Section 2009 - Approval of the Booderee National Park Management Plan 2015-2025 - Formation of a Junior Ranger program as a joint Wreck Bay/Booderee National Park initiative. | Zoe
This part of the plan sets out the context in which this second management plan for Booderee National Park was prepared. It describes the previous plan and the network of legislative requirements, international agreements and the Lease which underpin the content of the plan.
1.1 Previous management plan
This is the second management plan for Booderee National Park. The first plan came into operation in 2002 and ceased to have effect on 3 April 2009. Section 357 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) allows the Director to manage a Commonwealth reserve following the expiration of a management plan in accordance with the IUCN management principles for the IUCN category to which the reserve was assigned under an expired management plan.
In August 2008, the Booderee National Park Board of Management resolved to use the first management plan as a guide for developing the second plan.
1.2 Planning process
Section 366 of the EPBC Act requires that the Director of National Parks and the Board of Management (if any) for a Commonwealth reserve prepare management plans for the reserve. In addition to seeking comments from members of the public, the relevant land council and the relevant state or territory government, the Director and the board are required to take into account the interests of the traditional owners of land in the reserve and of any other Indigenous persons interested in the reserve.
Other stakeholders consulted during the preparation of this management plan included Australian Government agencies (Defence, Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development); NSW agencies (National Parks and Wildlife Service, Marine Parks Authority, Fisheries); Shoalhaven City Council; and regional tourism bodies.
1.3 Structure of this management plan
The outcomes in the plan are developed against the following key result areas reflected in the Strategic Planning and Performance Assessment Framework:
Natural heritage management (see Section 6 of the plan)
Cultural heritage management (see Section 6)
Joint management and working with Indigenous communities (see Section 4 and 5)
Use and appreciation of protected areas (see Section 7)
Stakeholders and partnerships (see Section 8)
Business management (see Section 9)
1.4 Assessing performance
Management plans for reserves managed by Parks Australia operate in the context of both wider strategic plans and work plans for individuals involved in delivering management plan prescriptions. During the life of the first management plan, Booderee National Park developed a planning and implementation system which included works programs based on plan prescriptions and recording of effort against those prescriptions. The planning component of the system allowed for the preparation of annual implementation plans that prioritised prescriptions and assigned projects to individual staff and work teams. These work plans were in turn attached to individuals’ performance development plans.
Towards the end of the first plan, a technical audit of the plan’s implementation was made using this planning and implementation system. Actions taken against each prescription in the plan were audited to see how those actions had contributed to achieving the plan’s specified aims. This was done through data analysis or expert opinion. Status and trend (stable, positive or negative) were assessed for each of the values specified in management plan aims, to assist with understanding the current state of these values and with prioritising future management activities.
The Booderee National Park Board of Management has endorsed this approach and has resolved that annual reports on the status and trend of key issues would assist them to redirect management efforts over the life of the plan. This is an important adaptive management process.
Sections 3 to 9 of this plan begin with a summary of performance under the first plan, as a baseline for defining future management activities. Measures are also identified for assessing performance under this second plan against the key result areas and reporting to the Board.
2. Introductory provisions
2.1 Short title
This management plan should be cited as the Booderee National Park Management Plan or the Booderee Management Plan.
2.2 Commencement and termination
This management plan will come into operation following approval by the Minister under s.370 of the EPBC Act, on a date specified by the Minister or the date it is registered under the Legislative Instruments Act 2003, and will cease to have effect ten years after commencement, unless revoked sooner or replaced with a new plan.
2.3 Interpretation and acronyms
In this management plan:
Aboriginal means a person who is a member of the Aboriginal race of Australia
Aboriginal tradition means the body of traditions, observances, customs and beliefs of Aboriginals generally or of a particular group of Aboriginals and includes those traditions, observances, customs and beliefs as applied in relation to particular persons, sites, areas of Booderee National Park, things and relationships
Australian Government means the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia
Board of Management (or Park Board or Board) means the Booderee National Park Board of Management established under the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 (Parks Act) and continued under the EPBC Act by the Environmental Reform (Consequential Provisions) Act 1999
Booderee Botanic Gardens (or Botanic Gardens) means that part of Booderee National Park formerly part of the Australian National Botanic Gardens and included in Booderee National Park by proclamation on 25 May 2000
Booderee National Park (or Booderee or Park) means the area declared as Jervis Bay National Park under the Parks Act, later renamed as Booderee National Park under the Parks Act and continued as a Commonwealth reserve under the EPBC Act by the Environmental Reform (Consequential Provisions) Act 1999
Commonwealth reserve means a reserve declared under Division 4 of Part 15 of the EPBC Act
Community means the community known as the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community
Council means the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council established and constituted by the Land Grant Act
Defence means the Department of Defence and includes all agencies that comprise the Australian Defence Organisation
Director means the Director of National Parks under s.514A of the EPBC Act and includes Parks Australia and any person to whom the Director has delegated powers and functions under the EPBC Act in relation to Booderee National Park, and including any agency that succeeds to the functions of the Director
EPBC Act means the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and includes reference to any Act amending, repealing or replacing the EPBC Act
EPBC Regulations means the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Regulations 2000 and includes reference to any Regulations amending, repealing or replacing the EPBC Regulations
Jervis Bay Territory Administration (or Administration) means that part of the Australian Government agency with responsibility for administration of the Jervis Bay Territory. At the time of preparing the plan, that agency was the Australian Government Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development.
Koori means Aboriginal people of south-eastern Australia
Land Grant Act means the Aboriginal Land Grant (Jervis Bay Territory) Act 1986
Lease means the Memorandum of Lease between the Council and the Director, unless otherwise stated
Mining operations means mining operations as defined by the EPBC Act
Minister means the Minister administering the EPBC Act
Parks Act means the National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1975 and the Regulations under that Act
Parks Australia means the Director of National Parks and the agency that assists the Director in performing the Director’s functions under the EPBC Act. At the time of preparing the plan, the agency assisting the Director is the Parks Australia Division of the Australian Government Department of the Environment
Personal watercraft means a power-driven vessel that:
(a) has a fully enclosed hull; and
(b) does not retain water taken on if it capsizes; and
(c) is designed to be operated by a person standing, sitting astride or kneeling on the vessel but not seated within the vessel and includes a jet ski
Reserve management principles means the Australian IUCN reserve management principles set out in Schedule 8 of the EPBC Regulations (see Appendix C)
Ride means to ride a non-motorised vehicle such as a pedal-powered bicycle.
Territory means the Jervis Bay Territory
Track for walking or riding means a track for walking or riding that has been provided by the Director in accordance with EPBC subregulation 12.55(2).
Traditional Aboriginal owners (or traditional owners) means those members of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council whose names are recorded on the Council Register as being members of the Council
Traditional use and traditional activity mean a use or activity undertaken in accordance with Aboriginal tradition
Vehicle access road means a road in a Commonwealth reserve that:
(a) is a sealed road; and
(b) does not have a sign displayed on or near it indicating that it is prohibited to use motor vehicles on the road at that time.
Vehicle access track means a road in a Commonwealth reserve that:
(a) is an unsealed road; and
(b) has a sign, erected by the Director, with the words ‘Vehicle Access Track’ displayed at the point or points that motor vehicles would normally access the track; and
(c) there are no signs displayed on the track indicating that it is prohibited to use motor vehicles on the track at that time.
Acronyms
ACT Australian Capital Territory
IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature
All of the land in the park, including the seabed of Jervis Bay within the park, is Aboriginal land under the Land Grant Act with title held by Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council. The Council has leased the land to the Director in accordance with the Land Grant Act for the purposes of being managed as a Commonwealth reserve.
EPBC Act
Objects of the Act
The objects of the EPBC Act as set out in Part 1 of the Act are:
(a) to provide for the protection of the environment, especially those aspects of the environment that are matters of national environmental significance; and
(b) to promote ecologically sustainable development through the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of natural resources; and
(c) to promote the conservation of biodiversity; and
(ca) to provide for the protection and conservation of heritage; and
(d) to promote a co-operative approach to the protection and management of the environment involving governments, the community, land-holders and Indigenous peoples; and
(e) to assist in the co-operative implementation of Australia’s international environmental responsibilities; and
(f) to recognise the role of Indigenous people in the conservation and ecologically sustainable use of Australia’s biodiversity; and
(g) to promote the use of Indigenous people’s knowledge of biodiversity with the involvement of, and in cooperation with, the owners of the knowledge.
Establishment of the park
The park and the then separate Botanic Gardens were proclaimed under the Parks Act as the Jervis Bay National Park and as the Jervis Bay component of the Australian National Botanic Gardens in 1992 and 1991 respectively. In May 2000 the Botanic Gardens were removed from the Australian National Botanic Gardens and added to Booderee National Park by proclamation. The Parks Act was replaced by the EPBC Act in July 2000. The park continues as a Commonwealth reserve under the EPBC Act pursuant to the Environmental Reform (Consequential Provisions) Act 1999, which deems the park to have been declared for the following purposes:
the preservation of the area in its natural condition
the encouragement and regulation of the appropriate use, appreciation and enjoyment of the area by the public.
In 1998, in accordance with provisions of the Lease, the name of the park was amended by proclamation under the Parks Act to Booderee National Park.
Director of National Parks
The Director of National Parks is a corporation under the s.514A of the EPBC Act. The corporation is controlled by the person appointed by the Governor-General to the office that is also called the Director of National Parks (s.514F).
The functions of the Director (s.514B) include the administration, management and control of the park. The Director generally has power to do all things necessary or convenient for performing the Director’s functions (s.514C). The Director has a number of specified powers under the EPBC Act and EPBC Regulations, including to prohibit or control some activities, and to issue permits for activities that are otherwise prohibited. The Director performs functions and exercises powers in accordance with this plan and decisions of the Board of Management, consistent with the plan.
Booderee National Park Board of Management
The Booderee National Park Board of Management was established (as the Jervis Bay National Park Board of Management) under the Parks Act and continues under the EPBC Act. A majority of Board members must be Indigenous persons nominated by the traditional owners of land in the park. The functions of the Board under s.376 of the EPBC Act are:
to make decisions relating to the management of the park that are consistent with the management plan in operation for the park; and
in conjunction with the Director, to:
- prepare management plans for the park; and
- monitor the management of the park; and
- advise the Minister on all aspects of the future development of the park.
Board sub-committees
At the time of preparing the plan, there were two Board sub-committees to assist the Board in making decisions:
Steering Committee for Interpretation, Education and Information – established to provide advice and guidance to the Board on strategic planning, specific projects and policy matters relating to education, interpretation and information.
Booderee National Park Training Committee - established to provide advice and guidance to the Board on training priorities and to implement the Training Strategy.
These committees are created and operate under terms of reference determined by the Board.
Management plans
The EPBC Act requires the Board, in conjunction with the Director, to prepare management plans for the park. When prepared, a plan is given to the Minister for approval. A management plan is a ‘legislative instrument’ for the purposes of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003 and must be registered under that Act. Following registration, the plan is tabled in each House of the Commonwealth Parliament and may be disallowed by either House on a motion moved within 15 sitting days of the House after tabling.
A management plan for a Commonwealth reserve has effect for ten years, subject to being revoked or amended earlier by another management plan for the reserve.
See Section 2.5 in relation to EPBC Act requirements for a management plan.
A management plan does not go into detail to describe each activity undertaken in the park. A range of strategies, plans and policies are developed from time to time to articulate management programs and responses. A list of the majority of such documents being used and/or developed at the time of preparing this plan appears as Appendix D to this plan.
Control of actions in Commonwealth reserves
The EPBC Act (ss.354 and 354A) prohibits certain actions being taken in Commonwealth reserves except in accordance with a management plan. These actions are:
kill, injure, take, trade, keep or move a member of a native species; or
damage heritage; or
carry on an excavation; or
erect a building or other structure; or
carry out works; or
take an action for commercial purposes.
These prohibitions, and other provisions of the EPBC Act and Regulations dealing with activities in Commonwealth reserves, do not prevent Aboriginal people from continuing their traditional use of Booderee National Park for hunting or gathering (except for the purposes of sale) or for ceremonial and religious purposes (s.359A).
The EPBC Act also does not affect the operation of s.211 of the Native Title Act 1993 which provides that holders of native title rights covering certain activities do not need authorisation required by other laws to engage in those activities (s.8 EPBC Act).
Mining operations are prohibited in Booderee National Park by the EPBC Act (ss.355 and 355A) except where authorised under a management plan.
The EPBC Regulations control, or allow the Director to control, a range of activities in Commonwealth reserves such as camping, use of vehicles and vessels, littering, commercial activities, commercial fishing, recreational fishing and research. The Director applies the Regulations subject to and in accordance with the EPBC Act and management plans. The Regulations do not apply to the Director or to wardens or rangers appointed under the EPBC Act. Activities that are prohibited or restricted by the EPBC Act may be carried on if they are authorised by a permit issued by the Director and/or they are carried on in accordance with a management plan or if another exception prescribed by r.12.06(1) of the Regulations applies.
Access to biological resources in Commonwealth areas is regulated under Part 8A of the EPBC Regulations. Access to biological resources is also covered by ss.354 and 354A of the EPBC Act if the resources are members of a native species and/or if access is for commercial purposes.
Environmental impact assessment
Actions that are likely to have a significant impact on ‘matters of national environmental significance’ are subject to the referral, assessment and approval provisions of Chapters 2 to 4 of the EPBC Act (irrespective of where the action is taken).
At the time of preparing this plan, the matters of national environmental significance identified in the EPBC Act are:
World Heritage listed properties
National Heritage listed places
Ramsar wetlands of international importance
nationally listed threatened species and ecological communities
listed migratory species
nuclear actions (including uranium mining).
Commonwealth marine areas
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
The referral, assessment and approval provisions also apply to actions on Commonwealth land that are likely to have a significant impact on the environment and to actions taken outside Commonwealth land that are likely to have a significant impact on the environment on Commonwealth land. The park is Commonwealth land for the purposes of the EPBC Act.
Responsibility for compliance with the assessment and approvals provisions of the EPBC Act lies with persons taking relevant ‘controlled’ actions. A person proposing to take an action that the person thinks may be or is a controlled action should refer the proposal to the Minister for the Minister’s decision whether or not the action is a controlled action. The Director of National Parks may also refer proposed actions to the Minister.
Wildlife protection
The EPBC Act also contains provisions (Part 13) that prohibit and regulate actions in relation to listed threatened species and ecological communities, listed migratory species, cetaceans and listed marine species. Appendix E to this plan lists species of significance to the park, including species that are listed under the EPBC Act and NSW legislation and under international conventions, treaties and agreements at the time of preparing this plan.
Actions taken in a Commonwealth reserve in accordance with a management plan in relation to members of species listed under Part 13 of the Act are exempt from prohibitions that would otherwise apply under Part 13.
