Natural and Cultural Resource Management

1
Natural and Cultural Resource Management

• Conserving Heritage

2
Quick Review

• What is an ICS?
• What two factors are used to measure risk?
• Why is risk management important?
• Explain three factors that affect the standard of
  care that should be provided to park visitors.

3
Objectives

• Justify the need for management of protected
  areas
• Discuss key environmental threats and their
  underlying causes
• Explain the objectives, issues techniques
  involved in vegetation management wildlife
  management
• Outline types of cultural sites and discuss
  threats and associated management principles

4
Readings

• Worboys et al. 2005
• Chap 12 309-311, 343-350.
• Chap 13
• Chap 14 386-393
• Worboys et al. 2001.
• p. 179-181
• P. 218- 226
• P. 243-249
• Reference
• Green, R. J. and Higginbottom, K. 2000. The
  effects of non-consumptive wildlife tourism on
  free-ranging wildlife a review. Pacific
  Conservation Biology 6 183-97.

5
Your are past half way in the semester Can you
explain why Park Management is not an oxymoron?
6
Threats to Protected Areas

• Biodiversity
• Soils / Geological Features
• Scenic quality
• Cultural heritage

7
Biodiversity Threats

• Pollution
• Fire
• Grazing
• Edge effects
• Encroachments
• Pest animals
• Weeds

• Habitat disturbance
• Visitor use
• Vandalism
• Illegal actions (eg. Collecting plants)
• Disease

8
Threats to Soils and Geological Features

• Erosion
• Soil, sand, gravel extraction
• Fossil or mineral collecting
• Collecting rocks for landscaping

• Damage to caves
• Introduced trace elements in soils
• Plant pathogens in soils (eg. Phytopthora
  cinnamomi)

9
Threats to Scenic Quality

• Poor design and placement of infrastructure
• Clearing
• Inappropriate fire regimes
• Quarries

10
Why do these threats occur?

• Social factors
• Political factors
• Legal factors
• Ecological factors
• Economic factors
• Managerial factors

11
Minimising Environmental Threats

• Improved planning
• Linking public lands
• Partnerships between states
• Partnerships with private landowners

• Education and information
• Community participation in management

12
National Strategy for Conservation of Australias
Biodiversity

• Manage for biodiversity on a regional basis
• Conserve biodiversity in an integrated manner
• Establish a comprehensive, adequate and
  representative system of protected areas
• Strengthen off-reserve conservation
• Involve Aboriginal communities

13
National Strategy for Conservation of Australias
Biodiversity

• Integrate biodiversity conservation in
  pastoralism, forestry, water management,
  recreation etc.
• Deal with threatening processes
• Improve knowledge base
• Involve the community
• Meet international convention requirements

14
Vegetation Management

• Objectives
• Protect endangered and significant plant species
• Restore natural vegetation to pre-European
  condition
• Protect and maintain diversity
• Rehabilitate disturbed areas
• Eradicate or control exotic flora
• Monitor vegetation changes

15
Issues

• Physical damage
• Weed species
• Protecting plants with commercial potential
• Preserving genetic diversity
• Reintroductions
• Fire

16
Fragile Vegetation

• Interpretation
• Barriers
• Harden site
• Closure

17
Techniques

• Thinning
• can improve wildlife habitat for certain species
• improves vigour of trees
• promotes individual trees you want to favour
• can improve aesthetics
• Mowing
• near roadways, can decrease road kill
• Historic Areas

18
Vegetation -- the Case for Removal

• Plants and hard surfacing
• Vista Cuttings
• Safety
• Sunlight
• Susceptibility to Impact
• Invisible Effects

19
Vegetation -- the case for More

• Screening
• Noise Reduction
• Shade
• Advance Planting
• Cover Planting
• Habitat Enhancement

20
Wildlife Management Objectives

• Conserve rare or significant native species
• Protect and maintain diversity by maintaining
  suitable habitat
• Control introduced species
• Undertake continuing research resource surveys
  of native wildlife
• Investigate the re-introduction of indigenous
  fauna species no longer found in the area

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Issues

• Endangered Species
• Reintroductions
• Feeding
• Unnatural Behaviours
• Stress
• Injured or sick animals
• Introduced disease

• Culling
• Hunting / Fishing
• Exotics
• Ferals
• Pets
• Native fauna as agricultural pests

22
Wildlife Management Techniques

• Separate visitors from wildlife
• Closure
• Information and Education
• Habitat manipulation

23
Conserving Cultural Heritage
24
Types of Cultural Heritage Sites

• Built (eg. Buildings, bridges, lighthouses)
• Modified (eg. Mining sites, gardens)
• Natural (eg. Fossil sites)
• Australian Aboriginal (eg. Rock art sites)

25
Key Steps in Heritage Conservation

• Identification
• Determine Significance
• Consider management constraints and opportunities
• Determine direction and priority of conservation
  works

26
Common Management Techniques for Built
Environments

• Preservation or Stabilization
• Restoration
• Reconstruction
• Site integrity
• Adaptive Use

27
Examples of Aboriginal Sites

• Camp sites
• Middens
• Mounds
• Caves or rock shelters
• Scarred trees and carved trees
• Quarry sites
• Axe-grinding stones

• Burial sites
• Remains
• Rock Art
• Engravings
• Ceremonial Grounds
• Sacred Sites

28
Common Management Techniques for Aboriginal Sites

• Visitor Management Techniques
• Interpretation
• Tours
• Limit Information
• Closure
• Resource Mgt Techniques vary depending on nature
  of site (eg. Water diversion for rock art sites)

29
Threats to Cultural Heritage

• Aboriginal Culture
• Disturbance to sites
• Misuse of site
• Vandalism
• Illegal collection
• Fire
• Tourism

• Non-Aboriginal Culture
• Fire
• Storms
• Floods, rising damp, salinity
• Vandalism
• Animals
• Tourism