Approval of the Pulu Keeling National Park Management Plan 2015-2025

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COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

 

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

 

APPROVAL OF THE PULU KEELING NATIONAL PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN 2015-2025

 

 

I, BOB BALDWIN, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment, acting pursuant to section 370 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, hereby approve the Pulu Keeling National Park Management Plan 2015-2025.

 

 

 

Dated this …20… day of …August…, 2015

 

 

BOB BALDWIN

 

………………………………………………………

Bob Baldwin  

Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for the Environment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pulu Keeling

National Park

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MANAGEMENT PLAN 2015-2025

 

© Director of National Parks 2015

ISBN 978-0-9807460-5-1

This work is copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Director of National Parks. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to:

Director of National Parks Parks Australia GPO Box 787 Canberra ACT 2061

Director of National Parks Australian business number: 13051 694 963

This management plan sets out how the park will be managed for the next 10 years under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

A copy of the plan is available online at: environment.gov.au/topics/national-parks/parks-australia/publications

 

 

Foreword

Pulu Keeling National Park is one of the Australian Government’s smallest national parks; nevertheless, it is a place of considerable international conservation significance. As an isolated coral atoll in an almost natural state, its relatively pristine environment is a valuable biological asset and an increasingly scarce feature in the tropics.

The park was established on 12 December 1995 and comprises North Keeling Island and its surrounding marine waters within a roughly rectangular boundary, framing 2,602 hectares of land and sea. The park is a Commonwealth reserve under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) and is managed in accordance with the Act and the regulations made under it.

Pulu Keeling National Park is an internationally recognised seabird rookery and is listed as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. It supports one of the world’s largest populations of the red-footed booby, Sula sula. It is also home to the endemic Cocos buff-banded rail, Gallirallus philippensis andrewsi, which is listed as endangered under the EPBC Act, and the Cocos angelfish, Centropyge joculator, which is endemic to both Christmas and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. The park supports at least 26 species of crabs, including several species of hermit crabs (terrestrial and aquatic), the red spider crab (Schizophrys aspera), swimmer crabs (Thalamitoides quadridens) and the coconut or robber crab (Birgus latro), which was formerly abundant on the southern atoll but is now rare or absent (Bunce 1988). Green turtles (Chelonia mydas), listed as vulnerable under the EPBC Act, nest on North Keeling Island and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) occur in the waters of the park. Three other of the world’s seven marine turtle species visit from time to time. Two species of dolphin are regularly seen in the park, which has a healthy fish fauna with substantial populations of butterfly fish and sharks.

Pulu Keeling’s forests and other native flora are examples of the original vegetation of the region and include a number of species no longer found elsewhere in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

This third management plan for Pulu Keeling National Park has been prepared in accordance with the EPBC Act and through the engagement of and consultation with the local community, as well as off-island stakeholders (including scientists and researchers) and the broader Australian public. This includes two publicly advertised opportunities to provide written comments towards the development of the plan.

The plan takes into account the comments arising from these consultation activities and will guide the conservation and management of this small, unique and significant national park for the next 10 years.Pulu Keeling National Park will be managed to preserve its flora, fauna and marine environment, ensuring that the park’s ecological condition is maintained, while providing some opportunities for limited and controlled visitor access.

 

Sally Barnes Director of National Parks

 

 

Acknowledgments

The Director of National Parks is grateful to the individuals and organisations who contributed to this management plan, in particular the Pulu Keeling National Park Community Management Committee, those who responded to the call to ‘Have Your Say’ and those who provided comments on the draft management plan for the park.

Contents  

Foreword                                                     i

Acknowledgements                                             ii

Executive summary (in English)                                   vi

Executive summary (in Cocos-Malay)                               ix

Vision and values of Pulu Keeling National Park                 1

Park vision                                                 2

Park values                                                 2

Objectives of the plan                                         3

Management plan for Pulu Keeling National Park                5

1. Introductory provisions                                            6
2.   Short title                                                  6
3.   Commencement and termination                                 6
4.   Interpretation (refer also Appendix A – Page 70)                      6
5.   Planning process and legislative context (refer also Appendix B – Page 73)                             6
6. IUCN category                                                  7
7.   IUCN category and zoning                                      7
8. Natural heritage management                                       9
9.   Terrestrial ecosystems and species                               9
10.   Marine ecosystems and species                                  13
11.   Research and monitoring                                       15
12. Cultural heritage management                                     20
13.   Cultural heritage site management                               20
14. Visitor management and park use                                    22
15.   Visitor access and use                                        22
16.   Tourism and other commercial activities                            26
17.   Communicating park values                                     28
18. Stakeholders and partnerships                                     30
19.   Community, stakeholders and partnerships                         30
20. Business management                                            32
21.   Assessment of proposals                                       32
22.   Capital works and infrastructure                                  36
23.   Compliance and enforcement                                   37
24.   Incident management                                         39
25.   New activities not otherwise specified in this plan                     40
26.   Management plan implementation and evaluation                     41

A description of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Pulu Keeling National Park                                43

A description of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands and Pulu Keeling National Park                                    44

Location of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands                            44