Heritage protection
The Jervis Bay Territory (which includes the area occupied by the park) is listed as a place in the Commonwealth Heritage List under the EPBC Act. The Booderee Botanic Gardens and Cape St George Lighthouse Ruins and Curtilage located within the park are also listed as places in the Commonwealth Heritage List.
At the time of preparing this plan the Hive Shipwreck Survivors’ Camp was under consideration for inclusion in the Commonwealth Heritage List. The site will be managed in accordance with Commonwealth Heritage management principles if listed during the life of this plan.
The EPBC Act heritage protection provisions (ss.324A to 324ZC and ss.341A to 341ZH) relevantly provide:
for establishment and maintenance of a National Heritage List and a Commonwealth Heritage List, criteria and values for inclusion of places in either list and heritage management principles for places that are included in the two lists
that Commonwealth agencies must not take an action that is likely to have an adverse impact on the heritage values of a place included in either list unless there is no feasible and prudent alternative to taking the action and all measures that can reasonably be taken to mitigate the impact of the action on those values are taken
that Commonwealth agencies that own or control places must:
- prepare a written heritage strategy for managing those places to protect and conserve their Commonwealth Heritage values. The strategy must address any matters required by the EPBC Regulations, and not be inconsistent with the Commonwealth Heritage management principles
- identify Commonwealth Heritage values for each place, and produce a register that sets out the Commonwealth Heritage values (if any) for each place (and do so within the timeframe set out in the place’s heritage strategy).
The prescriptions within this management plan are consistent with Commonwealth Heritage and National Heritage management principles and other relevant obligations under the EPBC Act for protecting and conserving the heritage values for which the park has been listed on the Commonwealth Heritage List and nominated on the National Heritage List.
Appendices C and D identify Commonwealth Heritage values and compliance with Commonwealth Heritage management principles relevant to the park.
Penalties
Civil and criminal penalties may be imposed for breaches of the EPBC Act.
2.5 Purpose and content of a management plan
The purpose of this management plan is to describe the direction of management for the park for the next ten years in accordance with the EPBC Act. It identifies desired outcomes and actions required to achieve these outcomes. The plan enables management to proceed in an orderly way, helps reconcile competing interests and identifies priorities for the allocation of available resources.
In line with the aspirations of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council for sole management of the park, this plan aims to develop and enhance the Community’s ability to eventually manage the park.
Under s.367(1) of the EPBC Act, a management plan for a Commonwealth reserve (in this case, the park) must provide for the protection and conservation of the reserve. In particular, a management plan must:
(a) assign the reserve to an IUCN category (whether or not a Proclamation has assigned the reserve or a zone of the reserve to that IUCN category); and
(b) state how the reserve, or each zone of the reserve, is to be managed; and
(c) state how the natural features of the reserve, or of each zone of the reserve, are to be protected and conserved; and
(d) if the Director holds land or seabed included in the reserve under lease—be consistent with the Director’s obligations under the lease; and
(e) specify any limitation or prohibition on the exercise of a power, or performance of a function, under the EPBC Act in or in relation to the reserve; and
(f) specify any mining operation, major excavation or other work that may be carried on in the reserve, and the conditions under which it may be carried on; and
(g) specify any other operation or activity that may be carried on in the reserve; and
(h) indicate generally the activities that are to be prohibited or regulated in the reserve, and the means of prohibiting or regulating them; and
(i) indicate how the plan takes account of Australia’s obligations under each agreement with one or more other countries that is relevant to the reserve (including the World Heritage Convention and the Ramsar Convention, if appropriate); and
(j) if the reserve includes a National Heritage place:
(i) not be inconsistent with the National Heritage management principles; and
(ii) address the matters prescribed by regulations made for the purposes of paragraph 324S(4)(a); and
(k) if the reserve includes a Commonwealth Heritage place:
(i) not be inconsistent with the Commonwealth Heritage management principles; and
(ii) address the matters prescribed by regulations made for the purposes of paragraph 341S(4)(a).
In preparing a management plan the EPBC Act (s.368) also requires account to be taken of various matters. In respect to Booderee National Park these matters include:
the regulation of the use of the park for the purpose for which it was declared
the interests of:
- the traditional owners of the park
- any other Indigenous persons interested in the park
- any person who has a usage right relating to land, sea or seabed in the park that existed (or is derived from a usage right that existed) immediately before the park was declared
the protection of the special features of the park, including objects and sites of biological, historical, palaeontological, archaeological, geological and geographical interest
the protection, conservation and management of biodiversity and heritage within the park
the protection of the park against damage
Australia's obligations under agreements between Australia and one or more other countries relevant to the protection and conservation of biodiversity and heritage.
2.6 IUCN category
In addition to assigning a Commonwealth reserve to an IUCN protected area category, a management plan may divide a Commonwealth reserve into zones and assign each zone to an IUCN category. The category to which a zone is assigned may differ from the category to which the reserve as a whole is assigned (s.367(2)).
The provisions of a management plan must not be inconsistent with the reserve management principles for the IUCN category to which the reserve or zone of the reserve is assigned (s.367(3)). See Section 3.1 for information on Booderee’s IUCN categories.
2.7 Lease agreement
The park was granted to the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council on behalf of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community in 1995 and leased to the Director of National Parks as a Commonwealth reserve. The Lease expires on 10 October 2094. With the exception of the term, the provisions of the Lease may be reviewed by the Council and the Director every five years, or at any agreed time. Five years before the Lease expires, the Council and the Director will enter into negotiations for its renewal or extension, unless the Lease has been terminated. The Council and the Director may agree in writing to terminate the Lease at any time.
Where the enactment, repeal or amendment of an Act or Regulation:
is inconsistent with the Lease, the management plan, the Council’s rights as lessor or the Council’s ownership of the fee simple in the park; and
is materially prejudicial to the rights of the Council or the Community regarding the ownership, occupation, use, administration, management or control of the park,
the Lease is deemed to be breached.
Such action may lead to termination of the Lease on 18 months notice by the Council. Where a termination notice is issued, the Council and the Director must meet as soon as possible and enter into bona fide negotiations with a view to a new lease being granted.
Under the Lease the following rights of the Community are reserved, subject to prior approval of the Council, the directions or decisions of the Board relating to health, safety, privacy or protection of the park and any such reasonable constraints mentioned within the management plan:
the right to enter, use and occupy the park in accordance with the Aboriginal tradition of the Community
the right to continue to use the park for traditional hunting and food gathering in accordance with law and for ceremonial and religious purposes
the right to reside in the park at other locations as may be specified in the management plan.
The Director’s responsibilities under the Lease include:
at the request of the Council, subletting any reasonable part of the park to a Community member provided it is in accordance with the EPBC Act and the plan
paying rent to the Council
promoting and protecting the interests of the Community and sacred sites, areas and things of significance to the Community
promoting and assisting in the provision of resources for the involvement of Community members in the development of management plans and in the operations and management of the park
promoting the employment and training of Community members
contracting the Council’s services and engage as many Community members as practicable to provide services in the park
promoting understanding of and respect for Aboriginal traditions, languages, cultures, customs and skills
encouraging business and commercial enterprises by the Council in the park
providing funding to the Council to fulfil Community liaison functions
providing resources for the adequate maintenance of roads and other facilities
implementing a licensing scheme for tour operators and other commercial operators
properly collecting and auditing entrance fees and other charges
assisting with a business case and seeking funding for construction of a Cultural Centre
subject to the plan and taking into account the Director’s financial duties under legislation and relevant policies, contracting out appropriate services in the park and giving preference to the Council to provide those services.
The full provisions of the Lease at the time of preparing this plan are at Appendix B.
2.8 International agreements
This plan must take account of Australia’s obligations under relevant international agreements. The following agreements are relevant to the park and are taken into account in this plan. Species listed under the agreements and conventions are listed species under Part 13 of the EPBC Act. Appendix E to this management plan includes listed migratory and marine species found in the park.
Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)
ACAP is a multilateral agreement which seeks to conserve albatrosses and petrels by coordinating international activity to mitigate known threats to albatross and petrel populations. Four species listed under this agreement are found in Booderee.
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention)
The Bonn Convention aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range. Parties to this convention work together to conserve migratory species and their habitats. Twenty-seven species listed under this convention are found in Booderee.
China–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (CAMBA)
CAMBA provides for China and Australia to cooperate in the protection of migratory birds listed in the annex to the agreement and their environment, and requires each country to take appropriate measures to preserve and enhance the environment of migratory birds. Twenty species listed under this agreement occur in Booderee.
Japan–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (JAMBA)
JAMBA provides for Japan and Australia to cooperate in taking measures for the management and protection of migratory birds, birds in danger of extinction, and the management and protection of their environments, and requires each country to take appropriate measures to preserve and enhance the environment of birds protected under the provisions of the agreement. Twenty-three species listed under this agreement are found in Booderee.
The Nagoya Protocol
In October 2010 the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the ‘Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization’, also known as the Nagoya Protocol. Australia signed the protocol in January 2012, and is committed to its full implementation and ratification. The protocol establishes a legally-binding framework for access to genetic resources for research activities, sharing the benefits from their use or the use of associated Traditional Knowledge. Access to biological resources in Commonwealth areas such as the park is regulated under the EPBC Act and EPBC Regulations (see also Section 6.12, Research and monitoring).
Republic of Korea–Australia Migratory Bird Agreement (ROKAMBA)
ROKAMBA provides for the Republic of Korea and Australia to cooperate in taking measures for the management and protection of migratory birds and their habitat by providing a forum for the exchange of information, support for training activities and collaboration on migratory bird research and monitoring activities. Fifteen species listed under this agreement are found in Booderee.
United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
The Director and the Board of Management acknowledges the Australian Government’s support for the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. As an international instrument, the declaration provides a blueprint for Indigenous people and governments around the world, based on the principles of self-determination and participation and respect for the rights and roles of Indigenous people within society. The declaration contains the minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of Indigenous peoples all over the world. Joint management of the park supports many of the principles of the declaration.
Degree of management compliance with the relevant Australian IUCN reserve management principles.
The technical audit of the first plan identified a negative trend in relation to zoning and IUCN categorisation. Zoning in accordance with the requirements of the first plan was established but education about and enforcement of marine zones proved difficult. There were repeated serious breaches of recreational fishing limits which may have compromised park values.
3.1 Assigning the park to an IUCN category and zoning
Aim
Booderee is managed in accordance with IUCN categories II (National Park) and IV (Habitat protection zone), providing for appropriate use of the park while protecting its natural and cultural features (See Section 3.1.3).
The categorisation and zoning scheme takes into account the requirements of the EPBC Act and Regulations including relevant reserve management principles; regional conservation strategies aimed at conserving biodiversity through such things as the maintenance of habitat corridors and water quality; protection of endangered species and habitat; and conservation of the marine environment.
As noted in Section 2.6, IUCN Category, the EPBC Act requires a Commonwealth reserve to be assigned to an IUCN category. The EPBC Act also allows a management plan to divide a reserve into zones and to assign the zones to an IUCN category, which may differ from the overall category of the reserve. The EPBC Regulations prescribe the reserve management principles for each IUCN category.
The technical audit of the first plan identified the need to improve marine zoning strategies following repeated serious breaches of recreational fishing limits and concerns about impacts on marine species. There were insufficient research results and data available to determine the most appropriate strategies to protect the park’s marine waters. A priority of this plan will be to implement an enforceable and effective response to protecting the values of the park’s marine component.
Issues
An appropriate level of protection needs to be assigned to each zone identified within the park
Additional research is required to determine and provide for sustainable and appropriate use of the marine component of the National Park.
There is a need for capacity to review and amend the level of protection assigned to the marine component of the park if further research and monitoring indicates additional protection is required.
Prescriptions
3.1.1 The park is assigned to IUCN category II (national park) and will be managed in accordance with the reserve management principles set out in Schedule 8 of the EPBC Regulations and listed in Appendix C.
3.1.2 The park is divided into five management zones to assist with the protection of natural heritage within the park (refer to Table 3 and Maps 3 and 4 for description and location of the zones). The zones and their associated management purposes are:
Nature Conservation Zone
- Protection and appreciation of terrestrial and marine natural and cultural heritage
- Protection of Lake Windermere water quality
- Providing for no-take recreational activities in a natural setting
2. Marine Habitat Protection Zone
- Providing a high level of protection for marine and intertidal areas of the park
- Protecting sensitive marine habitats such as seagrass beds
- Providing for appropriate recreational and commercial activities that are consistent with the protection of natural values
3. Botanic Gardens Zone
- Management, presentation, appreciation and study of a representative living collection of plants of south-eastern Australia with a particular emphasis on Indigenous plant use
- Providing for sustainable recreation in a modified setting
- Providing for environmentally sustainable commercial development, particularly in the form of Indigenous business enterprises
4. Bowen Island and Adjacent Waters Special Purpose Zone
- Providing high levels of protection for seabird, fish and marine invertebrate habitat and breeding areas
- Protection of cultural sites including middens
5. HMAS Creswell Waterfront Special Purpose Zone
- Protection of natural values
- Exclusion of public access to waters adjacent to Defence infrastructure and facilities for safety and security reasons
3.1.3 Zones 1, 2, 4 and 5 are assigned to IUCN category II (national park). Zone 3 is assigned to category IV (habitat/species management area).
3.1.4 Activities undertaken within each zone must be appropriate to the management purposes of each zone (see Table 4 for examples of types of activities appropriate to each zone).
3.1.5 The zoning scheme does not prevent the Director closing areas or restricting activities in the park in the future as provided under the EPBC Regulations.
3.1.6 Approval of development activities in any zone will be subject to the decision-making and evaluation of proposals procedures outlined in Sections 4.1 and 9.8 of this plan.
3.1.7 Monitor the effectiveness of zoning during the period of this plan. With the agreement of the Board and in accordance with the requirements of the EPBC Act and the provisions of this plan, the Director may adjust management approaches to improve conservation of the park.
3.1.8 Further to Section 3.1.7 above, work with relevant agencies to implement cooperative research and monitoring programs that evaluate the effectiveness of current management arrangements for conserving biodiversity in the park. Subject to the results of these programs, and in accordance with Section 3.1.5, the Director may vary or close access to all or part of a zone or restrict activities consistent with the management purposes of the zone. See also Sections 6.5.6 and 7.8.3.
3.1.9 Maintain or introduce determinations under the EPBC Regulations that restrict public access or the conduct of certain activities as provided under the zoning scheme (see also Sections 6.5, 6.6, 7.7 and 7.8).
