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You are here: Home > About DECC > Who we are > DECC structure > NPWS Advisory Council > Recent Advisory Council meetings > 18th NPWS Advisory Council meeting

18th meeting of the National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council: 9 May 2007

The following is a summary of matters considered by the Advisory Council at its meeting held on 9 May 2007, of relevance to Advisory Committees.

Plans of Management

Council made recommendations that the Minister adopt the plans of management for these areas:

Southern

• Kangaroo Valley Nature Reserves (South Coast Region)
• Brundee Swamp and Saltwater Swamp Nature Reserves (South Coast Region)
• Brindabella National Park and SCA (South West Slopes Region)
• Council also provided advice on the Plan of Management for Avisford Nature Reserve (Blue Mountains Region).

Advisory Committee matters discussed by Council

• Regional Advisory Committees Conference 2007
  Council members discussed the Regional Advisory Committees Conference, held in Armidale on 27-29 April 2007. Council noted the positive outcomes of the Conference.

Council matters arising from previous minutes and general business

• State of the Parks
  Andrew Growcock, State of the Parks Project Officer, attended the meeting and presented information on the State of the Parks Project. Council expressed appreciation of the work done on the State of the Parks project.
• Fire Season Statistics
  (This information is for the 2006-07 fire season, as of 23 April 2007)
  • This fire season there have been a total of 423 fires that involved a NPWS response. 345 of these fires involved NPWS land:
    • 280 fires started ON-park, with 92% being controlled ON-park
    • 65 fires started OFF-park, and then came ON-park
    • In addition, NPWS fire-fighters have assisted with a further 78 OFF-park fires.
  • Location of fires by Branch:
    • 39% of fires have occurred within Central Branch
    • 21% within Northern
    • 27% within Southern
    • 13% within Western
  • A total of 254,383 hectares of NPWS land has been burnt by bushfire this fire season. Cause of fires:
    • 16% of fires were arson or suspected arson
    • 52% of fires were started by lightning
    • 4% started due to legal burning off
    • 1% started due to illegal burning off
    • the remaining 27% were started by either campfire/cooking, farm equipment, power-line, smoking or other causes.
  • This season, more than 4,078 km of fire trails have undergone maintenance activities.
  • As of March this year, 83% of reserves are now covered by an adopted fire management strategy.
• Protecting Our National Parks from Pests and Weeds Report
  Council were advised on the release of the "Protecting Our National Parks from Pests and Weeds Report". This report focuses on examining the performance of the DECC on managing pests and weeds within NSW parks, provides case studies that outline successful approaches and outlines future directions for pest and weed management within NSW parks. The report is now available on the DECC website.
• Items for Information
  The following is a summary of the Items for Information provided to Council:
  • Revised 4WD Agreement
    • A revised version of the Memorandum of Understanding between the NPWS and the 4WD NSW and ACT Inc. has been signed
    • The revised MOU seeks to develop a more collaborative approach to conservation and park management with 4WD clubs
    • A copy of the revised MOU is available online.
      
  • Eco Certification for Lane Cove River Tourist Park
    • Lane Cove River Tourist Park, located in Lane Cove National Park, has been granted Advanced Eco Tourism Certification by Eco Tourism Australia.
    • This advanced status is in recognition of environmental initiatives in energy sustainability, site solar power stations, water harvesting and recycling projects, habitat regeneration projects and native tree planting projects.
  • DECC First Science Investment Management Plan
    • DECC's first Science Investment and Management Plan 2006-2010 (SIMP) has been finalised. The plan identifies the science and research directions needed for DECC to deliver sound environmental and natural resource management.
  • National Trust Awards
    • A project to restore the 1880s Guardhouse at Middle Head in Sydney Harbour National Park has won the Conservation Built Heritage Award for Projects under $1 million. The project used old photographs and historical records to transform the deteriorated building.
    • Also receiving an award was the plan to restore the Bobbin Head and Apple Tree Bay area in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, which won the Conservation Management Plans Award.
  • Surf Centre for Garie Beach
    • Then Environment Minister Bob Debus, opened the new $3.5 million Surf Safety Centre at Garie Beach in Royal National Park on 8 March 2007.
    • The new centre houses Garie Surf Life Saving Club and includes a first aid room, radio room, boat shed and safety equipment storage area as well as a multi-purpose community hall, a kiosk, a new amenities block and a new picnic area. It complements other work including the recent overhaul of the parking area and the ongoing restoration of the sand dune between the car park and the beach.

Communication with the Parks and Wildlife Directors

In addition to regular Advisory Council business, the Council met with the Parks and Wildlife Directors Group for a half-day meeting on Tuesday 8 May 2007 to discuss issues of communication and operation.

Dr Tony Fleming, Deputy Director General Parks and Wildlife Group, provided a report to Council addressing the following points:

• Highlights in 2006-2007
• Current status of national parks and reserves, marine parks and conservation agreements on private lands
• The State Plan Priorities for 2007-2008
  • natural resource management
  • recreation
  • strengthening Aboriginal communities
  • community participation
• Future challenges for the Parks and Wildlife Division
  • Reserve establishment
  • Climate Change and Fire
  • Pest animals and weeds

Each Director made a brief presentation on their Branch providing information on the following points:

• Achievements for 2006-2007
• Priority issues for 2007/2008
• Emerging issues

Further Information

If you require further information on any matters in this summary please contact Alison Verwey, Stakeholder Liaison Officer on (02) 9585 6337, alison.verwey@environment,nsw.gov.au or Lynne Moyce, Manager Stakeholder Liaison and Strategic Projects on (02) 9585 6344, lynne.moyce@environment.nsw.gov.au.