Caring for Places - Department of Parks and Wildlife · 2015-01-14 · Caring for Places - National...

Caring for PlacesNational parks in south-west Western Australia

Educator and student resource Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence

Publisher Department of Conservation and Land Management, 17 Dick Perry Ave, Kensington, Western Australia, 6151.

Managing Editor Elizabeth Moore.

Editor Sue McKenna and Tracy Peacock.

Project Writers Nancy Longnecker, PlantEd; Sally Edwards, The Curiosity Company; Elizabeth Moore, Department of Conservation and Land Management.

Design and production Tiffany Taylor.

Illustrations Rob Fleming and Terry Roberts.

Cover Main: Collie River, Wellington National Park. Photo by Michael James/CALM. Left inset: Rafting on theCollie River. Photo by Chris Garnett/CALM. Right inset: Chuditch. Photo by Babs & Bert Wells/CALM.

Printing Lamb Print, Western Australia.

© Department of Conservation and Land Management 2005

The Department welcomes use of this publication within the restraints imposed by the Copyright Act.

ISBN 0 7307 5558 4

Printed on recycled paper

2005

098-

08-2

M

Acknowledgments

A number of people have contributed to this resource. We gratefully acknowledge their assistance andsupport.

For their commitment and enthusiasm in drafting this resource:Nancy Longnecker, PlantED.

Sally Edwards, The Curiosity Company.

For their professional advice:Kerry Boyd, Curriculum Council.

Louise Nielsen, Department of Education and Training.

Rosemary Cawley, Curriculum writer.

For desktop publishing the trial package:Marg Wilke, More than Words.

Teachers who have trialled activities:Bernie Kurz, Leon Maag, Judy Wall, Simon Midson, Bruce Cavosso—Bunbury Cathedral Grammar School.

Peter Silinger, Val Knott, Deadre Seeley, Brian Jones—Bunbury Senior High School.

Kahlia Bailey—St Brigids, Collie.

Gus Barker—Nyindamurra Family Family School of Creativity, Witchcliffe.

Leanne Hadley—Adam Road Primary School, Bunbury.

Cathy Levett—Glen Forrest Primary School, Glen Forrest.

For their professional comments and support in finalising this resource:Janet Date, Peter Henderson, Robyn Weir.

Photographs, illustrations and maps have been sourced from other Department of Conservation and LandManagement publications unless otherwise stated.

1Contents

Contents Page

About this resource

Why use this resource? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

How to use this resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Elements of this resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

• Sharing the learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

• Curriculum planning and outcomes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

• Helping students reflect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

• Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

• Benefits of ‘Going Wild’ with the Curriculum Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

Supporting resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Setting the scene for educators

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Background information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

• National parks in south-west Western Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

• Wellington National Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Project 1

National parks as biodiversity banks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Project 2

Challenges for park management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Project 3

Interpreting changes over time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Project 4

Tourism and national parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

Project 5

Impact of visitors on national parks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

2 Caring for Places

About this resource

5About this resource Why use this resource?

Why use this resource?Caring for WA’s national parks is a privilege and the responsibility of every Western Australian and learningabout them is an opportunity for students to develop an understanding of their importance to sustainability,the natural environment and our society.

This resource can be used as a core component of the curriculum. It is supported by EcoEducation atCALM’s field centres in the metropolitan area and in the south-west.

National parks are places of important ecological significance• National parks play an essential role in the conservation of biodiversity.

• National parks alone are not enough to protect biodiversity. They need to be part of a varied pattern ofnatural environments including State forests, reserves, vegetated roadside reserves and privately-ownedland.

• The location and boundaries of national parks are chosen to protect and retain areas of ecologicalimportance. This ecological significance can refer to particular flora or fauna habitats, landscape andgeographical features.

About this resource

An investigation into national parks and reserves provides a context for understanding sustainability and aninsight into the role that school communities can play in sustaining our natural environment.

The term ‘national park’ in this resource is used in a broad sense and includes land-based national andregional parks, nature reserves and conservation parks.

This resource relates directly to the Curriculum Framework for WA. It is based on its underlyingprinciples, including:

• collaboration and partnerships – because education is a shared responsibility within the community; and

• explicit acknowledgment of core values – particularly social, civic and environmental responsibilities.

This resource will:

• provide educators with support for the achievement of outcomes in the Society and EnvironmentLearning Area with additional relevance to several other learning areas that are listed below; and

• provide students in the latter part of Middle Childhood and Early Adolescence with opportunities todevelop and demonstrate ‘Active Citizenship’ as part of the Society and Environment Learning Area –particularly in the context of contributing to maintaining biodiversity conservation.

Learning areas Relevance in this resource

Society and Environment main focus

English support focus

Science additional

Mathematics additional

The Arts additional

Technology and Enterprise additional

Health and Physical Education additional

6 Caring for Places

National parks are places of important cultural significance• Indigenous people occupied on a seasonal basis areas of the south-west forest in WA for many

thousands of years. They used the rivers and pools for potable water and the surrounding areas – someof which are now in national parks – for all their living requirements.

• The Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Act 1972 protects historical areas of spiritual and cultural significancewithin national parks.

• National parks have significance for many people (including future generations) in many ways.

• Safeguarding our national parks is a shared responsibility of all members of society. In WA, CALMmanages national parks on our behalf.

• National parks provide different values for different people. The ways in which people wish to accessnational parks varies, not only between groups of people, but also between their various roles and atdifferent times of their lives.

Managing national parks is a complex task requiring the ongoing balancing ofecological, social, cultural and economic concerns• Protecting the ecological significance and integrity of an area requires careful collection and analysis of

scientific and other information to build knowledge that can be used to help make decisions.

• National parks are important for providing nature-based recreation and tourism opportunities.