Table 3: Description of zones
| HMAS Creswell Waterfront Special Purpose Zone | The HMAS Creswell waterfront area between mean high water mark and the park marine boundary | Defence infrastructure and facilities adjacent to marine waters |
| Bowen Island and Adjacent Waters Special Purpose Zone | Bowen Island and waters on the western side of the island out to 30 metres from mean high water mark | Habitat and breeding areas for seabirds, fish and marine invertebrates. Many cultural sites including middens |
| Botanic Gardens Zone | Area marked by the boundary fence as Booderee Botanic Gardens including Lake McKenzie | Living collection of plants representative of south-east Australia |
| Marine Habitat Protection Zone | All marine waters of the park (other than the Bowen Island and HMAS Creswell Special Purpose Zones) extending to the high water mark | Marine waters of highly significant local and regional conservation value, including seagrass beds and other habitats with high species diversity |
| Nature Conservation Zone | Terrestrial area of the park (other than the Botanic Gardens) including freshwater areas of Lake Windermere, Murrays Wetland, Blacks Waterhole and Ryans Swamp<br>This zone also includes an area of marine waters in the park to the west of Bowen Island, extending from the Special Purpose Zone boundary 30 metres from the island out to 100 metres seaward from the mean high tide mark. See Map 4. | The terrestrial component of this zone contains unique coastal habitat protected for its relatively undisturbed coastal dune systems, white sandy beaches, large areas of species-rich heath, a diversity of wetlands and saltmarshes. A number of plant and animal species occurring in Booderee have significant conservation status and warrant special protection because they are at the edge of their range, have limited distribution or are considered rare or threatened. The park is a major stronghold for the nationally endangered eastern bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus). Aboriginal cultural heritage includes physical cultural heritage such as shell middens and camp hearths as well as oral history and cultural associations with the landscape<br>The marine waters in this zone along the western shore of Bowen Island are waters of highly significant local and regional conservation value, including seagrass beds and other habitats with high species diversity. This area contains nursery habitat for marine species and is particularly sensitive to over use. |
| | Location | Attributes |
| HMAS Creswell Waterfront Special Purpose Zone | Protection of natural values Exclusion of public access to waters adjacent to Defence infrastructure and facilities for safety and security reasons |
| Bowen Island and Adjacent Waters Special Purpose Zone | Providing high levels of protection for seabird, fish and marine invertebrate habitat and breeding areas Protection of cultural sites including middens |
| Botanic Gardens Zone | Management, presentation, appreciation and study of a representative living collection of plants of south-eastern Australia with a particular emphasis on Indigenous plant use Providing for sustainable recreation in a modified setting Providing for environmentally sustainable commercial development, particularly in the form of Indigenous business enterprises |
| Marine Habitat Protection Zone | Providing a high level of protection for marine and intertidal areas of the park Protecting sensitive marine habitats such as seagrass beds Providing for appropriate recreational and commercial activities that are consistent with the protection of natural values |
| Nature Conservation Zone | Protection and appreciation of terrestrial and marine natural and cultural heritage Protection of Lake Windermere water quality Providing for no-take recreational activities in a natural setting |
| | Management purpose |
Table 4: Types of activities appropriate to zones
HMAS Creswell Waterfront Special Purpose Zone
No
No
No
Bowen Island and Adjacent Waters Special Purpose Zone
No
No
No
Botanic Gardens Zone
Yes. Subject to seasonal opening times
No. Other than the public road and carpark
Yes. On vehicle access roads, vehicle access tracks and tracks for walking or ridingSubject to any provision made under Section 9.2.6
Marine Habitat Protection Zone
Yes. Appropriate water-based recreational activities consistent with the protection of natural values Anchoring of boats in identified areas of seagrass not allowed Swimmers only (boat exclusion) area at Green Patch Waterskiing, boom-riding and use of jet-skis and other personal watercraft not allowedSee also Sections 7.7, 7.8 and 7.9
No. Other than on Murrays Beach boat ramp
Yes. Walking on intertidal rocky platforms is allowed, however all species are protected
Nature Conservation Zone
Yes. For public safety, visitors to remain on vehicle access roads, vehicle access tracks, tracks for walking or riding and in designated public areas Access to some areas of the park may be restricted for maintenance or conservation reasons or in accordance with Section 9.2.6 Private boats may enter the marine component of this zone, however anchoring of boats is not allowed Swimming, snorkelling and SCUBA diving are allowed in the marine component of this zone. See Map 4. No public access to Lake Windermere<br>See also Sections 7.4 to 7.9 for further prescriptions
Yes. On existing vehicle access roads and vehicle access tracks
Yes. On vehicle access roads, vehicle access tracks and tracks for walking or riding<br>Subject to any provision made under Section 9.2.9
Public access
Motor vehicle use
Walking
HMAS Creswell Waterfront Special Purpose Zone
No
No
No public access. Restrictions that apply to recreational fishing in the marine habitat protection zone will also apply
Permit required
No
Permit required
Bowen Island and Adjacent Waters Special Purpose Zone
No
No
No
Permit required
Permit required
Permit required
Botanic Gardens Zone
No. Unless a designated camping area is developed in the botanic gardens during the life of this plan
No. Unless a designated camping area is developed in the botanic gardens during the life of this plan
No
Permit required
Permit required
Permit required
Marine Habitat Protection Zone
No
No
Recreational fishing allowed from the commencement of this plan in accordance with Section 7.8 Recreational fishing may be restricted or prohibited during the life of this plan. See Sections 6.5.6 and 7.8.3 Use and possession of handspears and spearguns not allowed
Permit required<br> With the exception of fin fish and squid in accordance with Section 6.8
Permit required Commercial fishing and charter fishing activities prohibited
Permit required
Nature Conservation Zone
Yes. In designated camping areas
Yes. In designated camping areas
Recreational fishing allowed from the shores of the park into NSW marine waters. Subject to Section 7.8 Fishing not allowed in freshwater areas of the park. Fishing not allowed in the marine component of this zone adjacent to Bowen Island. See Map 4 Use and possession of handspears and spearguns not allowed
Map 4: Location of the marine component of the nature conservation zone
Map of Bowen Island and Adjacent Waters showing the areas of the marine component of the park near the island that restrict fishing, anchoring and public access. Photograph of tourists walking in Booderee National Park, talking to a ranger near a walking sign. 4. Joint management
Ratio of Indigenous employees (employed directly and under contract) to non-Indigenous employees
Traditional owners’ level of satisfaction in relation to implementation of the plan and the Training Strategy and conduct of Community liaison activities.
The technical audit of the first plan identified a stable trend in relation to decision-making processes that support joint management. High levels of direction and accountability were provided by both the plan and the Board, ensuring the park was able to remain focused on implementing the plan. Park staff also provided high quality information to the Board via regular reports.
4.1 Consulting and making decisions
Parks Australia and Booderee’s traditional owners work together using established processes to manage Booderee to the highest standards for protection of natural and cultural values and provision of quality visitor services.
Booderee’s traditional owners are able to meet their obligations to country and satisfy their aspirations for benefits from land ownership.
The Director and the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council have entered into a legally binding agreement, a 99-year lease, to jointly manage the park. The Lease protects the rights of the traditional owners to access and use the park and sets out the requirements for the Director to manage the park. The full provisions of the Lease at the time of preparing this plan are provided at Appendix B.
Managing the park involves making joint decisions on a range of issues and at a range of levels. The Board, with a majority of representatives of the traditional owners, is established under the EPBC Act. Its functions are to prepare management plans, make decisions on management of the park consistent with the plan, monitor the management of the park and advise the Minister on all aspects of the park’s future development. The Director is established under the EPBC Act and has functions and powers under the Act to manage the park in accordance with this plan.
In preparing management plans the Board has to make decisions that take into account the interests and aspirations of the traditional owners, the need to protect and conserve the park and the interests of the wider community. Whilst this management plan provides broad strategic direction, there are day-to-day decisions and processes which require input from the Council. In accordance with the Lease, the Director funds the Council for the purpose of fulfilling Community liaison functions; since 2005, those functions have been provided by a team of members employed by the Council. The Community liaison team meets with the park management team on a regular basis and makes decisions on day-to-day management issues; more complex matters may be referred to the Wreck Bay Board and/or Park Board for advice.
The concerns of Council members are represented by the Wreck Bay Board. In general, members of the Wreck Bay Board have been nominated by the Council for membership on the Park Board. The Council’s concerns are wider than park management and extend into Community development, housing and other social issues. Although not directly the responsibility of the Director, these issues and how the Community deals with them have an impact on the joint management arrangements and their success. They are also of broader government interest, with a strong relationship to programs aimed at improving health and social outcomes for Aboriginal people. The Council’s focus on park issues often relates to its aim of achieving outcomes that enhance the economic development of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community.
The implementation of joint management at Booderee continues to evolve. The success of joint management depends on a number of things, including implementation of this second management plan for Booderee, which reflects the objectives and provisions of the Lease and the aspirations of the Wreck Bay people; further development of a shared decision-making relationship; and the increasing involvement of the Wreck Bay people in managing the park.
The Australian Government provides a range of services and assistance to Indigenous people and communities. The park works with government, regional partners and the Community to identify and pursue sources of possible alternative funding and support for the park and for the Community.
Clear and accountable decision-making mechanisms between the Council and the park are needed.
A high level of liaison needs to be maintained between the Council and the park.
4.1.1 When implementing this plan, the Director will take into account cultural sensitivities within the park including cultural sites and places, cultural artefacts and resources, and the cultural sensitivities of Community members.
4.1.2 Whilst the Director is responsible for the day-to-day management of the park through the Park Manager, the Director will be guided by the Booderee Board of Management and will consult with and have regard to the views of traditional owners via the Council in accordance with this plan and the Lease.
4.1.3 The General Manager of the Council (or delegate) will be the first point of contact for the Park Manager for advice on appropriate consultation procedures with the Community on day-to-day issues that are not specifically identified under the Lease or this plan, to be put to the Council or the Booderee Board of Management.
4.1.4 Decision-making will be consistent with:
(a) the EPBC Act and EPBC Regulations
(b) the IUCN protected area category and applicable reserve management principles that the park and each zone are assigned to by this plan
(c) management purposes of park zones, as per Section 3.1 of this plan, IUCN Category and Zoning
(d) the Director’s obligations under the Lease
(e) the processes shown in Table 5.
4.1.5 The Director will provide the Booderee Board of Management with the resources reasonably necessary for it to carry out its functions under the EPBC Act and to operate in such a way that it can express its views independently of the Director, and all members of the Board will continue to receive training in their legal and policy roles and responsibilities.
4.1.6 The Booderee Board of Management may establish consultative committees to advise the Board on issues of particular importance to the Board’s decision-making, with membership and terms of reference determined by the Board.
4.1.7 In accordance with the Lease, park staff will consult with individual Council members who are not members of the Booderee Board of Management only with the Council’s prior consent.
4.1.8 The Director will ensure park staff are familiar with joint management procedures and requirements.
4.1.9 In accordance with the Lease and in consultation with the Council, develop terms and conditions for delivery of Community liaison functions and regularly review performance of those functions against those terms and conditions.
4.1.10 As a priority, survey the views of the traditional owners to measure satisfaction levels with the park’s performance in relation to key aspects of joint management, based on the objectives of the plan, including employment and cultural heritage (see Table 9).
Table 5: Guide to decision-making
| Category | Example | Decision-making process and consultation requirements |
| Routine actions<br>Actions that have no impact, or no more than a negligible impact, on the park’s environment and natural and cultural values; on the interests of Council members and/or stakeholders; and/or on visitor use or existing facilities and services in the park | <br>Minor capital works e.g. maintenance, replacement, repair or improvement of existing infrastructure in its present formRegular/routine ongoing operations to implement prescriptions in this plan e.g. patrols, weed control, fire managementMinor new operations to implement prescriptions in this planIssuing permits for regular activities in accordance with this plan e.g. commercial activities and research | <br>Process accords with management plan policies, prescriptions and procedures and the park’s Manual of ProceduresCouncil members and/or stakeholders are consulted where necessary and in accordance with Board guidelinesDecision is made by appropriate officer |
| Non-routine actions<br>Actions that have more than a negligible impact, or have a significant impact, on the park’s environment and natural and cultural values; on the interests of Council members, stakeholders and/or on visitor use or existing facilities and services in the park<br> | <br>Moderate or major capital works e.g. new infrastructure or expansion/upgrade of existing infrastructure such as realignment of roadsRehabilitation of heavily eroded sitesMajor new operations or developments to implement prescriptions in this planDevelopments for approved existing tourism activities that require major worksMajor/long-term changes to existing visitor access arrangementsNew types of commercial activitiesIssuing leases/licences | <br>Process accords with management plan policies, prescriptions and proceduresCouncil members and stakeholders are consulted where necessary and in accordance with Board guidelinesRelevant stakeholders are consulted/informed·Decision is made by Board |
4.2 Community use and occupancy
Traditional use and occupancy rights are exercised in a manner consistent with the Lease, the EPBC Act and this plan.
The Lease provides for the members of the Council, as traditional owners of the park, to have the right to enter upon, use or occupy the park in accordance with tradition. This is subject to the prior approval of the Council, such reasonable constraints as may be contained in this plan and the directions or decision of the Board with respect to health, safety, privacy or protection of the park.
Section 359A of the EPBC Act states that the provisions of the Act and EPBC Regulations dealing with activities in Commonwealth reserves do not prevent traditional use of land by an Aboriginal person for non-commercial hunting or gathering, provided it is done in accordance with other applicable laws.
The Lease provides that the Director will not transfer, assign, sublet, part with the possession of, or otherwise dispose of the park or any part thereof without the consent in writing of the Council and then only in accordance with this plan.
Occupancy of the park may impact on the park’s natural and cultural values.
4.2.1 In accordance with the Lease and the EPBC Act, Council members may continue to exercise their traditional rights, including hunting and food gathering and use of any area of the park for ceremonial and religious purposes, provided it is done in accordance with other applicable laws.
4.2.2 In accordance with the Lease, the Director will not transfer, assign, sublet, part with the possession of, or otherwise dispose of the park or any part thereof without the consent in writing of the Council and then only in accordance with this plan.
4.2.3 In accordance with the Lease, the Council reserves the right to request the Director to sublet any reasonable part of the park to a Council member where it is in accordance with the EPBC Act and this plan.
4.2.4 The Director may transfer, assign, or sublet part of the park (including possible future additions to the park) to assist the development of commercial activities supported by the Council and to regularise developments for management of essential services in the park (see also Section 9.5, Essential Services). If space is available, park buildings or parts of park buildings may be sublet to the Council.
4.2.5 Business and commercial activity proposals supported by the Council which require use and occupation of the park or part thereof will be assessed in accordance with the environment assessment guidelines established by this plan (see Section 9.8, How proposals will be evaluated).
4.2.6 Consistent with the Lease, allow for the use and occupancy of the park by Council members for traditional use, ceremonial and religious, and other approved purposes in accordance with guidelines approved by the Board.
4.2.7 In the first year of the plan, in consultation with the Council and the Board, prepare guidelines for traditional use of areas within the park, (including camping).
