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NEWS Wilderness and Conservation
The Simpson Desert will be closed for the first time this summer because of the danger posed by extreme temperatures. South Australia's Department of Environment and Heritage this week announced an annual December 1 to March 15 closure, saying a risk assessment showed temperatures of 40 to 50 degrees celsius were dangerous for people crossing the desert. The closure will take effect in the Simpson Desert Conservation Park and Regional Reserve, covering an area of more than 3.6 million hectares. Department regional operations director Trevor Naismith said it was unfortunate the area had to be closed, but it was necessary to prevent deaths and to ensure the health of visitors and emergency staff. "There's been a number of near misses and we have had deaths in past years in the northern parts of South Australia in relation to overseas tourists who are not experienced and are ill-prepared for the conditions," Mr Naismith said. "The Simpson Desert is one of the most fascinating, majestic places in Australia, but in the middle of summer it's also one of the harshest and the least hospitable areas, and potentially one of the most unforgiving, dangerous places. "So, we're really keen to facilitate a commonsense approach." Mr Naismith said high temperatures led to an increased risk of vehicle failure. "This high risk also extends to emergency personnel who are called out to help stranded visitors." Tourism outlets and visitor information centres have been informed of the closure and new entry information signs are being installed at all park entrances. People caught by park rangers crossing the desert will face fines of up to $1,000. AAP
The organisation working to maintain huts in the Kosciuszko National Park in the New South Wales Snowy Mountains says their need has been shown again when a skier who was missing overnight in sub-zero temperatures was able to shelter in one of the buildings. The 50-year-old Sydney man was found yesterday morning after getting lost while cross-country skiing between Thredbo and Charlotte Pass. Plans are under way to replace some of the 19 huts destroyed by fire in the Kosciusko National Park in 2003. Delaneys and Broken dam huts near Kiandra and Paterns hut near Tooma are to be rebuilt before next winter.
The president of the Kosciuszko Huts Association, Bob Moon, says the huts have provided emergency shelter through the decades. He says he is glad that the hut was able to save this man's life and give him shelter and warmth. "I am very happy to hear that the gentleman in question was found safely ... and I am happy to hear that one of the huts has been able to do that for him," he said.
The NSW NPA is a non-profit organisation that "seeks to protect and conserve the complete range and diversity of species, natural habitats, features and landscapes of New South Wales." It is also the largest community bushwalking club in Australia. The NPA aims to sustainably conserve the natural heritage of the state, by working with private landholders, indigenous communities, councils and government. For more information on their excellent work, go to www.npansw.org.au
The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has celebrated 40 years of conservation management. Currently about 8% of NSW is protected by the NPWS and another 11,000 hectares of wetland and floodplain has been added to the reserve system.
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BLOCKS of bushland across the state are being snapped up by South Australians who plan to do nothing with the land except keep it for nature. The Nature Foundation is planning its biggest "conservation estate" yet to sell to the public after the initial success of its BushbankSA program. Since 2002 the foundation has bought 10 parcels of bushland, varying in size from 16ha to 425ha, which it has protected from farming or development under a heritage agreement, then sold to budding conservationists. It is now planning a subdivision of 10,000 hectares near Blanchetown into 11 protected properties. The new owners must agree to a management plan, which includes regular weed and feral animal removal and control, and they cannot alter the land in any way. Executive officer Jim McHugh said "The whole process is really to complement the state parks scheme of setting aside bushland blocks under a heritage agreement," he said. "We are trying to conserve these areas and have people own them who are doing something positive about conservation. "Generally speaking, there is a series of prohibitions in the heritage agreement and management plan, such as no grazing, no fencing, no burning, no planting in the area." Most blocks do allow for some development or renovation of an existing house as a weekend getaway, which the Nature Foundation believes encourages owners to stay regularly and care for the property. Ashbourne farmer Cherry Macklin, 50, bought one of the first bushland blocks, which was released next to her existing farm in 2002. She said an interest in native flora and fauna led to the acquisition but it was exciting to conserve the land for the future. "To go over first thing in the morning or in the evening and see the echidnas, possums, orchids, all sorts of lizards, it's just fantastic," she said.
The Federal Government has announced $3 million in funding for eco-tourism in Tasmania's old-growth forests. The grants include $1 million to develop a bushwalk in the Tarkine region in the state's west. Another $2 million will be spent on forest-based tourism infrastructure. Federal Minister for the Environment, Senator Ian Campbell, who is in the Tarkine today, says it will open up these regions to more visitors. "One of the things it can provide is access to people who aren't avid bush walkers," he said. "There are lots of people in Australia who would like to see a place like the Tarkine or other fantastic high conservation-value forests." Senator Campbell also announced the establishment of a Forest Conservation Fund, encouraging private land holders to tender for funding to protect high-conservation forest. He says it will be one of the biggest private conservation initiatives in world history, but will not reveal the cost. "It's up to the land holders to decide how much they want, so its very much their decision," he said. "Do they want to sell it or do they want to put a covenant on their title to protect the conservation values of the land?"
In another Northern Territory pre-budget announcement, national parks are being given $12.6 million towards upgrading facilities. Environment Minister Len Kiely says Litchfield National Park will get more than half of that funding to improve access, camping and picnic facilities at Wangi Falls. "We're putting in 30 per cent more parking areas for not only cars but for coaches, because that's been a real area that needed addressing. "We're improving the picnic areas and we're looking at opening up the cascades which will take the pressure of existing picnic areas around the Litchfield area." And $1.5 million will be spent on both the boardwalk at Fogg Dam Conservation Reserve east of Darwin and the Red Centre Way Interpretive Centre in West MacDonnell National Park. Mr Kiely says national parks are an essential part of the Territory life. "They actually generate a whole range of income in different fields, right across the broad spectrum of the economy both for the Indigenous economy and the economies of Darwin and Batchelor. "Our parks are very much part of the Territory lifestyle, very much part of the Territory economy." |
An adventurer highlighting climate concerns has trekked more than 3,000 kilometres from Queensland to South Australia. Steve Posselt, a civil engineer, has formally ended his journey at a function at Adelaide Town Hall. He has spent the past four months following the course of the Murray and Darling Rivers, both in a kayak and on foot. The adventurer had to walk almost a third of the distance because of too little water for paddling at times. Mr Posselt says he has 30 years of experience in water engineering but does not pretend that his trip has given him solutions for the dire problems of the Murray-Darling Basin. "We are over-extracting [water]," he warned. "The whole Murray-Darling system is so complex that I've probably got more questions than answers from the trip. "But at least I know the sorts of questions to ask and at least I have a fairly good understanding of the system from top to bottom." He is keen to see the politics removed from the complex issues of restoring the rivers to health. "We have people against each other, we have local communities against each other, we have state against state and a lot of people just don't get it," he said. "I would just like to see the science take over and the politics get out of it. "We need to look at the science and whether we can sustain what we're doing now and whether it's appropriate to have so many crops that are dependent on water all the time in a land of drought and flooding rains."
Paul Fraser from the CSIRO's Atmospheric Research says the prediction that ozone levels will be restored in 60 or 70 years is on track. "This is probably driven by the fact that the stratospheric temperatures are somewhat warmer this year," he said. "But if you don't consider the ozone hole of 2002 - that was very anomalous in that it that it split in two - this is the smallest ozone hole for the past nearly 10 years."
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