• Managing human interactions with the environments of national parks is a highly complex and expensive taskthat involves research, communication and collaboration with the community as well as long-term planning.

Healthy national parks are important for the health of the community• There are many health benefits that can be derived from a healthy parks system.

• Physical activity in the outdoors not only reduces the risk of disease, but alsoimproves mental outlook.

• Parks help keep the environment healthy by improving air quality, reducingerosion, delivering clean drinking water and contributing to clean waterways.

Wellington National Park is a precious shared asset from which we can learn a greatdeal and enjoy many benefits, but it must becared for responsibly by the entire community• The more we understand about an ecosystem, the better

we are able to look after it.

• Wellington National Park includes an excellent example ofa jarrah-based ecosystem and plays an important role inthe conservation of biodiversity in south-west WA.

• Management of Wellington National Park involves finding abalance between different people’s needs and wants.

One more reason: Helping you to encourage students’ interest in

nature conservation.

7About this resource Elements of this resource

How to use this resourceCaring for Places - National Parks in the south-west of Western Australia can be used for an investigationinto any WA park or reserve. This resource has a focus on the south-west national parks and, in particular,Wellington National Park, near Collie. Information on other parks is available on CALM’s website, NatureBase:www.naturebase.net.

This resource can be used at:

at school, in the classroom, and school grounds;

fieldwork in local bushland; or

to complement a visit, excursion or camp to a national park or reserve.

There are two options for using this resource. Firstly, using only the information provided, students completethe activities of one or more of the five projects.

Secondly, students research additional resources and references working in groups on different projects.

Key aspects of this approach include:

• developing a working portfolio for students to share with parents;

• encouraging collaborative group work;

• focusing on enquiry as a process of learning;

• using open-ended tasks;

• exploring a variety of learning technologies; and

• providing opportunities for students to reflect on their learning.

Elements of this resource• Printed package including a copy of LANDSCOPE magazine special issue, Spring 2000, or reprints from

this issue National Parks - Celebrating 100 years in Western Australia.

• Video Deadly Protectors in your school library.

• Complementary resources and ideas for activities outlined on NatureBase: www.naturebase.net areindicated throughout the printed package.

• EcoEducation guided excursions to a CALM field centre or national park.

• Independent visits to CALM’s parks and reserves.

The resource has five projects, each is divided into:

• Educators’ background notes

• Reference sheets

• Student guides

8 Caring for Places

Sharing the learningIn keeping with the Curriculum Framework’s principle of Collaboration and Partnerships and emergingevidence on the importance of school-home communication, CALM encourages educators to share theirconservation education resources with students’ families and friends.

Educators can support this interaction by providing:

• information on what is being learnt and why;

• suggestions on ways to reinforce learning at home; and/or

• opportunities to contribute to the learning process directly (e.g. as guest speaker on a topic of specialinterest).

The first two can be achieved by sending a brief letter home with students. A sample letter is available on lineat www.naturebase.net.

Curriculum planning and outcomesThe five projects encompass concrete and abstract learning and can be used in any order. This will dependon the approach you and your students take, and the activities selected depending on students’ needs.Extension activities are outlined within each project.

The planning form that follows is a visual reminder to help educators address the requirements of theCurriculum Framework. The shaded numbers indicate the outcomes and values that are most likely to beachieved by using this resource.


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10 Caring for Places

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erne

t, lib

rary

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calc

ulat

ions

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phin

g);

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ages

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ntin

g, ta

king

vid

eo);

and

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gani

sing

dat

a (e

.g. t

able

s in

Wor

d,Ex

cel).

Res

ourc

e/R

efer

ence

mat

eria

ls

Nat

ureB

ase

web

site

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ww

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ureb

ase.

net

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deo

Dea

dly

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tect

ors

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CA

LM (c

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vice

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x: 0

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chur

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ks;

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ild P

lace

s, Q

uiet

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ces

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k);

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ND

SC

OP

Em

agaz

ine,

Spr

ing

2000

;•

Wild

Abo

ut W

este

rn A

ustr

alia

(int

erac

tive

CD

-RO

M p

rovi

des

stud

ents

with

a ‘v

irtua

lre

ality

’ exp

erie

nce

of m

any

of W

A’s

natu

ral

won

ders

);•

Dis

cove

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ooks

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ies

of s

even

incl

udin

gD

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euw

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atur

alis

te N

atio

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Par

kan

d D

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lley

of t

he G

iant

san

d W

alpo

le-N

orna

lup

Nat

iona

l Par

k; a

nd•

Bus

h B

ooks

: ser

ies

of p

ocke

t-si

zed

book

lets

on

WA’

s pl

ants

and

ani

mal

s.

Ass

essm

ent

(val

id, e

duc

ativ

e, e

xplic

it, f

air,

com

pre

hens

ive)

Pos

sibl

e fo

rmat

s:•

port

folio

s;•

lear

ning

jour

nals

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draw

ings

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oral

pre

sent

atio

ns;

•te

st;

•te

ache

r st

uden

t con

fere

ncin

g;•

tape

reco

rdin

gs;

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deo

reco

rdin

gs; a

nd•

digi

tal p

hoto

grap

hs.

Op

por

tuni

ties

for

inte

grat

ion

acro

ss o

ther

lear

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as

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ence

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hsTh

e A

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nolo

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nter

pris

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ealth

and

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sica

l Edu

catio

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Curr

icul

um p

lann

ing

form

Car

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for P

lace

s -

Nat

iona

l Par

ks in

sou

th-w

est W

AB

ackg

roun

d: T

his

reso

urce

pro

vide

s an

opp

ortu

nity

for

stud

ents

to in

vest

igat

e, u

nder

stan

d th

e m

anag

emen

t cha

lleng

es a

nd p

rom

ote

the

valu

es (p

hysi

cal a

nd

natu

ral)

and

prot

ectio

n of

nat

iona

l, co

nser

vatio

n an

d re

gion

al p

arks

or

natu

re r

eser

ves.