Between 80% and 100% of all park functions are managed by Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council within five years of the commencement of this plan
Improved ratio of Indigenous employees (employed directly and under contract) to non-Indigenous employees
An average of 45 per cent of staff engaged as ongoing Australian Government employees in the park were Indigenous, and over $1.7 million in park services were outsourced to the Council in 2013/14 financial year.
5.1 A roadmap to sole management
Responsibility for the provision of services and management of the park are transitioned over time to the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council.
In 1995 the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council was granted freehold title to Jervis Bay National Park and the Jervis Bay annex of the Australian National Botanic Gardens. The area of the park and gardens was leased back to the Director of National Parks to jointly manage the park with the traditional owners of Booderee. Joint management arrangements aim to share knowledge and skills necessary to manage and conserve the cultural and natural values of the park, and to build capacity within the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community-so that the park may eventually be managed solely by the Council within the term of the lease.
The 99 year lease between the Director and Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council (Appendix B) formally recognises the Council's long-term goal for self-sufficiency through the control and management of its own lands and acknowledges the need to support actions during the term of the lease to achieve that goal.
Taking into account the Director’s duties under the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and Australian Government procurement rules, the lease requires the Director of National Parks to contract the Council's services and engage as many Community members as is practicable to provide services in and in relation to the park.
The transfer of responsibility for the provision of services in the park and eventual sole management of the park by Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council is in alignment with the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) National Indigenous Reform Agreement. The agreement aims to improve the economic participation of Indigenous people, through the provision of opportunities for Individuals and communities to benefit from the mainstream economy – real jobs, business opportunities, economic independence and wealth creation. Through such activities, the Australian Government strives towards closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage.
In pursuit of improving joint management arrangements across Parks Australia, the Director commenced a Joint Management Futures Project in 2014. The project aims to determine tailored joint management frameworks for Uluru-Kata Tjuta, Kakadu and Booderee National Parks, better suited to contemporary circumstances and evolving aspirations of traditional owners in relation to the benefit they derive from the joint management relationship,
Joint management arrangements could be improved through a review of current arrangements and adopting new and innovative approaches.
The Council is keen to progress towards sole management of the park and a roadmap towards this goal is required to ensure effective management of the park throughout any transition period.
5.1.1 Consult with the Council and the Board with regard to possible new approaches for management of the park.
5.1.2 Consider practical steps for maximising existing joint management outcomes for Council members including employment, commercial and management opportunities.
5.1.3 Work with the Council and the Board to develop a long term roadmap and strategies to build capacity for traditional owners to enhance employment opportunities, foster Indigenous business development and ensure economic benefit from effective management of the park.
5.2 Community development, employment and training
Employment of Council members is facilitated in all areas of park management.
Relevant vocational training is provided for Council members.
Professional skills relevant to the management of the park are developed and maintained.
Education and training is seen by the Council as a key to achieving Council aspirations of sole management and economic security. Employment directly with the park or through services provided to the park is a significant step towards realising this goal.
Support for training Council members was among the commitments made to the Community as part of the joint management negotiations (see Key Issues for the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community, p. 10). Under the Lease the Director has, subject to the plan, specific obligations concerning employment and training for traditional owners. These are:
within six months of the commencement of the Lease to establish and implement a program for training reasonable numbers of the Community in skills relevant to the administration, management and control of the park
to contract the Council’s services and engage as many Community members as is practicable to provide services in and in relation to the park.
To fulfil these obligations, the Director has engaged a training manager whose duties include assisting in the provision of relevant training for members of the Council. A Training Committee has also been established to advise the Board on priority areas for training and employment. During the first plan, a Training Strategy for 2005–2010 was endorsed by the Board and implemented to build capacity within the Council, the park and the Council’s key business arms.
In addition to providing training to employees, the park’s training and employment initiatives have targeted Council members not currently in the workforce including primary, secondary and tertiary students. Work placements through programs such as the Community Development Employment Program have provided opportunities for Council members to develop skills in land management, become familiar with park management objectives and to stay and work on their country. The provision of a Junior Ranger Program (see Section 6.1, Protecting and Promoting Culture and Knowledge) has engaged pre-school and primary students from Jervis Bay School in cultural activities with elders, and work experience opportunities for high school students have supported students-at-risk programs to encourage school retention.
Two trainee positions were maintained in the park during the first plan including an executive trainee and a horticultural trainee. Trainees were supported with formal and on-the-job training. Vocational training in conservation and land management, tourism, business and horticulture has been completed by park staff and Council members. The park has also established exchange programs with other Parks Australia jointly managed parks.
These initiatives have resulted in an average of 45 per cent of park staff being Indigenous people employed as ongoing Australian Government employees; many more Council members are employed indirectly through contracted park services. The expansion of service level agreements with the Council’s business arm has increased the range of contracted services to include road and fire trail maintenance, entry station services and cleaning park and staff facilities. These contracts are worth around $1 million to the Community annually.
It has been a long-standing Australian Public Service (APS) policy to regard roles with a strong involvement in issues relating to Indigenous Australians as ‘Identified Positions’. All Booderee National Park positions are Identified Positions. The park applies two specific selection criteria in its recruitment processes which require applicants to have an understanding of the issues affecting Indigenous Australians and an ability to communicate sensitively with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people.
‘Special Measures’ provisions are used in the APS to allow for the targeted recruitment of Indigenous Australians while adhering to the employment principles set out in the Public Service Act 1999. The purpose of ‘Special Measures’ is to improve employment outcomes for Indigenous Australians and to ensure that the diversity of the APS workforce reflects that of the Australian community.
Staff employed under the Public Service Act 1999 are subject to a range of employment conditions and legislation applicable to members of the department and the APS. Recruitment to APS positions is based on the merit principle in accordance with the Public Service Commissioner’s Directions 1999.
Resources are needed to meet traditional owner visions of full employment for Council members in the park.
Park workforce numbers are declining.
School retention rates are of concern.
More coordination is needed between service providers to maximise resources and improve employment outcomes.
Pathway programs for transition from school to employment are needed to support the Council in assuming more responsibility in park management.
Obstacles reducing the participation of Council members in training programs and applying for park vacancies need to be identified and addressed.
Leadership and management skills need to be developed to improve progressions of Aboriginal staff to higher level positions in the park.
Increased business management skills are needed to support and encourage small business developments and partnerships.
5.2.1 The Director will strive to maximise the employment of Council members at all employment levels within the park.
5.2.2 Consistent with the Lease, the Director will continue to provide employment opportunities for Council members through contracting park services, casual staffing arrangements, staffing exchanges and recruitment to full-time park positions.
5.2.3 To increase Indigenous representation in the park, the Director will apply a ‘Special Measures’ provision to the recruitment of positions in accordance with government policies and procedures and the Director’s legal obligations.
5.2.4 Council members will have access to and be encouraged to participate in training and employment activities initiated by the park.
5.2.5 The park’s Training Strategy will continue to identify employment and training opportunities and targets for traditional owners in the park, the Council’s business arms and the Council. The park will review the Training Strategy and regularly report to the Board on its implementation.
5.2.6 Training positions in the park, the Council’s business arms and the Council (both internally and externally funded) will be filled by Council members wherever possible and occupants will be encouraged to undertake appropriate external study.
5.2.7 Aboriginal staff employed in the park will be encouraged to develop their management and leadership skills and work towards gaining higher levels of employment.
5.2.8 In accordance with the Lease, the Director will consult with the Council or its nominee concerning procedures for selection and appointment of permanent staff and contractors in the park.
5.2.9 In accordance with the Lease, the Director will promote among non-Aboriginal staff a knowledge and understanding of, and respect for, the traditions and culture of Council members.
5.2.10 The Director will provide opportunities for Council members to develop skills relevant to park management through, but not limited to:
(a) developing career pathways for Council members to engage in park management opportunities
(b) providing a calendar of training and career development activities for the park, the Council’s business arms and Council staff, as well as for Council members not currently employed
(c) developing work experience and school-based apprenticeship opportunities in the park for Council members still at school or engaged in tertiary studies
(d) maintaining partnerships with other relevant training providers and employment agencies in delivering training and employment initiatives
(e) seeking staff exchanges and placements with other jointly managed parks and relevant institutions.
5.2.11 Recognising the value of cultural maintenance, the Director will support the intergenerational transfer of traditional skills and knowledge valued by the Council through training initiatives and support for junior rangers.
5.2.12 Continue to employ a training manager who will coordinate staff training and career development (with particular emphasis on Aboriginal staff) and will assist the Council to coordinate training activities consistent with the Director’s Lease obligations.
5.2.13 Continue to maintain and support the Board’s Training Subcommittee with the principal functions of guiding the Board in setting training priorities and directions and implementing the training strategy. The Council will be represented on the subcommittee and the training manager will be a member of the subcommittee.
5.2.14 Provide opportunities for staff and Council members not currently employed to participate in a calendar of training for the park, the Council’s business arms and Council members. Training will aim to meet work safety requirements and develop skills in park management.
5.2.15 Support the career development, retention and promotion of Aboriginal staff within the park, the Council’s business arms and the Council through targeted training. Activities shall include training in leadership and management skills and staff exchange programs between the park, the Council’s business arms and the Council.
5.2.16 Establish and maintain partnerships with key government agencies and training organisations to provide opportunities for training and employment initiatives for the Council.
5.2.17 Provide training in recruitment processes to foster joint participation in staff selection and to assist Council members and staff applying for jobs.
5.2.18 Liaise with relevant local schools and the Council to establish opportunities for work experience and school-based apprenticeships in the park and the Council.
5.3 Community opportunities for business development
Council’s goals are respected and where possible community opportunities for business development are supported under the plan.
During the life of the first plan Wreck Bay Enterprises Limited, the commercial arm of the Council, entered into a contract with the Director to provide a number of services in the park (including road maintenance, cleaning services and operation of the entry station). The company was disbanded at the end of 2010 and its functions are now undertaken by the Council. The development of further agreements covering a wider range of park management activities is envisaged over time. This approach represents one significant contribution to the Council’s sole management goal.
Under the Lease the Director has, subject to the plan, a specific obligation ‘to encourage appropriate business and commercial enterprises by the Council and Community members within the park’. During the life of the first plan the Council indicated its interest in using the Botanic Gardens as a base for developing business activities and in taking a greater role in management of the Botanic Gardens. This approach is consistent with the Council’s goal of environmentally sustainable development as an economic base for the Community. Options for achieving a staged transfer of management responsibility have been discussed by the Director and the Council during the development of this plan and will be further developed as the plan is implemented.
Support for business and commercial enterprises needs to be effective and feasible.
5.3.1 In accordance with the Lease, development of appropriate business and commercial initiatives and enterprises by the Council and by individual traditional owners in the park will be encouraged, provided they are consistent with the key objectives of this plan.
5.3.2 Subject to relevant Commonwealth legislation and policies, park work programs may be carried out by contract and preference may be given to the Council and the Council’s business arms in providing contracted services.
5.3.3 Investigate any proposals from the Council or individual traditional owners to develop commercial activities in the park that are consistent with this plan and provide support for such proposals as provided for under this plan.
5.3.4 Within the first two years of this plan establish a timeframe for further contracting out of park work programs.
Improved trends in plant species diversity in selected fire sensitive vegetation communities
Improved trends in population of selected threatened and significant species
Reduction in trends for distribution and abundance of selected invasive species
Within the first year of this plan an appropriate cultural heritage strategy is developed for consideration by the Board
Traditional owners’ level of satisfaction with implementation of cultural heritage strategies and cultural site management.
The technical audit of the first plan identified a stable trend in relation to cultural heritage management: cultural sites were protected from park activities however site conservation works were not conducted and promotion of cultural themes was delayed subject to development of the cultural heritage strategy.
The technical audit of the first plan identified overall stable or positive trends in relation to natural heritage management. Visual attributes of landscape were protected, with no significant developments. Erosion control measures on unsealed roads and carparks were significantly improved. Landscape assessments were included in environmental impact assessment processes. Water quality monitoring indicated high and stable water quality and seagrass remained healthy at greater depths than at similar locations elsewhere. Excellent fox control with associated biodiversity outcomes was achieved. Bitou bush control programs were enhanced with good results but this weed continues to represent a serious threat to the park’s biodiversity.
Vegetation communities were maintained through proper use of fire and pest management. However, on the negative side, a number of species became locally extinct and this is likely to continue with clearing and development on the Bherwerre Peninsula isthmus. The incidence of large wildfires appeared to increase, possibly as a result of hotter and drier summers, leading to ecological impacts and infrastructure damage.
A positive trend was identified in relation to the Botanic Gardens living collection, where well-trained staff utilised good horticultural practices and cultural education programs to promote and educate visitors. Significant work was completed on Aboriginal interpretive gardens and further direction from cultural heritage strategies will allow completion of works under way.
Research recorded a positive trend. Research capacity and output were significantly boosted via a grant from the Australian Research Council. A wide range of research indicated high conservation values and strong natural heritage management performance.
Booderee National Park is home to the people of Wreck Bay who have a strong relationship with their country that is expressed through ongoing traditions, cultural practices, beliefs and knowledge. Management and use of the land by past and present generations have helped to shape the landscapes we see today.
The traditional owners have a strong sense of belonging to the landscape and they wish to be more involved in caring for their country through joint management of the park. They particularly wish to enable all knowledge holders to pass on cultural knowledge and traditions to future generations.
Traditional owners want to see cultural information and site records appropriately and safely collected, stored and used. It is important to the traditional owners that protocols and processes for protecting cultural heritage and cultural sites are in place and implemented.
Traditional owners will guide and be involved in all aspects of managing the park’s natural and cultural heritage. Traditional owners and Parks Australia will work together, sharing knowledge, to look after country through proper fire management, and managing weeds and feral animals. Traditional owners wish to use specific areas of the park for customary purposes and to explore opportunities for traditional owners to gain economic benefits from country.
Opportunities for younger generations of Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community Council members to gain knowledge about and be involved in caring for country will be a priority in all these activities.
Results of past wildlife surveys indicate that Booderee’s terrestrial and marine native fauna is diverse and abundant. A number of animal species listed as threatened or migratory under Part 13 of the EPBC Act occur in the park and in addition several listed marine species from a range of groups (for example, seals, birds, turtles, sea-horses and sea-dragons) are either known or expected to occur there.
The management of terrestrial fauna is closely linked to the management of vegetation communities. The park’s diverse vegetation communities include relict rainforest, littoral rainforest, forest, woodland, wet and dry heath, coastal scrub and grassland communities. Extensive seagrass beds are a feature of the park’s marine component and mangroves are also present.
Bowen Island requires a distinctive management approach in light of its unique vegetation communities and significance as seabird breeding habitat. Although the use of fire to manage Bowen Island was excluded under the first plan, future management may require use of fire to maintain the island’s natural values.
The living collection of the Booderee Botanic Gardens contains open ground plantings of some 1,200 taxa, which are cultivated and displayed to facilitate the study, conservation, promotion and enjoyment of Australia’s plant heritage, concentrating on species of the coastal regions of south-eastern Australia.