Settlement of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands                           44

Governance of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands                          47

History of North Keeling Island                                   48

History of Pulu Keeling National Park                               49

The natural environment and ecology of Pulu Keeling National Park        51

Geology                                                   51

Geomorphology and topography                                  51

Soils                                                      52

Hydrology                                                  52

Climate                                                    53

Terrestrial environment                                          54

Flora                                                      54

Fauna                                                     57

Terrestrial vertebrates                                         57

Birds                                                      57

Terrestrial reptiles                                           60

Invertebrates                                               60

Marine environment                                            60

Marine mammals                                             62

Marine reptiles                                               62

Fish                                                      62

Corals                                                     64

Molluscs                                                   64

Crustaceans                                                64

Echinoderms (starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers)                    64

Invasive species and other threats                                  64

Human impacts                                              64

Feral animals                                                65

Weeds                                                    65

Yellow crazy ants                                             65

Cyclones and sea level changes                                 65

Coral bleaching, white syndrome and crown of thorns starfish             66

Changes in the lagoon and associated ecosystems                    66

Appendices                                                   69

1. General list of definitions (including acronyms)                           70
2. Planning process and legislative context                               73
3. Description of the physical features and summary of activities appropriate for each management zone                    85
4. Commonwealth Heritage values of North Keeling Island                    87
5. EPBC listed species                                             90
6. Vascular plants of Pulu Keeling National Park                           92
7. Invertebrates, Echinoderms and Decapod crustaceans of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands                                  94
8. Fish species of Pulu Keeling National Park                            102
9. Compliance with reserve management and planning principles               110
10. Summary of results for the technical audit of the third management plan for Pulu Keeling National Park                118

Maps

1. Management zones at Pulu Keeling National Park                        8
2. Location of Cocos (Keeling) Islands                                   45
3. Pulu Keeling National Park                                         46
4. Vegetation distribution on North Keeling Island                           56

Tables

1. Ramsar monitoring needs for Pulu Keeling National Park                   16
2. Key features of the EPBC Regulations on access to biological resources as they concern the park                         18
3. Decision-making processes and impact assessment procedures              34
4. Impact assessment procedures – matters and considerations                35
5. Boundaries of the North Keeling Island Commonwealth Heritage site and the Emden historic shipwreck declared protection zone          80

 

Bibliography and further reading                                  125

Executive summary

Introduction

Pulu Keeling National Park protects the natural and cultural values of North Keeling Island, an uninhabited low-lying tropical oceanic coral atoll, and its surrounding marine waters within a roughly rectangular boundary framing 2,602 hectares of land and sea. The coastal waters of the island are home to a unique array of fish and coral species. North Keeling Island forms part of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, located approximately 2,900 kilometres north-west of Perth.

The park is one of the few remaining relatively pristine tropical islands in the Indian Ocean region. It contains rare ecosystems, as it is the only largely undisturbed island in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands group that retains its original ecosystems and their species. Because of its isolation, evolution and relatively minimal human impacts on its condition, the park is significant to studies of the distribution of oceanic island species and atoll formation.

North Keeling Island’s forests and other native flora are examples of the original vegetation of the region and include a number of species no longer found elsewhere in the Cocos (Keeling) Islands.

The park performs an important role preserving examples of the natural features of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands as they would have occurred prior to human disturbance. These features include:

• relatively pristine ecosystems and habitat of high significance for Indian Ocean seabirds, playing a vital part in the stability of the Indian Ocean seabird biota
• one of the largest known nesting habitats for the red-footed booby in the world
• unusual closed canopy forests comprising species generally found as stunted shrubs in successional forests on the shoreline of tropical islands elsewhere in the region
• habitat for 10 species listed as threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) including:

-       the buff-banded rail (Gallirallus philippensis andrewsi), listed as endangered under the EPBC Act and restricted to this island

-       the green turtle (Chelonia mydas), listed as vulnerable under the EPBC Act, nests on the island’s beaches

• habitat for the robber crab (Birgus latro), recognised for its conservation significance on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

The island is significant to studies of island biogeography because of its evolution in isolation. The Cocos (Keeling) Islands were the only coral atolls visited by Charles Darwin in the 1830s. The assemblage of flora and fauna observed by Darwin on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands is now found only on North Keeling Island.

Management of the park

Pulu Keeling National Park was proclaimed on 12 December 1995. The park is a Commonwealth reserve under the EPBC Act and is managed by the Director of National Parks in accordance with the Act, the regulations made under it, and this management plan.

This plan sets out how the park and its natural and cultural values will be managed, protected and conserved for the next 10 years.

Natural heritage management

Natural heritage management within the park is primarily focused on biodiversity monitoring and management of invasive species, with some limited opportunities for research. Limitations in accessing the park during the year make comprehensive on-ground management difficult to achieve, but also reduce the likelihood and impacts of threats.

The park is home to thousands of migratory birds and is listed as a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. Monitoring of bird populations in the park is ongoing, with particular attention given to the red-footed booby population.

Recent studies of fish species observed in the park provided a baseline list of 201 species of fish from 41 families. This list is lik