By

deve

lopi

ng a

wor

king

por

tfolio

stu

dent

s w

ill be

enc

oura

ged

to r

efle

ct o

n th

eir

lear

ning

. Thi

s re

sour

ce w

ill as

sist

stu

dent

s to

dev

elop

kno

wle

dge,

ski

lls a

nd u

nder

stan

ding

s in

rel

atio

n to

the

sust

aina

bilit

y of

the

natu

ral e

nviro

nmen

t and

bio

dive

rsity

of

WA

.Ye

ar le

vel:

Pha

se o

f Dev

elop

men

t:

Tim

efra

me:


Rec

omm

enda

tion:

P

rint

onto

A3

pape

r an

den

larg

e to

141

%.

Cho

sen

them

e/s

or

top

ic/s

Conc

epts

, un

der

stan

din

gs a

nd s

kills

Key

focu

s q

uest

ions

Act

iviti

esEv

alua

tion

(ind

ivid

ual,

pee

r, te

ache

r)

Exc

ursi

on a

ctiv

ities

The

Hills

For

est D

isco

very

Cen

tre:

Pho

ne: (

08) 9

295

6149

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lingt

on D

isco

very

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tre a

ndM

arga

ret R

iver

Eco

Dis

cove

ry C

entre

:P

hone

: (08

) 973

4 19

88

Per

up E

colo

gy C

entre

:P

hone

: (08

) 977

1 79

88

Follo

w u

p ac

tiviti

es /

refle

ctio

n S

ee id

eas

for

this

reso

urce

onl

ine

onN

atur

eBas

e at

: ww

w.n

atur

ebas

e.ne

t

Pre

limin

ary

activ

ities

Carin

g fo

r Pla

ces

- N

atio

nal P

arks

in s

outh

-wes

t WA

Year

leve

l: P

hase

of D

evel

opm

ent:

Ti

mef

ram

e:

Dat

e/s

of e

xcur

sion

/s:

This

form

is a

vis

ual r

emin

der

to h

elp

teac

hers

add

ress

the

req

uire

men

ts o

f the

Cur

ricul

um F

ram

ewor

k. T

he d

ocum

ent

prov

ides

a s

truc

ture

for

plan

ning

and

a p

lace

for

note

s.


Key

Curr

icul

um O

utco

mes

Thi

s re

sour

ce s

upp

ort

s st

uden

ts t

o a

chie

ve t

he f

ollo

win

g o

utco

mes

in t

he S

oci

ety

and

Env

ironm

ent

Lear

ning

Are

a.N

ote

that

the

ter

m ‘

natio

nal p

ark’

incl

udes

ter

rest

rial n

atio

nal a

nd r

egio

nal p

arks

and

res

erve

s an

d co

nser

vatio

n pa

rks.

Soci

ety

and

Env

ironm

ent

Lear

ning

Are

a

Inve

stig

atio

n, C

om

mun

icat

ion

and

Par

ticip

atio

nS

tud

ents

inve

stig

ate

the

way

s in

whi

ch p

eop

le in

tera

ct w

ith e

ach

oth

er a

nd w

ith t

heir

env

ironm

ents

in o

rder

to

mak

ein

form

ed d

ecis

ions

and

imp

lem

ent

rele

vant

so

cial

act

ion.

Thes

e pr

ojec

ts w

ill as

sist

stu

dent

s w

hen

inve

stig

atin

g to

:

•id

entif

y di

ffere

nt in

form

atio

n so

urce

s sp

ecifi

c to

nat

iona

l par

ks in

WA

suc

h as

web

site

s, b

roch

ures

, CD

RO

Ms

and

a ra

nge

ofte

xts

by d

iffer

ent

auth

ors,

writ

ten

for

diffe

rent

pur

pose

s;

•pl

an a

n in

vest

igat

ion

rela

ting

to n

atio

nal p

arks

, the

ir de

velo

pmen

t, pu

rpos

e, u

se a

nd r

esul

ting

issu

es s

uch

as c

halle

nges

for

man

agem

ent

and

the

impa

ct o

f vis

itors

;

•re

cogn

ise

key

patt

erns

suc

h as

the

spr

ead

of fe

ral a

nim

als,

die

back

dis

ease

in n

atio

nal p

arks

and

sur

roun

ding

are

as;

•tr

ansf

orm

info

rmat

ion

on n

atio

nal p

arks

into

str

uctu

red

form

s fo

r di

spla

y; a

nd

•us

e ev

iden

ce t

o su

ppor

t th

eir

pers

pect

ives

on

man

agem

ent

and

eco-

tour

ism

rel

atin

g to

nat

iona

l par

ks.

Pla

ce a

nd S

pac

eS

tud

ents

und

erst

and

tha

t th

e in

tera

ctio

n p

eop

le h

ave

with

pla

ces

in w

hich

the

y liv

e is

sha

ped

by

the

loca

tion,

pat

tern

san

d p

roce

sses

ass

oci

ated

with

nat

ural

and

bui

lt fe

atur

es.

In p

artic

ular

Asp

ect

3:

Car

e o

f p

lace

s -

The

rel

atio

nshi

p b

etw

een

peo

ple

and

the

ir e

nviro

nmen

t ca

n b

e en

hanc

ed b

y a

com

mitm

ent

toec

olo

gic

al s

usta

inab

ility

.