Climate change represents a major threat to the park’s cultural and natural heritage. Traditional owners want both traditional and scientific knowledge used to ensure the park’s cultural and natural heritage values are available to future generations.
6.1 Protecting and promoting culture and knowledge
Culture and cultural knowledge are protected and maintained with traditional owners guiding their management and use.
Aboriginal people play an active and significant role in shaping the heritage of Booderee. The Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community’s association with the area is evident today in knowledge of sites and significant places, oral history and storytelling, together with strong family connections and associations to specific areas of the park. It is important to traditional owners that this association is maintained for future generations.
Aboriginal cultural heritage at Booderee includes physical cultural heritage such as shell middens and camp hearths as well as oral history and cultural associations with the landscape.
There have been several studies on physical Aboriginal heritage conducted in the area of the park (Sullivan 1977, Navin and Officer 1993, Sachs 1997). Other studies have recorded the cultural association and importance of the area to the Aboriginal people of Wreck Bay (Egloff 1981, Egloff, Navin and Officer 1995).
A time capsule was installed at Green Patch in July 1998 at the ceremony for renaming the park. The time capsule is to be re-opened when the Lease expires in 2094.
During the life of the first plan a Junior Ranger Program was initiated, aimed at educating young Community people about local Aboriginal culture as well as the natural values of Booderee. The program operates under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Director and the Jervis Bay Primary School and aligns with school curricula. The program’s objectives are in keeping with the park’s joint management philosophy and the provisions and obligations of the Lease (see also Section 5.2, Community Development, Employment and Training).
The Director may prohibit or restrict access to all or part of a Commonwealth reserve (r.12.23)
Traditional owners want to have input and guide decisions about cultural heritage management programs and priorities and to protect their cultural knowledge and materials.
There is a need for ongoing cross-cultural training for all staff.
Documentation of oral histories and traditional knowledge is urgently required to avoid generational loss of knowledge and culture with the passing of older Community members.
6.1.1 Cultural heritage will be managed in accordance with national principles and international conventions and agreed park and Council cultural heritage strategies.
6.1.2 A whole-of-peninsula approach to the management of Aboriginal cultural heritage will be supported in which traditional owners have an active role in all aspects of management.
6.1.3 In accordance with the Lease, the maintenance of the Community’s Aboriginal traditions will be encouraged.
6.1.4 The Director may approve the temporary closure of the park or certain areas within the park if necessary for cultural reasons, in accordance with the Lease and advice from the Board.
6.1.5 The cultural knowledge and skills of traditional owners will be applied in developing and implementing natural and cultural heritage management programs.
6.1.6 The Director will support traditional owners through provision of training and resources to enable traditional owners to guide management of cultural heritage resources and programs within the park.
6.1.7 Staff development programs will include annual cross-cultural training, and cultural knowledge and skill development will be important components of staff development.
6.1.8 The Director will work with traditional owners to identify special cultural places that can provide opportunities for specific cultural activities by the Community.
6.1.9 Within the first year of this plan, establish a Cultural Heritage Officer position within the park.
6.1.10 Within the first year of this plan, work with the Council to develop an appropriate cultural heritage strategy for consideration by the Board.
6.1.11 Following approval by the Board, implement and periodically review the cultural heritage strategy for the park.
6.1.12 Support an oral history project aimed at developing a comprehensive account of previous land use and management practices in the Booderee area. Such information will assist in park management decision-making and also be used for interpretation programs.
6.1.13 Support participation of the Council in programs to conserve Indigenous languages.
6.1.14 Identify Booderee clearly as Aboriginal land via signposting, interpretive material and activities.
6.1.15 Continue to support the Junior Ranger Program.
6.2 Aboriginal sites of significance
Through working with traditional owners, Aboriginal sites of significance are identified, protected and maintained.
There are several kinds of sites and places within the park that are especially significant to the traditional owners. These sites reflect and express Aboriginal cultural beliefs and practices.
Sites presently recorded in the park include tangible sites such as middens, axe grinding grooves and scarred trees and non-tangible (to non-Aboriginal people) places such as natural landscape features associated with creation stories, or places where bush foods were found.
Wreck Bay traditional owners recognise that the protection of sites and places is very important for the survival of culture and for meeting responsibilities for managing country.
The Jervis Bay Territory is Commonwealth Heritage listed in recognition of natural values and of Aboriginal sites of significance which demonstrate the historic and ongoing Aboriginal occupation of the park and changes in cultural practices over time.
During the life of the first plan, the park commissioned a report on the cultural sites of the Bherwerre Peninsula which included a database, site photographs and a status assessment (McKenzie 2003).
Cultural sites need to be protected from disturbance.
Cultural artefacts need to be kept and protected.
Agreed arrangements between the Council and the park for protecting sites, visitor access, recording, monitoring and managing cultural sites need further development.
An appropriate interpretive program is needed for park visitors in relation to sites and cultural landscape features.
Commonwealth Heritage values within the park need to be maintained.
6.2.1 Archaeological sites will be managed to preserve them from disturbance and only essential protection activities will be allowed.
6.2.2 In accordance with the Lease, sacred sites, areas and things of significance to the traditional owners will be protected.
6.2.3 Sites will not be actively interpreted without consultation with and approval of the traditional owners and only if the protection of the site can reasonably be guaranteed.
6.2.4 Provide support to the traditional owners to develop the skills to manage the culture and cultural knowledge of Booderee.
6.2.5 In consultation with the Council, Defence and other Territory landholders, establish a register of sites of Aboriginal significance, linked to the park’s geographic information system. The register will include appropriate levels of access for security purposes. It will assist management in identifying sites during planning.
6.2.6 Negotiate arrangements with the Council for a possible keeping place for protecting artefacts.
Post-contact historic sites in the park are adequately recorded and conserved.
The historic use and occupancy of the Booderee area includes fishing, whaling, navigation, grazing, tourism, Aboriginal occupation, Defence activities, logging and plantation forestry. Significant shared cultural heritage of the Booderee area includes the historic Cape St George lighthouse which was completed in 1856 and demolished in the early 1900s; Christians Minde settlement and cemetery (dating from 1890 and not within the park); a historic grave located in the Green Patch camping area; archaeological evidence of a camp used by survivors of the 1835 wreck of the convict ship Hive which lies in NSW waters off Bherwerre Beach; gun emplacements and associated infrastructure on Bowen Island; an abandoned excavation for a nuclear reactor site near Murrays Beach; and a quarry and railway easement for the HMAS Creswell break-wall built in 1915.
Members of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community and other Kooris were actively involved in developing this shared heritage; they are proud to have been involved in this shared cultural heritage and it has special significance to them. Kooris not only worked alongside non-Aboriginals in the construction and development of many projects during the early settlement of the area but also developed strong associations and friendships with the early settlers. Kooris assisted with building the lighthouse and were friends with the lighthouse staff. They assisted with constructing Christians Minde and helped rescue people from the Hive.
The Cape St George lighthouse complex and Christians Minde settlement were included on the Commonwealth Heritage List in 2004, having previously been listed in the Register of the National Estate. The lighthouse is managed in accordance with a conservation strategy and significant conservation works have been carried out. The Christians Minde cemetery has been managed in accordance with the wishes of the relevant family. Other significant historic sites have had only limited management, such as fencing for site protection. The gun emplacement and associated structures on Bowen Island are inaccessible to the public and some of these structures are overgrown with vegetation.
There are costs associated with maintaining historic sites.
Commonwealth Heritage values within the park need ongoing maintenance.
There are sites of historic heritage significance located outside and near the boundaries of the park which are vulnerable to human impacts and are accessible by park visitors.
6.3.1 Historic heritage will be conserved in consultation with traditional owners.
6.3.2 Visitor facilities and interpretation materials may be developed at significant historic sites. Interpretation will include both Aboriginal and European historical perspectives.
6.3.3 The park will liaise with and provide advice to the New South Wales Government agency responsible for the management of heritage sites which are located on or near the park boundaries in accordance with Section 8.1, Neighbours, Stakeholders and Partners.
6.3.4 Where appropriate, the park will erect and maintain suitable protective measures to regulate public access to historic sites, including the Commonwealth Heritage listed Cape St George lighthouse.
6.3.5 Maintain a register of historic heritage sites in the park including conservation work undertaken and, where appropriate, seek to have sites entered on relevant registers and databases.
6.3.6 Implement management programs to identify, protect, conserve, present and transmit the values of historic heritage sites in the park, and to manage public access and use of historic sites including:
(a) gun emplacements on Bowen Island
(b) Cape St George lighthouse and surrounds
(c) Christians Minde cemetery
(d) Harriet Parker’s grave at Green Patch
(e) relics associated with the Hive and other historic shipwrecks.
6.4 Landscape and geology
The visual attributes of the park landscape are protected, and degraded landforms are rehabilitated to minimise soil loss and erosion.
Cultural landscape
The Booderee landscape is an ancient cultural landscape, one shaped by land management practices and traditions over many thousands of years. Culture and traditions remain and can still be felt and experienced today though some have changed. Throughout the landscape is the evidence of Aboriginal occupation and use of the land. At the landscape level, it is likely fire management was practised over a broader scale and with greater frequency than is possible today which would have led to a more open landscape with different vegetation communities being dominant compared to the landscape we see today. Weeds and pests can impact at the landscape level, so can tracks and roads which impact upon values such as the park’s exceptional water quality. Although Booderee is renowned for its spectacular natural and ancient landscapes relatively free of visual scars, some vistas are marred by development such as towers or buildings on the skyline. Yet there is little doubt Booderee remains a landscape shaped by a living culture.
Visual attributes
Booderee’s scenic qualities are widely recognised and are important to the regional tourism industry and to local communities. The landscape encompasses a peninsula of native vegetation, scenic beaches and bays, and magnificent sandstone cliffs.
Comprising much of Bherwerre Peninsula, all of Bowen Island and the water and seabed at the southern end of Jervis Bay, Booderee offers visitors an opportunity to experience a variety of coastal settings. There are also a number of cultural and historical features, such as the historic lighthouse, which add to the park’s visual attributes.
Without careful planning, the visual attributes and the inspiring natural and cultural experience of the park can be disturbed. For example, the scars arising from excavations for a proposed nuclear power station at Murrays Beach in 1969 remain clearly visible. There are also a number of long-established Defence facilities adjacent to the park which impact on the region’s visual attributes.
Geology, landforms and soils
A comprehensive geological survey of the Jervis Bay region was completed in 1992. Jervis Bay forms part of the sedimentary rock formation on the southern edge of the extensive Sydney Basin system. Bedrock is exposed in cliffs and marine platforms, and there are minor exposures in creeks and dune areas. The Bherwerre Peninsula (of which Booderee occupies the major portion) is underlain with Permian sandstones, siltstone and conglomerates of marine origin; Lakes Windermere and McKenzie evolved when streams were blocked by sand. Bowen Island is composed of the same sandstone type as the peninsula and slopes sharply from cliffs on the eastern (oceanic) side down to sea level rock platforms on the western (Jervis Bay) side. The sandstone on the island is covered by windblown sand, which supports a range of vegetation communities.
Other features of geological interest in the park include fossil sites and exposed stone walls of a substantial quarry used to supply stone for the construction of the HMAS Creswell break-wall. The role of Booderee’s landforms and geology in the evolution of ecological processes and landscape features is also of particular scientific and educational interest.
Aboriginal stories explaining the origins or characteristics of species in the area include stories of a large wave depositing animals inland. The NSW coast shows dramatic evidence of mega-tsunamis, the best evidence of which occurs along a small stretch of coastline at Jervis Bay. The most compelling evidence of tsunami impact is manifested in the various boulder deposits. The boulders, many of which exceed two metres in diameter, are deposited in an overlapping fashion on the deeply fluted rock platform surface at Stoney Creek as well as other sites in the Jervis Bay region outside the park. There is also substantial evidence of older sands washed onto barriers within the bay and of sea caves formed at heights above storm wave attack.
Disturbance
The sandy soils of Bherwerre Peninsula and Bowen Island are unconsolidated and depend upon the presence of vegetation cover for stability. When vegetation is removed, the soils and sand dunes are readily eroded by wind, water and physical disturbance. In the low-lying western area of the park the soil is occasionally saturated. In this condition the soils can be easily damaged or eroded by disturbance.
Erosion in heavy traffic areas has been minimised by sealing main roads, building bridges and fords over natural watercourses, constructing graded walking tracks and maintaining unsealed roads through the construction of drainage ditches and by adding material to very sandy areas.
Some areas of the park require rehabilitation from the effects of past use. A former tip located near the Visitor Centre contains asbestos. An asbestos management plan for the site has been developed and implementation of the plan is continuing.
As noted in Section 2.4, mining operations are prohibited in the park except in accordance with this plan. Mining operations include any operations or activities connected with, or incidental to, the mining or recovery of minerals or the production of material from minerals, including prospecting and exploration for minerals (s.355(2) of the EPBC Act).
The EPBC Regulations prevent a person from introducing soil, stone or other earth materials into the park or fossicking in the park unless provided for by, and carried out in accordance with this plan (or authorised by a permit or under certain other conditions).
Mineral exploration and mining could impact on landscape attributes.
Areas of eroded and disturbed land require rehabilitation.
6.4.1 Subject to Sections 5.4.2 and 5.4.3, mining operations will not be allowed in the park.
6.4.2 Prospecting, fossicking or exploration for minerals may be carried on for scientific research purposes only and under conditions provided for in Section 6.12, Research and monitoring.
6.4.3 Extraction of gravel and sand from existing pits for park management purposes may continue. Stockpiled materials (such as sand and sawdust) may be used within the park.
6.4.4 Any new developments in the park will maintain the park’s high-quality visual landscape attributes.
6.4.5 Resource management activities in the park will particularly take account of the general low soil fertility, the drainage characteristics and the inherent instability of certain areas, especially sand dunes and aeolian sands near dune crests.
6.4.6 Landscaping materials including road fill, sand, rocks and organic material may be brought into the park subject to assessment of potential environmental impacts in accordance with Section 9.8, How proposals will be evaluated.
6.4.7 Where required, rehabilitate or allow for natural revegetation of eroded and disturbed areas of park land.
6.4.8 Develop and implement management plans for contaminated materials and sites in the park, such as asbestos in old tip localities.
6.5 Marine
The marine ecosystems within the park are protected and maintained.
Marine and freshwater ecosystems of the Jervis Bay region are central to the spiritual connectivity of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community.
The park is an ideal location for visitors to explore and safely enjoy the marine environment. The park is renowned for its shallow, clear waters that are easily accessible and often protected from wind and waves. Though the marine area of the park is relatively small, the park currently supports five commercial operators specialising in diving, snorkelling, and whale and dolphin watching. The area is well used by dive clubs and independent recreational divers.
