Environmental management in NSW alpine resorts
Environmental management systems
It is a requirement of the Kosciuszko National Park Plan of Management (2006) that all lessees, licensees and other authorities operating in the park to have or be part of an environmental management system (EMS).
An EMS is a tool to help manage an organisation's activities in such a way as to: prevent pollution, protect the environment from the unintended effects of infrastructure and to minimise any impacts from operations.
Photo: Rock Creek Ski Club, Perisher Valley
The Perisher Range Resorts Environmental Management System (PRREMS) was developed jointly by the NPWS and the businesses, organisations, club lodges and conservation groups involved in the Perisher Range to cover all activities in the area.
Charlotte Pass Ski Resort, Perisher, Kosciusko Thredbo and Selwyn Snowfields all operate individual Environmental Management Systems (EMS) including targets to reduce impacts and implementing strategies to achieve targets. The purchase of 'green energy', improved efficiency in water use, rehabilitation projects and environmental awareness training for staff are a few of the initiatives implemented by the resorts to maximise their environmental performance.
Having effective environmental management systems will help ensure the ski resort areas of Kosciuszko National Park are managed sustainably.
In 2011 the first combined
Alpine Resorts Environment Report 2010-11 was produced. The report combined the annual environmental performance reporting from all the resort EMSs.
Campaigns and awareness programs
To assist resort stakeholders to improve their environmental performance, some environmental campaigns and awareness programs have been conducted for particular environmental issues (see the Resort Campaign Material flyer, ResortCampaignmaterial.pdf, 269KB). These include:
Waterwise resorts
This awareness campaign was established to improve water management of Kosciuszko National Park ski resorts, particularly water consumption, using low phosphorus- and nitrogen-based detergents, and preventing foreign and other non-wastewater materials entering the sewage treatment plants.
Litter reduction
A campaign targeting litter reduction in general, and cigarette-butts in particular, has been conducted since 2001. Radio and newspaper advertisements, as well as posters, bin stickers and other resources have been used to encourage proper disposal of litter. Since 2001 over 100,000 butt-bins have been distributed to alpine visitors.
Cohabitation management
It is not uncommon for native fauna to be present inside a lodge or other buildings within the resort areas of Kosciuszko National Park. Animals that are occasionally removed include insectivorous bats, small birds, brush-tailed and ring-tailed possums. Animals that are commonly removed include a suite of small ground mammals. This latter group can include the dusky antechinus, agile antechinus, southern bush rat, broad-toothed rat and mountain pygmy-possum - the latter two animals being listed as threatened species under the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995.
Reducing the presence of small ground mammals is often achieved by keeping premises clean of food scraps and blocking all small holes and gaps. It is illegal to use snap-traps or poison baits to kill native fauna. Animals can be captured unharmed with Elliott traps, which can be obtained and used under instruction from the NPWS Perisher Office. Occasionally an outbreak of the introduced house mouse may be too large for the effective use of live trapping. In these circumstances, a baiting program may be the preferred option following an inspection and written consent from NPWS.
To help resort visitors and stakeholders appreciate the diversity of small native ground mammals in and around each lodge, a poster is available from the NPWS Perisher Office or NPWS Jindabyne Office. A trapping protocol is also issued to anyone given an Elliott trap to live-trap nuisance animals.
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More information
See NPWS Alpine Resorts contacts.
Page last updated: 22 March 2012