Thes

e pr

ojec

ts w

ill as

sist

stu

dent

s to

:

•un

ders

tand

tha

t ge

ogra

phic

al p

roce

sses

affe

ct t

he n

atur

al a

nd b

uilt

feat

ures

of n

atio

nal p

arks

and

the

se fe

atur

es h

ave

anin

fluen

ce o

n hu

man

act

ivity

in p

arks

and

on

peop

le’s

vie

ws

abou

t w

hich

are

as n

eed

to b

e pr

otec

ted

with

in W

A’s

rese

rve

syst

em; a

nd

•un

ders

tand

tha

t pe

ople

and

nat

iona

l par

ks a

re in

terd

epen

dent

, res

ultin

g in

pat

tern

s of

act

iviti

es a

cros

s di

ffere

nt n

atio

nal

park

s an

d th

at p

eopl

e ac

t to

sus

tain

the

env

ironm

ent

of n

atio

nal p

arks

acc

ordi

ng t

o th

eir

valu

es.

Pro

ject

s**

1, 2

, 3, 4

, 5

1, 2

, 4, 5

** P

roje

cts

mos

t lik

ely

to c

ontr

ibut

e to

the

outc

omes


Key

Curr

icul

um O

utco

mes

(co

ntin

ued

)

Soci

ety

and

Env

ironm

ent

Lear

ning

Are

a

Res

our

ces

Stu

den

ts u

nder

stan

d t

hat

peo

ple

att

emp

t to

mee

t th

eir

need

s an

d w

ants

by

mak

ing

op

timum

use

of

limite

d r

eso

urce

sin

ent

erp

risi

ng w

ays.

Thes

e pr

ojec

ts w

ill as

sist

stu

dent

s to

:

•un

ders

tand

tha

t pe

ople

hav

e to

mak

e ch

oice

s in

the

ir us

e of

land

set

asi

de in

nat

iona

l par

ks fo

r th

eir

ecol

ogic

al, s

ocia

l,cu

ltura

l and

eco

nom

ic b

enef

its; a

nd

•un

ders

tand

tha

t pe

ople

att

empt

to

be e

nter

pris

ing

in t

heir

man

agem

ent

of n

atio

nal p

arks

, rec

ogni

sing

the

m a

s a

limite

dre

sour

ce.

Nat

ural

and

So

cial

Sys

tem

sS

tud

ents

und

erst

and

tha

t sy

stem

s p

rovi

de

ord

er t

o t

he d

ynam

ic n

atur

al a

nd s

oci

al r

elat

ions

hip

s o

ccur

ring

in t

he w

orl

d.

Thes

e pr

ojec

ts w

ill as

sist

stu

dent

s to

:

•un

ders

tand

tha

t, in

the

nat

ural

eco

syst

ems,

rel

atio

nshi

ps o

ccur

bet

wee

n pl

ants

, ani

mal

s an

d th

e no

n-liv

ing

envi

ronm

ent

that

prov

ide

orde

r to

the

inte

ract

ions

foun

d w

ithin

the

m.

Tim

e, C

ont

inui

ty a

nd C

hang

e S

tud

ents

und

erst

and

tha

t p

eop

le’s

act

ions

and

val

ues

are

shap

ed b

y th

eir

und

erst

and

ing

and

inte

rpre

tatio

n o

f th

e p

ast.

Thes

e pr

ojec

ts w

ill as

sist

stu

dent

s to

:

•un

ders

tand

tha

t th

e st

orie

s of

peo

ple,

impo

rtan

t pe

ople

and

eve

nts

are

wov

en in

to t

he n

arra

tive

hist

ory

over

par

ticul

arge

olog

ical

and

rec

ent

time

perio

ds a

nd a

re a

lso

part

of t

he h

isto

rical

sto

ry o

f nat

iona

l par

ks;

•un

ders

tand

tha

t th

ere

have

bee

n si

gnifi

cant

eve

nts,

peo

ple

and

idea

s in

com

mun

ities

and

soc

ietie

s at

par

ticul

ar t

imes

in t

hepa

st;

•un

ders

tand

tha

t at

par

ticul

ar t

imes

the

re a

re v

ario

us fo

rces

(clim

atic

, soc

ial a

nd c

ultu

ral)

whi

ch r

esul

t in

cha

nge;

and

•un

ders

tand

tha

t di

ffere

nt p

ersp

ectiv

es a

bout

peo

ple,

eve

nts

and

idea

s at

a p

artic

ular

tim

e ca

n be

gai

ned

from

his

toric

alac

coun

ts o

f Ind

igen

ous

peop

le li

ving

in t

he s

outh

-wes

t of

WA

.

Pro

ject

s**

1, 2

, 4, 5

1, 3

, 4

1,3

** P

roje

cts

mos

t lik

ely

to c

ontr

ibut

e to

the

outc

omes


Key

Curr

icul

um O

utco

mes

(co

ntin

ued

)

Soci

ety

and

Env

ironm

ent

Lear

ning

Are

a

Act

ive

Citi

zens

hip

Stu

den

ts d

emon

stra

te a

ctiv

e ci

tizen

ship

thr

ough

the

ir b

ehav

iour

s an

d p

ract

ices

in t

he s

choo

l env

ironm

ent,

in a

ccor

dan

cew

ith t

he p

rinci

ple

s an

d v

alue

s as

soci

ated

with

the

dem

ocra

tic p

roce

ss, s

ocia

l jus

tice

and

eco

logi

cal s

usta

inab

ility

.

Asp

ect

3: E

colo

gic

al s

usta

inab

ility

Thes

e pr

ojec

ts w

ill as

sist

stu

dent

s to

val

ue a

nd r

espe

ct e

nviro

nmen

ts/h

abita

ts o

f nat

iona

l par

ks in

par

ticul

ar t

o:

•be

sen

sitiv

e to

and

con

cern

ed a

bout

the

livi

ng a

nd n

on-li

ving

env

ironm

ent

of n

atio

nal p

arks

;

•re

cogn

ise

the

valu

es o

f bio

dive

rsity

and

bal

ance

in n

atur

e an

d th

e in

tegr

ity o

f all

livin

g th

ings

in n

atio

nal p

arks

;

•pr

otec

t th

e en

viro

nmen

t an

d liv

ing

thin

gs in

nat

iona

l par

ks; a

nd

•m

inim

ise

thei

r im

pact

on

the

envi

ronm

ent

in n

atio

nal p

arks

.