The park showcases one of the most biologically diverse ecosystems on Australia’s east coast. Its natural values have been recognised by research scientists as ‘exceptional’ and fish species richness is one of the highest in temperate Australia (Aquenal 2004). The park supports a diverse range of marine habitats including the intertidal zone, extensive areas of seagrass, sandy bottom habitat and subtidal rocky reef.
Booderee’s marine waters are known habitat for the critically endangered grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus). At least four other species of shark are known to use breeding sites within the park and it is a permanent nursery area for Port Jackson shark (Heterodontus portusjacksoni). Intermediate rocky reefs provide habitat for the iconic weedy seadragon (Phyllopteryx taeniolatus) and serve as breeding aggregation sites for southern calamari (Sepioteuthis australis). The park’s marine environment also provides food resources for the white-bellied sea-eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster), which is of considerable significance to the traditional owners, as well as for little penguins and a range of other birds.
The park and the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community wish to preserve the considerable values of the park’s marine environment for future generations. Booderee National Park, including its waters, is classified as IUCN category II (see Section 3.1, Assigning the Park to an IUCN Category and Zoning) to protect natural biodiversity along with underlying ecological structure and supporting environmental processes.
The park will expand its research and monitoring programs to evaluate the effectiveness of current management arrangements for conserving marine biodiversity. The research programs will aim to collect information about species, habitat and community biodiversity, while also identifying species of significance. Findings will inform management decisions relating to fishing practices in the park (see Section 7.8, Recreational fishing and collecting activities).
Off-park activities may affect marine water quality.
Recreational fishing and collecting may be negatively impacting on marine values.
6.5.1 Use of the marine environment will be managed to protect, conserve and appreciate habitat and species.
6.5.2 Appropriate research and ecosystem monitoring will continue to be undertaken and/or permitted in order to develop a more comprehensive body of information on the park’s marine biodiversity.
6.5.3 Activities in the park will be undertaken in a manner that minimises sedimentary runoff and pollution of the marine environment.
6.5.4 Maintain liaison with relevant land managers and cooperate with the Jervis Bay Territory Administration, Defence, the Council and other Territory landholders to minimise the impact of pollution or runoff from developed areas on the marine environment.
6.5.5 Undertake and support relevant research into the marine environment including taxonomic research in relation to undescribed species and research into ecological processes.
6.5.6 Impose further restrictions on access or activities if a negative impact on marine values is observed, or areas of high habitat value or regional significance are identified as requiring additional protection. See also Sections 3.1.9 and 7.8.3.
6.5.7 Investigate mapping the benthic marine habitats of park waters to provide a resource comparable to vegetation mapping already available for the park’s terrestrial component.
6.5.8 Conduct education programs about marine environment values and the protection regime that applies.
6.5.9 Negotiate arrangements with the NSW Jervis Bay Marine Park for collaborative management of Jervis Bay.
6.5.10 Give high priority to the cooperative development, with other regional management agencies, of a marine monitoring program, collaborative research and a geographic information system to assist in conservation management of Jervis Bay.
6.6 Freshwater
The freshwater ecosystems within the park are protected and maintained.
The park’s freshwater systems range from ephemeral sheet and stream surface flows to permanent and semi-permanent streams, swamps and waterholes. Lake Windermere and Lake McKenzie are closed freshwater dune lakes and the largest permanent water bodies in Booderee. Both are characterised by considerable cyclical water-level fluctuations in response to climatic variations over a period of several years.
Alteration to catchment drainage patterns in swamp and wet heath areas can change the structure and composition of vegetation in the park.
Both lakes are used for water supply purposes. Lake Windermere is the water supply for the Jervis Bay Territory and its catchment is located within the park. The lake and its catchment are well protected from disturbance but the impact of water removal on the lake ecosystem is unknown. Water is pumped from Lake McKenzie for watering the Botanic Gardens, with excess water returning by surface and groundwater flow. As well as excessive water extraction, freshwater systems in the park are potentially at risk from excessive use of chemicals and fertilisers and from inappropriate recreational use.
Regulation 12.14 of the EPBC Regulations prohibits water, air and land pollution in the park and Regulation 12.15 prohibits use of a pesticide, herbicide or other poisonous substance in the park unless provided for by this plan.
Off-park activities may affect water quality.
There may be a risk to the quality and sustainability of the Jervis Bay Territory’s water supply.
6.6.1 Use of chemicals, fertilisers and grasses in public use areas will be minimised to protect water quality and the health of native vegetation.
6.6.2 Construction activities, including maintenance of roads and tracks and grassed areas, will be planned to minimise, and where possible avoid, impact on watercourses and water quality.
6.6.3 No artificial surface water interception structures such as dams or weirs will be constructed in the park.
6.6.4 Swimming, recreational boating, fishing and harvesting organisms in freshwater bodies of the park will not be allowed unless as part of an approved research program (see Section 6.12, Research and monitoring).
6.6.5 Lake Windermere will be closed to public access in order to safeguard the potable water supply.
6.6.6 Activities including construction and prescribed burning that have the potential to accelerate sediment flow into Lake Windermere will incorporate necessary mitigation measures.
6.6.7 Park management activities that potentially disturb catchment drainage systems will be subject to assessment as outlined in Section 9.8, How proposals will be evaluated.
6.6.8 Water conservation principles will be applied to all water use in and by the park (see Section 9.9, Resource Use in Park Operations).
6.6.9 Proposals to provide supplementary or alternative supplies of potable water may be considered and any associated works will be subject to assessment under the processes outlined in Section 9.8, How proposals will be evaluated.
6.6.10 Appropriate research and monitoring of freshwater quality and ecosystems will continue to be undertaken or permitted in order to develop a more comprehensive body of information on the park’s freshwater resources and their particular management requirements.
6.6.11 Maintain liaison with relevant public health, pollution control and water supply authorities and cooperate with the Jervis Bay Territory Administration, Defence, the Council and other Territory landholders to minimise pollution of water bodies through seepage from sewerage systems, runoff from developed areas or saltwater intrusion.
6.6.12 Liaise with the Jervis Bay Territory Administration regarding any plans to consider alternative sources of water supply for the Jervis Bay Territory other than Lake Windermere.
6.7 Fire
Fire is managed within the park to protect life and property and to maintain, conserve and enhance biodiversity.
Indigenous fire management practices are integrated into park fire management.
Fire is a natural feature of Booderee. Although only a limited amount is known about the pre-European fire regimes of coastal NSW, traditional Aboriginal fire management was dynamic and very important in shaping the composition of the area’s flora and fauna.
Photographs taken within the area of the park in the late 1800s and early 1900s suggest that fire was used by European settlers as a means of modifying pasture and gaining access through thick coastal heath. Considerable environmental problems occurred at Bherwerre Beach and Bowen Island as a result of this frequent fire regime, the primary examples being dune destabilisation and changes in vegetation community composition.
In 1972, two-thirds of the then Jervis Bay Nature Reserve (45 per cent of the current area of the park) was burnt by wildfires. In response, the then Department of Territories set up permanent vegetation monitoring sites within a range of different vegetation types. In 1976, extensive vegetation surveys for the reserve were completed (Ingwersen 1976) and a vegetation and fire management strategy commenced the following year.
In 1997, a consultant was commissioned to update previous vegetation surveys and revisit the monitoring sites and to make recommendations on the management of fire for vegetation communities and significant plant species (Taws 1997, 1998). The resulting reports form an important part of the fire planning process for Booderee and recognise that the ongoing use of fire is essential to the survival of some plant communities. The reports made recommendations on fire regimes, fire intensities and fire frequency thresholds for all broad vegetation communities in the Territory. In 2000 these recommendations were revised by consultants for the Fire Management Program 2000–2004 to make the park’s fire management strategy more consistent with fire management planning applied in NSW.
The park’s fire management program is updated every five-years and details fire management priorities including bushfire risk management works (particularly prescribed burning), trail maintenance, and protecting assets and neighbouring land. The fire management program is supported by annual fire action plans. The Council has a complementary fire management plan for Wreck Bay village.
The most recent fire management program was expanded to include a focus on managing the invasive weed bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera), using a spray-burn-spray program. At the Botanic Gardens, a fire break is maintained around the perimeter fence and fire hydrants have been installed in some vulnerable areas to help exclude wildfires from the living collection.
Fire research
Research into the effects of fire on both plant and animal communities is an ongoing requirement. In December 2003 about half of the park was burnt by wildfire, over a similar area to that burnt in 1972. The Australian National University began a fire ecology research project in the park the previous year and this fire brought about changes in the design of the project which became a longer-term investigation of the effects of fire on the park’s ecology. The project was extended for a further five years in 2008.
The project’s results have provided valuable insights into the response of animals to wildfire. Overall, the study found that the December 2003 wildfire had relatively little impact on the park’s mammal fauna. Long-nosed bandicoot (Perameles nasuta) numbers increased in burnt and unburnt areas, while bush rats (Rattus fuscipes), swamp rats (R. lutreolus) and Antechinus stuartii declined in burnt areas. Of the arboreal mammals ring-tailed possums (Pseudocheirus peregrinus) and greater gliders (Petauroides volans) declined but brush-tailed possums (Trichosurus vulpecula) increased.
These results differed substantially from other published results on the impact of fire on native mammals, possibly due to an interaction between fire and effective fox control at Booderee. Similarly, the Australian National University project found that eastern bristlebirds (Dasyornis brachypterus) recovered from the 2003 fire very quickly compared to other studies of the impact of fire on this species. The researchers put this rapid recovery down to the presence of small unburnt patches and few foxes to prey on disoriented and exposed birds following fire. However, less positively, the project noted that at individual sites throughout the park, bird species diversity declined by nine per cent for every additional fire each site received (planned or unplanned) since records on fire history were first kept in 1972. In contrast, reptiles showed very little impact from the 2003 wildfire or from fire frequency.
The increase in fire frequency and intensity which is forecast in climate change models is likely to be a significant threat to Booderee’s biological diversity as well as to life and property. Species that are most vulnerable to an increase in fire are likely to be those least able to adapt to rapid change or those left without suitable habitat to move to as climatic parameters shift. Significant impacts are anticipated within rainforest and swamp oak forest habitats, as well as wet heaths and creek-line swamps. Climate change impacts may also have implications for planned burning, with variations in temperatures and potential changes in rainfall patterns resulting in fewer opportunities to undertake safe and effective planned burns (see also Section 6.11, Climate Change).
Legislative requirements and operational response
Under the EPBC Act the Director is responsible for fire management in Commonwealth reserves. Fire management includes all fire operations along with planning and undertaking bushfire risk management works. The Rural Fires Act 1997 (NSW) (JBT) applies to Booderee to the extent that it is consistent with, and can operate concurrently with, the EPBC Act and Regulations. A Fire Action Plan is developed annually which outlines the statutory responsibility and organisational structure of Booderee National Park Brigade, as well as establishing procedures and guidelines for the park’s response to fires.
Cooperation with regional agencies is central to effective management of fire in the park. Under a Memorandum of Understanding between the Director and the Commissioner of the NSW Rural Fire Service signed in 2002, the Director is recognised as the responsible fire authority for the management of class 1 fires in the park. In the event of a multi-agency class 2 fire, the Jervis Bay Territory Emergency Management Committee will appoint an Incident Controller. In such an event, Jervis Bay Territory and NSW Rural Fire Service brigades are likely to be allocated to provide assistance. Conversely, Booderee National Park Brigade may be called upon to respond to fires outside the park.
Booderee is resourced for fire fighting with tankers, light units, a fire shed, incident control room and trained staff. Volunteer units also operate at Wreck Bay and Jervis Bay villages and Christians Minde locality. A range of park policies to promote safe and environmentally sound fire management operations are in place (including policies on training, personal fire protection, use of chemical retardants and use of heavy machinery) and are regularly reviewed.
The management of fire use by visitors is covered by the EPBC Regulations. Under the Regulations a person must not light, maintain or use a fire in the park while a total fire ban declared by the Director is in force; light, maintain or use a fire at any other time except in a portable barbecue or stove, a fireplace provided by the Director, a fireplace of a kind approved by the Director or a place approved by the Director; leave a fire unattended; or use any fuel for a fire that is prohibited under this plan.
There is a risk to park resources and assets from fire, including off-park fire management activities.
Unplanned high-intensity fires may impact on life and property.
There is a need to protect Booderee’s natural heritage, especially fire-sensitive species and communities.
There is a need to protect Booderee’s cultural heritage, including Aboriginal sites of significance, archaeological sites and contemporary heritage.
There is a need to protect Booderee’s recreational amenity, including viewscapes.
Climate change may impact on fire frequency and intensity and have implications for management, particularly conservation of biodiversity.
6.7.1 Fire will be managed in the park in accordance with the following principles:
(a) protection of human life and property within Booderee, Jervis Bay Territory and adjacent lands
(b) protection of the park’s cultural heritage, including Aboriginal sites of significance and historic places
(c) protection of the park’s natural heritage, especially threatened species, plant communities of special significance and fire sensitive species such as obligate seeders
(d) maintenance of a natural diversity of habitats for native fauna and flora
(e) incorporation where possible of relevant aspects of known Indigenous fire management practices.
6.7.2 Fire will be managed in accordance with the Booderee Fire Management Program, which is prepared every five years within the framework of the prescriptions established by this plan.
6.7.3 Fire operations will be conducted in accordance with the annual Booderee Fire Action Plan and with relevant legislation and park management policies.
6.7.4 All unplanned fires occurring in Booderee will be suppressed as quickly as possible unless allowing a block to burn out can be done safely and without compromising the park’s Fire Management Program.
6.7.5 Areas disturbed by fire suppression operations will be rehabilitated as soon as practicable after the operations are complete.
6.7.6 Prescribed burning programs will:
(a) include an assessment of environmental impact for each proposed burn in accordance with procedures established under Section 9.8, How proposals will be evaluated
(b) be conducted in areas of identified high bushfire risk in order to protect adjacent properties, cultural resources, park assets and facilities, and fire-sensitive vegetation
(c) aim to maintain a viable proportion of each vegetation type in as old an age class as possible
(d) be used to control weeds provided an appropriate post-fire response is planned
(e) assess the reproductive status of indicator plant species as recommended in Taws (1998).
6.7.7 Pre-burn planning will take into account the ecological guidelines set by Taws (1998) regarding minimum and maximum fire period thresholds and fire intensities, together with climate change information, fire ecology research and park fire research.
6.7.8 As far as possible, fire will be excluded from the following fire sensitive areas:
(a) rainforest communities
(b) mangrove and saltmarsh communities
(c) swamp forest
(d) wet sclerophyll forest
(e) coastal fore-dune grasslands
(f) fire sensitive cultural resources and sites.
This exclusion policy will be reviewed for each new fire management program.
6.7.9 Fire access will be managed as follows:
(a) Strategically critical access tracks will be maintained to a high standard of access, safety and stability.
