Nominations must be received at the VNPA office by 14 September.

Michaela Farrington.

revegetation roles and advocacy.

We have also welcomed Michaela Farrington, who is working with us as communications advisor with a particular focus on our marine campaign.

A marine biologist turned

communications professional, she spent three years as a newspaper journalist in Victoria before heading to a remote island in the Solomons and working for two years with a community-based conservation organisation to help protect a marine and terrestrial wilderness area.

Life on the Rocky Shores.

Out soon!

Life on the Rocky Shores of SE Australia 3rd edition, full colour, completely revised.

Your pocket guide to 96 intertidal plants and animals in Victoria, NSW and SA. 4 – Nature’s Voice | No 5 | July-August 2010 Victorian National Parks Association Published by VNPA, available Aug-Sep 2010.

Bay of Islands oil search could lead to drilling Simon Branigan Marine & Coastal Project Officer

A May decision by Environment Minister Gavin Jennings to allow petroleum exploration in Victoria’s Bay of Islands Coastal Park sets a dangerous precedent for further gas and oil exploration within the state’s national and other parks.

The VNPA is greatly concerned that if gas is found in the park and drilling is given the go-ahead, the associated well-head and pipeline infrastructure could cause serious harm to the area’s natural and cultural values, and consequently impact on regional tourism.

Bay of Islands Coastal Park, which adjoins Port Campbell NP, protects 950 hectares of fragile coastal vegetation and unique wildlife, as well as offshore islands and rock stacks.

There are considerable environmental concerns about the impacts of seismic testing on marine species, including whales, as well as potential damage to the park’s ecological and geological values.

Land-based seismic surveys require on-ground vehicle access to areas within the coastal park, which could damage fragile coastal vegetation if

Victoria’s Bay of Islands Coastal Park protects fragile coastal vegetation, unique wildlife Photo: Geoffrey Crane and offshore islands and rock stacks.

new roads or clearing are required.

A loophole in the National Parks Act allows petroleum exploration, even though new mining leases are banned.

We understand the testing is planned for October-December. The VNPA is keeping a watching brief on this exploration permit, and we continue to highlight our conviction that parks are for nature and people, not for oil and gas wells or mines.

TAKE ACTION! This seismic proposal has been referred to the Federal Government under the EPBC Act. Write to Environment Minister Peter Garrett about your concerns, c/o Parliament House, Canberra, ACT 2600 or else email Peter.Garrett.MP@aph.gov.au.

For more information go to www.marine.vnpa.org.au.

Fisheries officers vital for marine protection

Yana Canteloupe Community & Public Sector Union

With the establishment of Victoria’s marine national parks and sanctuaries in 2002, additional Fisheries Officers were appointed to ensure their protection.

By 2003 there were 72 Fisheries Officers and three regional Fisheries Investigators at each of 20 locations in Victoria.

Fast forward to 2010 and marine protection is at risk from a statewide shortage of Fisheries Officers. The number of officers has declined by 20% to just 58, leaving them increasingly unable to maintain www.vnpa.org.au

sustainable marine protection.

Increases in fisheries crime are being reported, and marine environments are more vulnerable to over-fishing, illegal take for sale, plunder of endangered species, and pest and disease outbreaks.

Fisheries Officers’ roles extend from compliance and enforcement within recreational and commercial fisheries to community engagement and education, conservation, training, court prosecutions, research, and search and rescue.

Fisheries Investigators undertake intelligence missions to identify and prosecute poachers – a lengthy and painstaking process that can take two

or more years to show results.

Their work underpins efforts to ensure marine conservation and sustainable fisheries into the future.

As the VNPA lobbies to protect 20% of Victoria’s marine environment by 2012, the Community and Public Sector Union will campaign to secure the numbers of Fisheries Officers and Investigators needed to ensure that marine areas can be properly protected.

CPSU is the peak industrial representative body for public servants in Victoria. For more information on this campaign go to www.cpsuvic.org/campaigns/ fisheries.

Nature’s Voice | No 5 | July-August 2010 – 5

Small Parks project launched in Castlemaine Photo: Tibor Hegedis

Emily Clough Fundraising & Marketing Manager

F

orecast storms didn’t deter more than 80 people from attending the 16 June launch of the VNPA’s Small Parks project at ‘Buda’ historic home in Castlemaine.

Guests enjoyed food and drinks, followed by a presentation from VNPA Executive Director Matt Ruchel.

It was a great opportunity for local members and supporters to get together, and also for the VNPA to thank local environment groups for their input into our Small Parks report Better Protection for Special Places.

The report identifies 20 high conservation value areas of public land in Central Victoria that could be better managed or are not in Victoria’s reserve system. They cover more than 115,000 hectares, and all need better management, and most a change of status, to improve their protection.

Yasmin Kelsall (left) receives a gift acknowledging her work from Wendy Radford on behalf of the Bendigo & District Environment Council and Ballarat Environment Network.

Many could become new ‘small’ parks, or be added to existing reserves. As well as protecting their conservation values, this would improve connectivity and build climate change resilience across the landscape.