Thes

e pr

ojec

ts w

ill he

lp t

he s

tude

nts

to v

alue

and

app

reci

ate

the

need

to

cons

erve

res

ourc

es a

nd p

rese

rve

envi

ronm

ents

/hab

itats

of n

atio

nal p

arks

in p

artic

ular

to:

•up

hold

the

val

ues

of e

colo

gica

l sus

tain

abilit

y an

d us

e re

sour

ces

in a

sus

tain

able

way

;

•ap

prec

iate

the

nee

d to

con

serv

e re

sour

ces

in n

atio

nal p

arks

; and

•w

ork

to p

rese

rve

natu

ral h

abita

ts/s

peci

es in

nat

iona

l par

ks.

Thes

e pr

ojec

ts w

ill he

lp t

he s

tude

nt t

o re

cogn

ise

the

need

to

enha

nce

envi

ronm

ents

of n

atio

nal p

arks

in p

artic

ular

to:

•w

ork

to r

ehab

ilitat

e an

d re

gene

rate

deg

rade

d en

viro

nmen

ts w

ithin

nat

iona

l par

ks;

•w

ork

tow

ards

enh

ance

men

t of

the

env

ironm

ent

of n

atio

nal p

arks

; and

•id

entif

y pr

actic

es t

hat

they

can

follo

w w

hen

usin

g na

tiona

l par

ks (s

tayi

ng o

n es

tabl

ishe

d ro

ads

and

path

s, p

rote

ctin

g flo

raan

d fa

una,

follo

win

g ru

les

abou

t lig

htin

g fir

es).

Cul

ture

Stu

den

ts u

nder

stan

d t

hat

peo

ple

fo

rm g

roup

s b

ecau

se o

f th

eir

shar

ed u

nder

stan

din

gs

of

the

wo

rld

, an

d,

in t

urn,

the

yar

e in

fluen

ced

by

the

par

ticul

ar c

ultu

re s

o f

orm

ed.

This

pro

ject

will

assi

st s

tude

nts

to u

nder

stan

d ch

arac

teris

tics

of c

ultu

res

in p

artic

ular

to:

•id

entif

y tr

aditi

onal

asp

ects

of I

ndig

enou

s cu

lture

in t

he s

outh

-wes

t of

WA

.

Pro

ject

s**

1, 2

, 4, 5

3

** P

roje

cts

mos

t lik

ely

to c

ontr

ibut

e to

the

outc

omes

15About this resource Supporting resources

Helping students reflect on their learningExamples of activities to assist students to reflect on their learning are available on NatureBase atwww.naturebase.net. These are designed for educators to make overheads and model the process ofstudents’ reflection.

GlossaryA glossary of terms useful for an investigation into parks and reserves is available at www.naturebase.net.Alternatively students can develop their own glossary.

Benefits of ‘Going Wild’ with the Curriculum Framework Conservation education, in the context of education for sustainability, offers profound and practicalbenefits. As a curriculum theme, conservation education:

✔ creates a cross-curricular approach which emerges naturally and does not need to be forced;

✔ has an intrinsic focus on relationships and aids in the explicit development of relationships betweenknowledge, skills and values;

✔ has a broad, direct relevance to students’ daily lives as well as their personal development and rolesin large scale societal/global issues;

✔ is oriented clearly towards the future, offering potential for building students’ sense of optimism;

✔ facilitates development of a systems thinking approach suitable for all students and learning styles;

✔ assists students in understanding the complex nature of the natural and social worlds in which theylive;

✔ connects with the interests and motivations of many school students and young people; and

✔ is ideal for values-focused education.

Supporting resourcesCALM’s role, in partnership with the community, is to conserve WA’s biodiversity, and manage the lands andwaters entrusted to it for their intrinsic values and for the appreciation and benefit of present and futuregenerations.

This resource is part of CALM’s ongoing contribution to community education. It is designed to relate directlyto our other curriculum resources which can be used in conjunction with this package.

Resource packs• Biodiversity’s Base – Incredible Invertebrates Years 4 and 5

• Forest Detective Trail: Excursion Training Manual Years 5 and 6

• Catchment Carers’ Trail Notes Years 5, 6 and 7

• Western Shield – Threatened Species Action Pack Years 5, 6 and 7

• Discovering The Hills Forest teacher resource package Years 6 and 7

• Landscope’s Urban Wildlife Antics Years 5, 6 and 7

• Exploring Woodlands with Nyoongars Years 5, 6 and 7

• Exploring Wheatbelt Woodlands Teaching Activities for Upper Primary Schools Years 5, 6 and 7

• Sharing the Dreaming and other fliers for all learning levels.

• Welcome to Kepwari – Lake Warden Wetlands Curriculum Package Years 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10

O


Videos Deadly Protectors – 60 minute video about threatened species and Western Shieldavailable in your school library.

Mission Wild – 30 minute video about threatened species and Western Shieldavailable for loan from CALM’s Forest Science Library phone: (08) 9334 0324.

Other resources• NatureBase web site www.naturebase.net.

• Diversity at Different Levels – Project 1 Activity Years 5-10 available todownload from www.naturebase.net.

• Brochures.*

• The best-selling book, Wild Places, Quiet Places.*

• Bush Books*-pocket-sized guides with colour photographs suitable for all learning levels.

• LANDSCOPE magazine* (available by subscription, in most public libraries and in some school libraries).