(b) Tracks of lesser importance will be maintained in a stable and trafficable condition as far as resources permit and in accordance with assigned priorities.
(c) Unnecessary tracks will be identified, closed and allowed to revegetate.
6.7.10 Maintain, implement and regularly review policies on fire management operations and in particular policies on fire training, fire personal protection, use of chemical retardants and use of mechanical machinery.
6.7.11 Continue to assist the Council to develop knowledge and skills in fire fighting, fire management and planning and incident control.
6.7.12 Maintain liaison with the Jervis Bay Territory Administration, rural fire services (Jervis Bay Territory Rural Fire Service and NSW Rural Fire Service), the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Defence and other fire management authorities to ensure coordination of fire management. Continue as a member of the Jervis Bay Territory Emergency Management Committee and the Shoalhaven Bushfire Management Committee.
6.7.13 Prior to the start of each fire season, prepare a Fire Action Plan in consultation with the Council, the Jervis Bay Territory Administration, the Jervis Bay Territory Rural Fire Service, Defence, lessees and members of the Jervis Bay Territory Emergency Management Committee. The Fire Action Plan will outline the organisational structure and responsibility of Booderee National Park Brigade and standard operating procedures and guidelines for response to bushfires in Booderee and the Territory, including Wreck Bay village.
6.7.14 Prepare a Fire Management Program every five years (or more frequently as required) in consultation with members of the Jervis Bay Territory Emergency Management Committee. The program will include descriptions and maps of proposed burns and trail maintenance requirements over the life of the program.
6.7.15 Refer each Fire Management Program for assessment of environmental impact in accordance with relevant provisions of the EPBC Act.
6.7.16 Based on the Fire Management Program, prepare, in consultation with members of the Jervis Bay Territory Emergency Management Committee, an annual bushfire risk management program detailing all proposed burns and trail maintenance requirements for the year.
6.7.17 Where appropriate, seek to involve neighbours in cooperative bushfire risk management works for mutual protection.
6.7.18 Continue to undertake or support research into the ecological relationships of fire within the vegetation communities in the park, including post-fire flora and fauna dynamics and vegetation communities’ responses to climate change and long-term vegetation changes resulting from fire regimes.
6.7.19 Monitor trends in plant species diversity in fire sensitive vegetation communities (see Table 9).
6.7.20 Monitor recently burnt areas close to known weed infestations for appearance of weeds and take prompt action to remove any long-term problem weeds at an early stage.
6.7.21 Prepare reports for all fires in a standardised format which will include maps, a summary of events, description of fire behaviour, weather conditions and other relevant information. Fire reports will be added to the fire history database and mapped onto the park geographic information system.
6.7.22 Add records of fires on Council land to the park geographic information system which will be made available to the Council for management purposes.
6.7.23 In consultation with affected parties, including lessees, develop an evacuation plan for the park.
6.8 Native species
Protect, maintain and enhance viable populations of native plant and animal species and maintain vegetation communities.
Because of its protected status and rich biodiversity, the park is considered a population reservoir for many species across the wider region. Other reservoirs in the area include Beecroft Peninsula to the north and Morton National Park to the west. It is important that these reservoirs are linked by a system of habitat corridors to ensure maintenance of species diversity and genetic viability. This is particularly significant for Booderee, which is linked to other areas by a narrow tract of land. The vegetation on the narrow ‘neck’ of the Bherwerre Peninsula is fragmented by the settlements of Hyams Beach and Erowal Bay/Wrights Beach. It is important for vegetation to be retained in the remaining parts of the ‘neck’ or isthmus as this area serves as a habitat corridor and is important for the park’s long-term protection.
Regional planning for the protection of habitat corridors has involved liaison with the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, NSW planning authorities and the Shoalhaven City Council. The Director, Parks Australia, the Council and the Board have expressed concerns about the possible fragmentation of this corridor and the subsequent impact it may have on the park’s biodiversity.
As noted in Section 2.4, Legislative Context, Part 13 of the EPBC Act prohibits and regulates actions in relation to listed threatened species and ecological communities, listed migratory species, cetaceans and listed marine species. Appendix E to this plan lists species of significance to the park, including species that are listed under the EPBC Act.
Actions taken in a Commonwealth reserve in accordance with a management plan in relation to members of species listed under Part 13 of the Act are exempt from prohibitions that would otherwise apply under Part 13.
Flora
Jervis Bay is at both the southern extremity of the temperate coastal (Sydney) flora and the northern extremity of the cool temperate coastal flora ranges. Booderee’s floristic diversity is consequently high, with a total of 625 native plant species being recorded in a 1997 survey (Taws 1997).
The park’s diverse vegetation communities include relict rainforest, littoral rainforest, forest, woodland, wet and dry heath, coastal scrub and grassland communities. Extensive seagrass beds are a feature of the park’s marine component and mangroves are also present. At least four vegetation communities are listed as endangered ecological communities under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (swamp oak forest, littoral rainforest, freshwater wetlands and bangalay sand forest).
One plant species—magenta cherry (Syzygium paniculatum)—listed as threatened under Part 13 of the EPBC Act occurs in the park. The pretty beard orchid (Calochilus puchellus), which is listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act, has also been recorded. A number of other plant species which occur in Booderee have significant conservation status and warrant special protection because they are at the edge of their range (Taws 1997), have limited distribution or are considered rare (Briggs and Leigh 1996). A number of other plant species occur in the park that, although not necessarily threatened, may warrant particular management consideration due to their iconic status. Such species include waratahs, rock orchids and elkhorns (see Appendix E).
Bowen Island requires a distinctive management approach in light of its unique vegetation communities and significance as seabird breeding habitat. Although the use of fire to manage Bowen Island was excluded under the first plan, future management may require use of fire to maintain the island’s natural values.
Fauna
Results of past wildlife surveys indicate that Booderee’s terrestrial and marine native fauna is diverse and abundant. More than 30 mammal species, some 200 bird species, 37 reptile species, 17 amphibian species and at least 180 fish species have been recorded in the area of the park.
A number of animal species listed as threatened or migratory under Part 13 of the EPBC Act occur in the park and in addition several listed marine species from a range of groups (for example, seals, birds, turtles, sea-horses and sea-dragons) are either known or expected to occur there (see Appendix E). Management reflects the conservation requirements of these species: the Fire Management Program, for instance, provides specific guidelines for each relevant threatened fauna species.
The park is a stronghold of the nationally endangered eastern bristlebird (Dasyornis brachypterus), with probably the largest population (approximately one-third of all individuals of the species) occurring on the Bherwerre Peninsula. In 2004, in accordance with recommended recovery strategies, a small number of birds from the Bherwerre Peninsula (including the park) were successfully translocated to Beecroft Peninsula. At the time of preparing this plan, this additional Jervis Bay population appears to have become established.
During the life of the first plan the nationally vulnerable green and golden bell frog (Litoria aurea) apparently became locally extinct in the park due to chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease responsible for the decline of many amphibian species worldwide.
Sub-fossil remains indicate that southern brown bandicoots (Isoodon obesulus) (EPBC listed as endangered) and long-nosed potoroos (Potorous tridactylus) (EPBC listed as vulnerable) were once abundant in the Jervis Bay region. The principal threatening process for these species is predation by foxes and, following effective fox control in Booderee, a proposal was made to reintroduce these species. Suitable habitat and disease-free populations have been examined and the proposal to reintroduce the species under the prescriptions of the first plan was approved by the Board in 2008.
A large number of species listed under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act have been recorded in the park including the ground parrot (Pezoporus wallicus), powerful owl (Ninox strenua), eastern pygmy-possum (Cercartetus nanus) and pied oystercatcher (Haematopus longirostris) (see Appendix E). Of particular importance are several pairs of hooded plovers (Thinornis rubricollis) which are the northernmost breeding population of this species. Shorebirds and long-nosed bandicoots (Perameles nasuta) are the species monitored most closely to test the effectiveness of the park’s fox control program.
A growing seal colony at Steamers Head and a large and very successful breeding colony of little penguins (Eudyptula minor) on Bowen Island which is regularly monitored are among the most significant marine species in the park. A number of cetacean species are regularly sighted in Jervis Bay including in park waters. The most prominent are a resident pod of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) while humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) and southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) sometimes enter the bay while on annual migration along Australia’s east coast. As marine mammal numbers grow, the possibility of strandings in or near the park may increase.
Research by park staff has indicated that macropods are very abundant in the park following intensive fox control and that macropod browsing is limiting the recovery of a number of native plant species especially following fire. If this trend is maintained, the park’s vegetation structure may be fundamentally altered. Grazing and trampling by macropods also poses a significant threat to the living collection of the Botanic Gardens where management has concentrated on preventing grazing through meshing susceptible plantings; in 2009 the Board approved the installation of a macropod-proof fence around the collection.
The management of terrestrial fauna is closely linked to the management of vegetation communities. Ongoing fauna management has involved ecological studies of wildlife and populations; feral animal and weed control programs; fire management; and the adoption of a vegetation management program (see also Section 6.7, Fire). Marine fauna management has focused on patrol and law enforcement. Park staff may also be called upon to deal with injured wildlife.
A number of entrenched visitor activities affecting wildlife are inconsistent with conservation of the park. These include feeding wildlife, collection of bait and shellfish from rock platforms and private specimen collecting. Such activities are currently managed through visitor education and compliance activities.
Invasive and overabundant native species may impact upon biodiversity.
There is a need for a better understanding of the taxonomic status of a number of locally endemic species.
Strengthened regional cooperation is required to manage biodiversity and threatening processes.
Ability for fauna to move in and out of the park may be impacted by fragmentation of corridors linking the park to other natural areas.
Inappropriate fire regimes affect fauna and flora.
Entrenched visitor activities may impact on native fauna.
6.8.1 The Director may take actions concerning native species, including species listed under Part 13 of the EPBC Act, that are otherwise prohibited by the EPBC Act where they are necessary to implement this Plan, or where they are otherwise necessary for preserving or protecting the Park, protecting or conserving biodiversity, or protecting persons or property in the Park.
6.8.2 The Director may carry out research and monitoring that involves actions covered by ss.354 and 354A of the EPBC Act in relation to members of native species.
6.8.3 The Director may issue a permit to bring plant material into the park.
6.8.4 The supply of native plants and plant material by the Director to people or organisations outside the park is undertaken in accordance with the provisions of this plan and written agreement with the Director.
6.8.5 Taking of native plant and animal species that involves access to biological resources will be managed in accordance with Section 6.12, Research and monitoring.
6.8.6 Species of plants and animals that are significant to the park (Appendix E) will be the focus of management programs. Species will be selected for conservation action on the basis of conservation and cultural significance, ecological function and available resources.
6.8.7 Where possible ecosystem approaches will be adopted to conserve biodiversity.
6.8.8 Flora and fauna research undertaken or sponsored by the park will primarily be directed at supporting and assessing the effectiveness of management programs.
6.8.9 Previously occurring native species may be reintroduced to the park, subject to approval by the Board.
6.8.10 Injured or otherwise distressed animals will be managed as follows:
(a) Animals may be removed from the park by staff for rehabilitation.
(b) Financial support may be provided to local wildlife carer organisations where appropriate.
(c) Return to the park of rehabilitated animals originating from the park will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
(d) Release in the park of rehabilitated animals not originating from the park will require the approval of the Park Manager which will be subject to an evaluation of suitable genetic, territorial and habitat factors.
(e) Animals may be euthanised if necessary.
6.8.11 Nuisance native animals will be relocated wherever practical and may be euthanised if no other solution is feasible.
6.8.12 Seek authorisation under relevant NSW legislation to allow for cooperation with adjacent management agencies in the protection of flora and fauna.
6.8.13 Work closely with the Council and, where appropriate, Defence and the Jervis Bay Territory Administration, to adopt a peninsula-wide approach to conservation management of vegetation corridors.
6.8.14 Continue to liaise with NSW agencies and the Shoalhaven City Council to actively promote the maintenance of vegetation corridors regionally.
6.8.15 Continue to liaise with neighbours to encourage the conservation of native species and communities across legal boundaries.
6.8.16 Monitor population trends for selected threatened and significant native species (see Table 9).
6.8.17 Incorporate relevant actions from threat abatement and species recovery plans into park management programs.
6.8.18 Consistent with climate change strategies for the park (see Section 6.11, Climate Change) continue to monitor species or communities likely to be most at risk from impacts of climate change and identify options to improve their resilience.
6.8.19 Develop a conservation program for Bowen Island that includes:
(a) identification of natural and cultural heritage values
(b) ecological monitoring of seabirds and other fauna
(c) identification and management of key threatening processes
(d) fire management
(e) infrastructure development and maintenance activities.
6.8.20 Incorporate information on native flora and fauna into the park’s geographic information system. This may include information on land owned and managed by the Council and will be made available to the Council for management purposes.
6.8.21 Investigate options for the management of over-abundant macropods in the park.
Manage a living collection that aids understanding and appreciation of the flora of the coastal region of south-eastern Australia with an emphasis on Aboriginal plant use.
Continue to develop the Botanic Gardens as an example of good landscaping and horticultural practice.
Establishment of the present living collection of coastal south-eastern Australia flora began in the 1950s with the development of the Booderee Botanic Gardens as a frost-free annex to the Australian National Botanic Gardens. Members of the Wreck Bay Aboriginal Community made a major contribution to developing the Botanic Gardens and most households have had members who worked there between the 1960s and the present.
The original role of the Botanic Gardens has shifted with the transfer of ownership to the Council and formal inclusion of the Botanic Gardens in the park. Increasing emphasis has been given to representing the regional flora (with the ‘region’ being defined as south-east coastal Australia east of the Great Dividing Range) and to Indigenous plant use.
The Botanic Gardens living collection contains open-ground plantings of some 1,200 taxa which are cultivated and displayed to facilitate the study, conservation, promotion and enjoyment of Australia's plant heritage. In the past, planting has focused on five broad themes: taxonomic; horticultural; ecological and geographic; ethnobotanical; and conservation.
Development of the living collection has been largely confined to the region north and north-east of Lake McKenzie. Surrounding native vegetation has been retained; it provides good examples of local plant communities and species and establishes the landscape setting of the Botanic Gardens. Firebreaks are maintained along the perimeter fenceline, and fire hydrants have been installed within the fenceline adjacent to Cave Beach Road and at the Windermere gate. A weed control program aims to prevent non-local plants spreading into the adjacent natural vegetation. Watering the living collection relies on water pumped from Lake McKenzie which is subject to considerable fluctuation in response to rainfall (see also Section 6.6, Fresh water).
Following completion of the first plan a collection policy for the Botanic Gardens was developed and was approved by the Board in 2003. The policy provides for its review in line with development of this second plan.
During the life of the first plan, a proposal for establishing a Koori Garden educational trail was developed by a consultant and presented to the Council. Implementation of the proposal has been delayed subject to the Council’s ongoing consideration of appropriate cultural heritage strategies it wishes to see pursued in the park.