The report calls on the State Government to incorporate the areas into the reserve system and invest in better on-ground management to deal with the threats of timber harvesting, pest plants and animals, and inappropriate recreation.

Local environment groups presented key report author Yasmin Kelsall, who spent many months talking to the

NatureWatch NatureWatch involves volunteers in gathering data on our natural environment to help with management.

It’s a great chance to contribute to nature conservation and learn about interesting species at the same time!

July – December 2010 • NEW!! Monitoring of additional threatened grassland species on the grassland community monitoring project, including: - Striped Legless Lizard.

- Plains Yam Daisy.

- Grassland Copper Butterfly.

• Grass-tree monitoring project in Brisbane Ranges and Wilsons Promontory national parks with the relevant Friends groups.

• Team leader training with the BWAG Group.

• Golden Sun Moth monitoring with the Grasslands project.

NatureWatch Volunteers have been checking mammal traps in the Grampians National Park.

Photo: Tsai Yi Ying Look for new NatureWatch projects as well! See www.naturewatch.vnpa. org.au, and make sure you download the new NatureWatch newsletter.

Thanks again!

A big thank you to all the volunteers, team leaders and NatureWatch partners and supporters for your contributions to the program over the past six months!

Get involved today! Phone Caitlin on 9341 6513, email caitling@vnpa.org.au or visit www.naturewatch.vnpa.org.au.

6 – Nature’s Voice | No 5 | July-August 2010

groups and visiting sites, with a gift to thank her for her work.

VNPA staff met environment and community groups before the evening event and developed a plan of action to draw attention to this project.

To see the report or check out the 20 special places, please visit www.smallparksproject.vnpa.org.au.

There is also a report on the project in June Park Watch.

The Small Parks project was funded

by The Norman Wettenhall Foundation, the Albert George and Nancy Caroline Youngman Trust administered by Equity Trustees, and the VNPA.

Free entry to Victoria’s parks All entry fees to Victoria’s parks were abolished as from Thursday 1 July.

We asked for your views on this, and on how our parks should be funded, in June Park Watch.

We’ve received some interesting responses and would welcome more.

We plan to publish them in a future edition of Park Watch.

Please write to the VNPA at Level 3, 60 Leicester St, Carlton, 3053, or email michaelh@vnpa.org.au.

Thanks for your support!

We are very grateful for the generous support we received for our recent appeal to reconnect Victoria’s natural landscape.

You can still support this appeal by filling in the coupon on page 7, phoning us on 9347 5188 or donating online at www.appeal.vnpa.org.au.

Victorian National Parks Association

‘Wild Walks’ in Victoria’s parks – a good idea?

‘Wild Walks’ appealing to the top end tourism market are also proposed in the Alpine National Park (Hotham – Falls Creek) and along the Croajingolong coast.

An expectation for the alpine walk is that walkers would be well fed at ‘wilderness camps’ (outside the national park), and ferried back to their starting point by helicopter.

Helicopters are also proposed for Croajingolong.

In Canada’s Jasper National Park, helicopters are forbidden to fly across the park’s boundary. The idea of using helicopters over remote areas seems completely contradictory to sustainability, self-sufficiency, people’s experiences and park values.

Look for more on this subject in the next edition of Park Watch.

Phil Ingamells Park Protection Project

P

arks Victoria and tourism interests are proposing a new 148 km northsouth multi-day walk through the Grampians.

Starting at Mt Stapylton, the walk would go along the Mt Difficult and Mt William ranges, and finish at Dunkeld.

It’s aimed at bushwalkers who want more ‘comfort’. It would have defined campsites (to be pre-booked), with tent platforms and possibly some kind of shelter. There would also be the option of walks guided by licensed tour operators.

A long-distance walking route traversing the Grampians sounds like a good idea, but there are several concerns about the proposal.

Sketch of a proposed camping shelter for the Grampians walk.

Illustration courtesy Parks Victoria

It would add more tracks to an area which is already fragmented, potentially leading to more pest plant and animal invasion and more human impacts.

There are also concerns the walk is aimed at the top (wealthy) end of the market, rather than at all visitors, especially people who don’t have ready access to national parks and who could benefit from programs and facilities designed to encourage them.

Bushland destroyed for Peninsula freeway Valuable native vegetation is being bulldozed around Frankston for the environmentally destructive and unnecessary Peninsula Link freeway.

Bulldozers have already destroyed woodland habitat on the freeway route and are to move into a rare example of Grassy Woodland on the Heritage Victoria listed ‘Westerfield’

Property. The Pines Flora & Fauna Reserve is also under threat.

‘Westerfield’ owners Simon and Joyce Welsh have appealed to Heritage Victoria about whether alternative freeway routes or a tunnel should be required.

But under the government’s new Major Transport Projects act, bulldozing can begin without waiting

for a ruling from Heritage Victoria, completing an environmental management plan, or finding offsets for the intended habitat destruction.

A community picket around ‘Westerfield’ property was set up early in July.

For information contact Gillian Collins, Friends of The Pines, on 0414 309 960.

✓ Yes! I want to support the VNPA with a tax deductible gift.

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