• Your local CALM office or WA tourist centre.

*available from CALM’s Marketing and Customer Service Section phone: (08) 9334 0333, fax: (08) 9334 0498.

Excursions and campsEcoEducation excursions and camps are available at the following CALM centres:

• The Hill Forest Discovery Centre, Mundaring

Phone: (08) 9295 6149 or email [email protected]

• Wellington Discovery Forest, located between Collie and Bunbury

• Margaret River Eco Discovery Centre

Phone: (08) 9734 1988 or email [email protected]

• CALM also offers camp activities for schools at:

Perup Ecology Centre

Phone: (08) 9771 7988

Dryandra Woodland Irabina Study Centre

Phone: (08) 9881 9200

Go visit nature“The best way to learn about our natural environment

is to experience it!”

CALM offers a wide range of excursion and camp options as well as a comprehensive variety of professional development and support services.

Phone: Customer Service (08) 9334 0333 Website: www.naturebase.net

Setting the scencefor educators

19Setting the scene Introduction

Setting the scene

IntroductionWhen planning to use this resource and to determine the level of your students’understanding of this topic consider the central questions: What is the value ofnational parks? and How do you value national parks?

To engage students in the topic, encourage them to relate experiences theyhave had when visiting a park or reserve and invite them to bring photographsor memorabilia to the next session.

Based on the rationale for using this resource (see previous section Why use this resource) and the followingreference information and map (Figure 1), ask students to consider the value of national parks.

A structured brainstorm approach is outlined at www.naturebase.net and may assist students to prioritiseand select goals.

Understanding biodiversity Central to an understanding of sustainability and the importance of parks and reserves for conservation is theconcept of biodiversity. An introductory activity to assist in understanding biodiversity is provided on line atwww.naturebase.net.

Download Diversity at different levels from www.naturebase.net.

The Cascades – rich in biodiversity.


Background information

National parks in south-west Western Australia

There are 96 national parks in WA. CALM manages more than 25 million ha of national parks, conservationparks, nature reserves, marine parks, State forests, timber reserves and other miscellaneous landclassifications. This area is roughly equivalent to the entire landmass of Tasmania.

Looking back

The first national park in WA was a small reserve within the area we now know as John Forrest NationalPark, near Mundaring, in the foothills of Perth. It was set aside for future conservation in 1898 andproclaimed a national park in 1900, soon after the declaration of the world’s first ever national park,Yellowstone, in 1872 in the USA and the formation of the Royal National Park in New South Wales in 1879.

WA was one of the first places in the world to have a national park. Since then the number of national parksaround the world has increased dramatically and WA provides a shining example in its conservation efforts.

Looking forward

Criteria used in the consideration of the status of a national park include whether the area is representative ofnatural features such as plants, animals or geological formations that are unique, rare or threatened.

National parks conserve our natural heritage, making it accessible to the WA community and to visitors fromaround the world. The State Government is currently developing a policy to address ownership,administration and joint management of conservation lands with Indigenous Western Australians. Workingtogether with traditional owners to care for the land will be beneficial to the preservation of natural andcultural heritage as well as for cross-cultural awareness.

National park management continues to evolve and WA’s national parks form part of a global mosaic ofareas.

DefinitionsA national park is an area of national significance that is managed to conserve wildlife and thelandscape, for scientific study and to preserve features of archaeological, historical or scientific interestwhile allowing forms of recreation that do not adversely affect their ecosystems or landscapes. Althoughthey are called national parks, in Australia these areas are strictly a State responsibility. They are selected,gazetted and funded entirely by State Governments. The Federal Government may have jurisdiction if thearea becomes listed under the World Heritage Act.

Conservation parks are managed in almost the same way as national parks but have regional or local,rather than national, significance.

Nature reserves have high conservation value because they represent natural ecosystems or becausethey provide habitat for particular species of plants or animals. Nature reserves are terrestrial areas setaside for the purpose of ‘Conservation of Flora and Fauna’ and they are managed to maintain and restorethe natural environment, and to protect, care for and promote the study of indigenous flora and fauna.Recreation that does little harm to the environment, such as bush walking, is allowed.

21Setting the scene Background information

The global area of lands covered by national parks grew five-fold between the 1970s and 1990s and visitornumbers grew at a similar rate. The growth in global national park area has slowed, but visitation continuesto rise. With more environmental awareness and enthusiasm for ‘getting away from it all’, hundreds ofmillions of people visit the world’s national parks each year putting enormous pressure on their ecosystems.In WA, visits to areas managed by CALM have almost doubled in the past 10 years from 5.8 million in1994–95 to 10.9 million in 2003–2004.

Southern wonders

The south-west corner of WA is unique in the world because there are many species of plants, animals andecosystems that exist nowhere else on Earth. It is one of the world’s 25 biodiversity hotspots, and the onlyinternationally-recognised hotspot in Australia. The special value of the natural environments in the south-west of WA has been recognised and understood more and more by each generation.

Figure 1 shows all the protected areas including national parks, nature reserves and conservation parks inthe south-west of WA (the focus of this pack). You can find out about other national parks from theNatureBase website: www.naturebase.net.

Responsibilities1. CALM looks after approximately half of all Australia’s conservation areas.

2. Interest in nature-based tourism is growing very quickly. In 1995 there were 60 registered touroperators for national parks in WA. In 2004 there were 389!

3. CALM has more than 6000 registered volunteers who provided 355,000 hours of work on natureconservation and visitor services projects in 2003–04.

4. Many national parks have their own advisory committees made up of CALM staff and localcommunity members.

5. CALM has designed, built and manages approximately 1100 recreation sites, many of which cater forvisitors with disabilities.