Under the EPBC Act (ss.354 and 354A) a person must not kill, injure, take, trade, keep or move a member of a native species in the park except in accordance with this plan. The EPBC Regulations also contain provisions that regulate the introduction of animals and plants to Commonwealth reserves and the cultivation of plants in reserves.
Future development of the Botanic Gardens needs to reflect Aboriginal ownership.
6.9.1 The Director may take actions concerning native species, including species listed under Part 13 of the EPBC Act, that are otherwise prohibited by the EPBC Act where they are necessary to implement this Plan, or where they are otherwise necessary for preserving or protecting the Park, protecting or conserving biodiversity, or protecting persons or property in the Park.
6.9.2 The Director may carry out research and monitoring that involves actions covered by ss.354 and 354A of the EPBC Act in relation to members of native species.
6.9.3 Native plant material may be taken in and from the Park in accordance with a permit issued under the EPBC Regulations.
6.9.4 Taking of native plant and animal species that involves access to biological resources will be managed in accordance with Section 6.12, Research and monitoring.
6.9.5 The living collection will be managed in accordance with the Booderee Botanic Gardens collection policy and will use ethnobotanical themes to support interpretive programs in the Botanic Gardens.
6.9.6 In consultation with protected area management agencies and botanical institutions, threatened plants from the region will be included in the living collection.
6.9.7 Plants or plant material may be brought into the park for the purpose of supplementing the living collection. Plants or plant material supplied by the Director may be taken from the park with the written agreement of the Director.
6.9.8 All wild-sourced living collection accessions will be represented by voucher specimens in the Australian National Herbarium to verify their identity and for incorporation into the Integrated Botanical Information System database at the Australian National Botanic Gardens.
6.9.9 Develop a master plan for the Botanic Gardens.
6.9.10 Review the Booderee Botanic Gardens collection policy.
6.9.11 Establish a Koori Garden educational trail in the Botanic Gardens.
6.10 Introduced species
Strategically manage weeds and introduced animals to retain the park’s natural and cultural values and prevent invasion by new species.
Increase the understanding and involvement of all stakeholders in managing weeds and introduced animals.
Introduced fauna
There are 13 known introduced terrestrial vertebrate species in the park: rabbits, foxes, cats, dogs, two rodent species and seven bird species. Following the eradication of rabbits from Bowen Island in 1979 and rats from the island in 1993, the numbers of introduced vertebrate pests in the park are relatively low and probably have little ecological impact overall.
The exception is the European red fox (Vulpes vulpes) which despite highly successful control remains a threat, particularly to small and medium ground-dwelling species. Predation by foxes is a listed key threatening process under the EPBC Act and a comprehensive control program in the park is ongoing. At the time of preparing this plan, control principally comprises monthly baiting using 1080 poison. The abundance of species known to be susceptible to fox predation is regularly monitored to test the effectiveness of fox control (see Section 6.8, Native Species).
Rabbits and introduced rodents can be a nuisance around developed areas of the park such as camping areas and the Botanic Gardens. Deer of several species represent a potential and emerging threat to park values.
Introduced flora
A total of 129 species of introduced flora have been identified in the park (Taws 1997). Some of these are native Australian species but are not native to the area.
Bitou bush (Chrysanthemoides monilifera) is the most significant weed in Booderee. Bitou is listed as a weed of national significance in the 2006 Australian Weeds Strategy and is also listed under the NSW Noxious Weeds Act 1993. Invasion of natural plant communities by bitou bush is declared a key threatening process under NSW legislation and a threat abatement plan for NSW was approved in 2006.
Bitou dominates the dune system of Booderee and also occurs in forest, woodland and coastal vegetation communities. The continuing spread of bitou into otherwise undisturbed native vegetation is a significant threat to the park’s ecological integrity. An integrated approach involving several methods of control is used in the park, including physical (fire, hand pulling), chemical (aerial and on-ground) and biological methods.
Other introduced plants in the park include castor oil plant (Ricinus communis), Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum), dipogon vine (Dipogon lignosus), Madeira vine (Anredera cordifolia), conifer wildings (Pinus spp.) from past forestry operations and moth vine (Araujia hortorum); escaped garden plants from nearby residential areas represent a future threat to park values. Infestations of these plants are usually small-scale although control of Kikuyu on Bowen Island is regularly required to protect seabird nesting sites.
In the Botanic Gardens, some non-local native plants such as kangaroo paws (Anigozanthus spp.) and Cordyline stricta have become serious environmental weeds and occur outside the cultivated area. Native conifers planted as part of past forestry operations are also potentially invasive.
Some introduced species such as ribgrass (Plantago lanceolata) and inkweed (Phytolacca octandra) are used by traditional owners for medicinal purposes. Where these species are non-invasive, they do not present control problems for the park.
A weed management strategy is developed every five years for the park and includes profiles of the main weeds, prescriptions for their control and locations of infestations. The strategy is implemented by park staff and the volunteer group Parkcare. Under the strategy a bitou control plan is also prepared.
Pathogens
Chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis) has been implicated in the decline of many amphibian species worldwide and infection of amphibians with the chytrid fungus is a listed key threatening process under the EPBC Act. The apparent disappearance of the nationally vulnerable green and golden bell frog from the park during the first plan was attributed to this disease which may pose a threat to other amphibians in the park (Penman and Brassil 2008).
In the Botanic Gardens, attention to watering regimes has been the main method used to minimise the outbreak and movement of soil-based pathogens. A fungal pathogen, Armillaria luteobubalina, has been identified in a section of the Botanic Gardens and control strategies are being investigated.
Marine pests
Introduction of marine plant and animal pests has been a problem elsewhere and, with ships and boats coming into Jervis Bay, is a risk in the park. Marine surveys have detected the likely presence of an introduced marine worm at Murrays Beach boat ramp (Aquenal 2004) and the marine alga Caulerpa taxifolia is found in St Georges Basin adjacent to the park.
The EPBC Regulations regulate the introduction of animals and plants to the park and the cultivation of plants in the park. The Regulations also prohibit unauthorised use or introduction of a pesticide, herbicide or other poisonous substance in the park unless carried out in accordance with this plan.
Foxes are a significant threat to fauna (particularly small to medium-sized species) and control requires long-term commitment.
Effective bitou control requires long-term commitment.
Introduction of new weeds, pests and pathogens may pose a risk to the park.
6.10.1 Control of weeds and introduced animals will be a high priority and will attract ongoing financial commitment with an identified budget.
6.10.2 Adopt best management practices for control of weeds and introduced animals, with preference given to those prescribed in threat abatement plans and/or identified as Weeds of National Significance.
6.10.3 Chemical control of weeds and introduced animals may be carried out but effects on non-target species and the park environment will be minimised.
6.10.4 Opportunities for potential weed species to be introduced to the living collection of the Botanic Gardens will be minimised.
6.10.5 Action may be taken to remove or control any marine pests found in the park, in cooperation with other authorities involved in management of Jervis Bay as necessary.
6.10.6 Regularly update the weed management strategy during the life of this plan. The strategy will detail weed sites, control prescriptions, monitoring actions and resources required and will be assessed in accordance with the guidelines for assessment procedures.
6.10.7 Maintain an integrated bitou bush control program and monitor its effectiveness, amending control methods as required.
6.10.8 Seek to establish a weed management committee for the Territory to encourage a peninsula-wide approach to weed control, particularly on Territory leases, and to inform the Board on relevant weed matters.
6.10.9 Develop a control strategy for introduced animals including emerging pest species such as deer. The strategy will include a review of existing protocols and will detail pest control needs and priorities, control prescriptions and monitoring actions.
6.10.10 Maintain a control program for foxes and monitor the program’s effectiveness, amending control methods as required.
6.10.11 Incorporate information on weeds and pest animals into the park’s geographic information system. This may include information about land owned and managed by the Council and will be made available to the Council for management purposes.
6.10.12 Liaise with the Council, Defence, Jervis Bay Territory Administration and Territory lessees on weed and introduced animal management matters. Provide technical assistance as required.
6.10.13 Consult with the Council in relation to control of potential medicinal weed species before control programs are undertaken.
6.10.14 Undertake or support appropriate further research into the impact and control of introduced species relevant to Booderee.
6.10.15 Regularly review and implement programs to prevent non-local plant species spreading from the Botanic Gardens living collection into the rest of the park.
6.10.16 Prevent the introduction of pests and pathogens to the Botanic Gardens living and non-living collections by regularly reviewing and updating practices and procedures.
6.10.17 Monitor the impact of pathogens on the Botanic Gardens living collection. Implement and regularly review the management program for the Armillaria-affected area of the Botanic Gardens.
6.10.18 Monitor the distribution and abundance of significant invasive species including foxes and bitou bush (see Table 9).
6.11 Climate change
Climate change impacts on park values are better understood and management actions and planning are adapted to take account of the latest available information.
In recent years global warming and its implications for climate change has emerged as a key issue for biodiversity and environmental management on a global scale.
The park’s terrestrial and marine environments are potentially exposed to a number of impacts associated with climate change. The park is likely to experience increased annual average temperatures (with up to +4.0°C projected by 2070) and increased potential evaporation (with up to +17 per cent projected by 2070). Average sea level is expected to rise by 50 centimetres by 2070. Uncertainty regarding annual average rainfall is high; rainfall may increase or decrease but the number of days over 35°C (+15 by 2070) is projected to increase (Hyder 2008).
Climate change projections such as these suggest the park will be exposed to a range of challenges. Increased frequency and intensity of fire arising from a drier and hotter climate regime has particular implications for fire-sensitive vegetation communities. Some invasive species may be favoured by changes in climate, increasing the threats they already pose to native species and their habitats.
Marginal sea level rise may have impacts on the marine environment and may damage sensitive coastal areas such as Bowen Island. Additionally, increased storm intensity will have impacts on both marine and freshwater environments. For example, more frequent large storms may lead to direct loss of seagrass habitat as well as damage to areas critical for shore-nesting seabirds.
The impact of climate change can be lessened by ensuring that all existing threats to the park’s integrity are appropriately managed. Management of fire, weeds and pest species may need to be reviewed regularly under changing climatic conditions to assess and address resilience of species or habitats.
In 2006 the Director commissioned a study of the potential implications of climate change for managing Commonwealth reserves including Booderee (Hyder 2008). The results of this investigation have contributed to better understanding of and preparedness for changing conditions in the park and development of Parks Australia-wide and park-specific climate change strategies (see also Section 9.9, Resource Use in Park Operations).
Climate change is likely to affect many aspects of the park including:
- biodiversity—changes in distribution and abundance of plants and animals and an increased risk that exotic plant and animal species will spread
- fire—changes in fire frequency and intensity
- Indigenous and cultural values—possible changes in access to certain food sources and impacts on cultural sites of significance
- water resources—future viability of a dependable water supply and any ecological impacts of reduced water levels
- human health—increase in heat-related illness and in injuries from extreme weather events.
Up-to-date expert information is needed to assess the impacts and risks of climate change. Traditional owners and stakeholders need to be informed as knowledge of potential climate change impacts develops.
Provision of adequate resources is required to implement climate change strategies.
Policy
6.11.1 If parts of the landscape are changing in ways that are of concern, the Director and the Board, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, will jointly decide on further monitoring requirements and whether protective, rehabilitation or adaptation measures are feasible. If cost effective, appropriate responses and actions will be implemented.
6.11.2 Identify priorities for and support further research into the impacts of climate change on the park and use this information to refine decisions about acceptable change (see Section 6.12, Research and monitoring).
6.11.3 Where feasible, adapt management priorities and programs in response to improved understanding of climate change impacts. This may include:
(a) ecosystem and species management
(b) emergency response capacity, including wildfire management
(c) infrastructure design, planning, development and maintenance
(d) visitor management and safety.
6.11.4 Develop and implement a climate change strategy for the park that identifies appropriate changes to park management programs in response to improved understanding of climate change impacts.
6.11.5 Investigate possibilities for participation in national strategies for carbon farming, carbon trading or similar incentive schemes which may potentially provide revenue for the park. Subject to approval by the Board, implement such strategies where appropriate.
6.12 Research and monitoring
Conduct, sponsor and support research that will lead to a better understanding of the natural and cultural heritage and use of Booderee and provide information that will contribute to effective management of the park and surrounding region.
Identify any changes in the environment of the park and its use, to provide a way of measuring management effectiveness and to inform decision-making.
Research and surveys provide baseline information and comparative data about the park’s resources, visitor use and human impact. Monitoring is an essential management tool for keeping track of changes to the environment and for measuring the success of and adapting management actions.
The park has considerable intrinsic scientific value as it contains overlapping bioregions in both the marine and terrestrial environments. As a consequence, many species are at either the northern or southern limit of their distribution. The park is used extensively by external researchers as it offers a relatively undisturbed coastal environment close to several research institutions. For some studies it provides a scientific reference area, or a pristine control for comparative experimentation. Integrated terrestrial/marine research is possible.
A number of research and monitoring programs are conducted in the park. Monitoring programs are in place for freshwater quality, abundance and distribution of species of conservation significance, abundance of indicator species, and feral species, and distribution and changes in vegetation following fire or over time. In 2008 the Australian National University agreed to a second five-year partnership, funded by the Australian Research Council, examining in detail the effects of fire and weeds on the park and recommending changes to their management (see Section 6.7, Fire).
The Lease requires the Director to make research reports in relation to the park available to the Council.
Under the EPBC Regulations research may not be undertaken in the park unless it is provided for by, and carried out in accordance with, a management plan in force for the park or is authorised by a permit, or under certain other conditions. Research which involves killing, injuring, taking, trading, keeping or moving native species or is undertaken for commercial purposes is prohibited by ss.354 and 354A of the EPBC Act except in accordance with this plan. Research which affects listed threatened species or ecological communities, listed migratory species, cetaceans or listed marine species must comply with Part 13 of the Act.
The Director has functions under s.514B of the EPBC Act to protect, conserve and manage biodiversity and heritage in Commonwealth reserves, and to carry out alone or in cooperation with other institutions and persons, and to arrange for any other institution or person to carry out, research and investigations relevant to the establishment and management of Commonwealth reserves. Research and monitoring programs assist in the development and adaptation of management programs for conservation of significant species.
Access to biological resources
Access to biological resources (also known as bioprospecting) is the taking of biological resources of native species for research and development on any genetic resources, or biochemical compounds, comprising or contained in samples or specimens of these species.
Access to biological resources in Commonwealth areas such as the park is regulated under the EPBC Act and EPBC Regulations. ‘Biological resources’ are defined as including genetic resources, organisms, parts of organisms, populations and any other biotic component of an ecosystem with actual or potential use or value for humanity. ‘Genetic resources’ are defined as any material of plant, animal, microbial or other origin that contains functional units of heredity and that has actual or potential value for humanity.