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The Alps:everyone’s
heritage
Welcome to Country
Before we start, we acknowledge and pay our respects to the traditional owners of this country, in particular the elders and all those traditional owners that may be present today.
Jaitmathang Aboriginal Tribe• “So little is known about them,
so few are the relics that they left behind, and so difficult is the country they inhabited that they must remain as the least known of the Aborigines of Victoria”. – Massola 1969: 152
Bogong Moth
1830’s – Mining. Cassilis Mine – near Swifts Creek
1850’s Cattle grazing
And with grazing came infrastructure.
Blairs Hut
Later the stock routes became roadswhich increased the access to the Alps
In early times there were no roadsin the Alps - original access to the area was on horseback.
1890’s – Recreational activities began – small numbers only
Mount Feathertop
1920’s Kiewa Hydro Scheme
Before the scheme…
…Today
Hydro infrastructure
Aqueduct being built on the Bogong High Plains
45km of aqueducts were constructed to divert water from adjoining catchments
1940’s - Ski resorts were established. Mt Hotham shown here.
Timber harvesting – mainly Alpine Ash
Human interactions with the Alps6000 years
ago
Today2010
1788-Cook landed
1850-Grazing started
1830-Gold rush
1890’s Recreation
1920’s-Hydro Scheme
1940’s-Ski Resorts
1940’s-Logging
Confirmed Indigenous Use
The Alps are only a very small part of Australia
Alpine National Park1986
647,000 hectares
Bogong National Park 1981
114,000 ha
1989: the Australian Alps National Parks Program was proclaimed
This includes
* Namadgi National Park• Kosciuszko National Park• Alpine National Park• Baw Baw National Park• Snowy River National
Park• Mt Buffalo National Park
Mt Everest
8848m
Mt Aconcagua
6959m
Mt Matterhorn
4478m
Mt Bogong 1986m
Compared to other mountains around the world Australia’s are small.
They are also relatively flat.
Why is it a National Park?• place of outstanding scenic value • rare and threatened plants
• rare and threatened communities • research projects
Mountain pygmy possum
Burramys parvus
• rare and threatened animals
Alpine Funnel Web
Spotted Tree Frog
Alpine She-oak skink
Alpine Water Skink
• preservation of cultural sites
Cope Hut – built in 1929, specifically for recreation
Red Robin gold mine – still operational today
• recreation
So, how do we ‘manage’ this…(and what exactly does management mean anyway?)
Recreation (and other users of the Park) – what types are there?
Bushwalking / hiking – over 300km’s of walking tracks
Mt. Bogong Summit
Huts – a focal point for visitors
Non – motorised…
… and motorised.
Winter Recreation
Ski touring and camping
Snow shoe’s – winter hiking
Kangaroo Hoppet
So what’s the problem?
• Lots of different types of uses – why can’t we have them all?
• Protection of environmental values
Erosion, catchment stability, sedimentation, water quality, water quantity
Dangers of land clearing … Mt Hotham, approx 1985
Frost heaveCreated when bare ground exists
Fire scars
Vegetation depletion and degradation
Protection of rare and threatened plants
Protection of rare and threatened animals
So now we see the potential problems…
How do we fix (manage) this?
• Management Plan– Public consultation– Signed off by the Minister for Environment– Includes all activities allowed in the park– Directs management activities
• Sets out clearly what can and can’t happen in the park and in what areas– According to what the majority of the public want
Tracks that look like this…….
…..should look like this.
Well maintained tracks– direct people
Signage – letting people knowwhat you can and can’t do
Toilets – stops people using the bush
Focus recreation in certain areas – protects other areas of significance
Pretty Valley Camping Area – focus for visitors - with toilet, picnic table and fire place.
Maintain vehicle tracks, so people don’t create a bigger
road by driving around
Harden off surfaces
Seasonal and management gate closures – protects park values
Yellow Hawkweed
Recreation (people) can also bring in weeds - weed control protects park values
Monitoring to ensure park values are maintained
Supply huts for safety and recreational use…..
…..especially in winter
Supply other areas for intensive recreation – such as Falls Creek. These areas still have an impact on the park such as weeds, seed dispersal and runoff.
Remote areas mean we use helicopters a lot – adds to complexity of management
What else do Rangers do….
Fire Management
Fire Recovery programs
Climate Change
– what are we doing about it……
Effects of Climate Change:
• Warmer planet = less snow = less Mountain Pygmy Possums (more predation, no hibernation, change in plants = no food)
• Warmer planet = less snow = less water will be released at the end of winter or stored in the mossbeds = less water for the rivers increasing the drought
• Other animals will move up into the Alps more, such as the reptile eating bird the Kookaburra = less rare and threatened skinks.
• Changes in plants that grow in Alps = may mean more fire
Research into the effect of increaseIn temperature on plants
Increased effort in Mountain Pygmy Possumprotection
The Alps:everyone’s
heritage