PERTH

Mandurah

Narrogin

Busselton

ALBANY

HIGHWAY

Cape LeeuwinAugusta

Walpole Denmark

Albany

Mt Barker

Bunbury

HWY

EASTERNGREAT

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HWY

WESTERN

Yanchep NP

Neerabup NP

Marmion Marine Park

Herdsman Lake RP

Canning River RP

Shoalwater IslandsMarine Park

Penguin Island

Yalgorup NP

Leschenault Peninsula CP

Avon Valley NP

Walyunga NP

Kalamunda NPLesmurdie Falls NP

Tuart Forest NP

Scott NP

Beedelup NP

Stirling Range NP

Warren NP

D’Entrecasteaux NP

William Bay NP

West CapeHowe NP

Torndirrup NP

CapeNaturaliste

Shannon NP

Mt Frankland NPGloucester NP

Manjimup

Dwellingup Forest Heritage Centre Dryandra Woodland

Serpentine NP

Margaret River

Two PeoplesBay NR

Pemberton

Yellagonga RP

Beeliar RP

ALBANY

HIGHWAY

Wellington NP

The Hills ForestDiscovery Centre

Perup Ecology Centre

Wellington Discovery Centre

Leeuwin

Walpole-NornalupNP

HassellNP

WaychinicupNP

PorongurupNP

Margaret RiverEco Discovery Centre

LanePoole

Reserve

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Regional Office

Other areas including Conservation Park (CP),Nature Reserve (NR), Regional Park (RP) andMarine Park/Marine Nature Reserve

Scale

25 50 750 100 km

December 2004, IMB 03033402

Protected Areas in the South-West of WA

John Forrest NP

Irabina Study Centre

NaturalisteNP

HWY

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ELL

Major roads

Major town


Figure 1


Wellington National Park Wellington National Park is one of WA’s newest national parks. It is an excellent example of our unique jarrahforest and provides habitat for many native plants and animals, several of which are rare or threatened. It isalso accessible and popular, providing for an unusually wide variety of human interactions with the naturalenvironment.

Adjacent to Wellington National Park is the Wellington Discovery Forest (WDF), an A class reserve forscientific research and education. CALM’s EcoEducation Section regularly offers professional developmentfor educators and a wide range of educational programs, excursions and camps. Details are available in theschools section of the Department’s website: www.naturebase.net. Wellington National Park, WDF and theWellington Discovery Centre offer wonderful educational value, particularly in developing students’understanding of the complex issues involved in conservation and the many facets of Active Citizenship.

Wellington National Park (Figure 2) is located 36 km east of Bunbury and 16 km from the town of Collie.Wellington National Park covers 16,790 ha and WDF 684 ha.

A patchwork past: history of the Wellington National Park

Archaeological evidence from the Wellingtonarea is limited, but it does show the presence ofIndigenous people throughout the Wellingtonarea, dating back many thousands of years.Records kept by early European writers showthat at the time of European settlement, localIndigenous groups lived in the area on aseasonal basis. They came to the forestespecially in the cooler, wetter months to huntand gather forest food before returning to theswamps and rivers nearer the coast when theweather became warmer.

Major events in the past 200 years

The area is thought to have been first visited byEuropeans when an 1830 expedition led byJohn Septimus Roe ventured up the Collie Riverand then overland. The area was named after England’s Duke of Wellington.

“Among the hills we found large rich valleys with water courses in them … on the hills the timberwas tall and straight.”

Shenton’s Exploration Diary, 1831

For the first few decades after European settlement, activity in the area focused on agricultural efforts thatwere often unproductive at first because the resilience of the existing forest made it extremely difficult to clearfor conventional European farming practices.

“Even at midday the forest wore a sombre aspect, and a stillness and solitude reignedthroughout it that was very striking. Occasionally a timid kangaroo might be seen stealing off inthe distance, or a kangaroo-rat might dart from a tuft beneath your feet, but these were rarecircumstances.”

Sir George Grey’s Exploration Diary, 1839

Indigenous archaeological material is particularlyhard to find in the forests of the south-west of WA.Most of the cultural artefacts were organic, madefrom plant and animal materials that have

decomposed easily in the denseforest environment, leaving little orno trace. The environment did not

lend itself to the creation ofartefacts such as cave paintings;

so most archaeological sitesare based on stone tools,generally made from quartz.


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The potential of the area for establishment of a timber industry was recognised soon after Europeansettlement but a lack of transport meant that it was not until 1881 that the first timber mill finally beganoperation in the Wellington area. The new Wellington Mill was connected to Bunbury’s railway system via atramline going through the forest. A small township of around 800 people soon grew around the mill. The millclosed in 1918 when it was no longer able to compete with mills that had lower transport costs. Thetownship continued on for a while before suffering a major fire in 1950.

The other major industry in the area has beencoal mining. In the late nineteenth century, thenew settlement of WA desperately neededenergy to fuel things such as railways. Largeincentives were offered to people who found andmined coal. Collie proved to have the only viabledeposits of coal in the south-west and the townhas derived economic benefit from this sinceshortly after coal was first discovered near theCollie River in 1883.

Water has long been an issue for the survival ofliving things around the Wellington area and themost emphatic human impact relating to water wasthe construction of the Wellington Dam in the mid-twentieth century.

A load of logs being hauled into Karridale in 1899. Photo reproduced from Steam in the Forests by M.R.H.

Southcombe, published by Hesperian Press.

Steam whim hauling at Yarloop in 1905. Photo courtesy The West Australian.

Wellington Dam in 1933. Photo courtesy of the Water Corporation library.

The Griffin Mine in about 1927. Coal was carted to therailhead at Collie in horse drawn drays, until the railway

reached the mine in about 1930. Photo courtesy Griffin CoalMining Company Pty Ltd.


Some of the land that is now part of Wellington National Park has been State forest for many years. Thismeans it has been managed by CALM as a ‘mixed use’ forest including the harvesting and regeneration oftimber. The other land that is now part of Wellington National Park was once privately owned by the WorsleyTimber Company. This land was bought by the State Government in 1999. In 2000, laws were passed in theWA Parliament making more than 3700 ha of the purchased land the new Wellington National Park.

Going way back

The land we now know as Australia was once part of a much larger landmass or ‘supercontinent’ calledGondwana. For many millions of years, Australia was located close to the South Pole and covered in a giantice sheet. Many of the valleys in the Wellington National Park area were partly carved out 280 million years

ago when the enormous glaciers of Gondwana movedacross the land.

Between 135 and 45 million years ago, Gondwanabroke up into the smaller landmasses we see aroundthe world today. Australia gradually became muchwarmer as it moved north. Scientists believe thatbetween 120 and 60 million years ago, theenvironment around the Wellington area wouldprobably have been dense tropical jungle (a bit like theAmazon Basin). Around 60 million years ago, Australiawas lifted higher and the Darling Plateau formed. Riverflows driven by gravity caused erosion that cut deepcrevasses and valleys into the side of what we call theDarling Scarp.

The last major climate change ended only about 12,000 years ago. During these ‘glacial’ periods whenAustralia suffered very low rainfall and strong winds, only the toughest of native plant species could survive.Scientists think this is why jarrah was able to become dominant along much of the Darling Ranges. Its abilityto thrive on little moisture, poor soils and regular burning from natural bushfires meant it was the onlyeucalypt species able to survive as a forest at the time.

Most of Australia had much larger animals thanit does now. Scientists have found fossils thatindicate most of the animals were similar tothose we know today – but much, muchbigger. They call these the ‘megafauna’. For example, some types of wombat were as bigas rhinoceroses. So far we have not found any fossil evidence of megafauna from Wellington National Park butscientists think the area was probably home to several very large species of animal.

Darling Scarp.

An illustration of Diprotodon optatum. Illustration by Jill Ruse, courtesy of Western Australian Museum.


Balancing today and tomorrow

Wellington National Park has many values including conservation, cultural, educational, and commercial,recreation and tourism.

Conservation value

Wellington National Park is an excellent example of our unique jarrah forest. It contains many variations oflandscape and ecology and has a diversity of flora and fauna. The conservation value of the park is not in itsecological uniqueness, as much as in how well the park represents and protects a type of ecosystem that iscrucial to retaining biodiversity in the south-west of WA.

The forest is dominated by jarrah-marri complexes andincludes important populations of other vegetationbordering the banks of the Collie River. The area providesa vital habitat for many animal species, including five,which are threatened species (chuditch: Dasyurusgeoffroii; quokka: Setonix brachyurus; western ringtailpossum: Pseudocheirus occidentalis; Baudin’s cockato:Calyptorhynchus baudinii; and Carnaby’s cockatoo:Calyptorhynchus latirostris). Woylies (Bettongia penicillata)have been reintroduced to the area.

Cultural value

There are Indigenous sites and landscapes ofmythological, ceremonial, cultural and spiritualsignificance, particularly the Collie River, within theWellington National Park. It is important that traditionalowners are able to continue cultural activities andceremonies and that places and objects of culturalsignificance are protected. A policy to enableIndigenous input into future planning and managementof the park is currently being formed.

Education value

Natural environments provide a diverse array ofresearch and educational opportunities associatedwith plants, animals and their ecosystems within thepark’s boundaries. The Wellington Discovery Centreprovides an extensive range of school communityeducation and interpretation opportunities.

Commercial, recreational and tourism value

Wellington Dam, situated within Wellington National Park, is the largest reservoir in WA’s south-west. As wellas being a major tourist attraction it provides vital irrigation for downstream horticultural operations. TheWater Corporation has examined the feasibility of pumping water from Wellington Dam to Perth. This meansthat everything happening in the catchment in general, and around the dam in particular, must be carefullycontrolled to protect water quality. Salinity of the dam water, for example, is a major issue. As water is amajor focus for recreation activities this means that managing people’s access to and behaviour in WellingtonNational Park is a major priority.

In addition there are commercial nature-based tourism opportunities that focus on the wide range of naturaland cultural values.

Collie River.

Ringtail possum.


Other nature-based activities include recreational driving, cycling,bushwalking, swimming, picnicking, camping, abseiling, fishing andmarroning. The Munda Biddi Mountain Bike Trail runs through thepark.

The park, while offering spectacular scenery for tourists, alsoprovides a place of seclusion that is reasonably close for busypeople who live in highly populated cities or rural centres to enjoy.

Competing values

There are many stakeholders concerned about the future ofWellington National Park. An important social issue in WellingtonNational Park is the historical use of the area by local people such asthe residents of Collie. Local communities have been accustomed to accessing the forest in an unregulatedway, not only for recreation but also for activities such as the collection of firewood. Classifying the Wellingtonarea as a national park imposes limitations on what local people can do in the forest and even raises thequestion of fees before entering. Naturally this creates objections among people who are used to having nolimitations and no costs and who in many ways feel a sense of local ownership over the forest.

Special value

One of the most significant features of the park is the Wellington Dam. The Dam is almost 20 km long,covers nearly 1600 ha and holds more than 180 billion litres of water. However, it didn’t start this big! Arather modest wall of about 16 m was completed in 1934. This had such a positive impact on the localeconomy that the wall was raised one metre in 1944, increasing the capacity by two billion litres – but thedam still could not meet the increasing demand for water. Work began in 1955 to double the height of the wall. The project was completed in 1960 and since then the dam has averaged a collection of 200 billion litres (Note: an Olympic size swimming pool holds about 1 million litres) from its catchment of over2800 sq/km.

Wellington Dam.

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