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Managing Reserves

The National Parks and
Wildlife Advisory Council

Robert Pallin
NPA member
on the South Coast Advisory Committee

Under the National Parks and Wildlife Act, there is a National Parks and Wildlife Advisory Council set up to advise the Minister for the Environment. This was the first Act to set up such an advisory body to a Minister.

The council, as well as giving advice to the Minister, gives advice to the NPWS through the Director-General who chairs the council. The Minister and the Director-General are free to reject the advice of the council if they wish.

It consists of about 15 people drawn from scientists, users, farmers, another land-management government department and conservation groups, including Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC), International Committee on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) and NPA.

The council can advise the Minister on any relevant matters and has a specific role in the plan of management process (POM) for reserves. When a POM is placed on public exhibition, all the public comments are sent to the Advisory Council for assessment; it then advises the Minister on any changes that should be made before the Minister signs off on the POM.

This is a very important role. It means that there is a greater accountability to the parties interested in the management of our conservation reserves.

Under the present Act, the Advisory Council is mainly drawn from people who either have a scientific interest in conservation, or who have an interest in land management and management of conservation reserves. This allows balanced and supportive advice to the Minister and the NPWS. It acknowledges that conservation is the prime reason for reservation under the National Parks and Wildlife Act. Management of recreation within reserves is an allowable use as long as the conservation requirements can be met.

Shortly there will be a review of the National Parks and Wildlife Act. It is feared that the Advisory Council will be drastically changed and there will be less conservation representation and more recreation representation. This would be a bad move for conservation and I believe a bad move for recreation within our reserves.

Recreation is an important part of the use of natural areas. However, recreation allowed in reserves should only be at an intensity that does not compromise their conservation values. If recreation is allowed that does damage conservation values, then I believe there will be a backlash from future generations that will allow less recreation long term.

While I was on the council I felt we contributed to the management and conservation of the NPWS estate. The process of the Advisory Council reviewing submissions to the reserve POMs, and the Minister generally heeding the its advice, enhanced conservation of the reserves.

The other areas where the council contributed were in policy and general advice on conservation matters. Several times it was able to flag conservation issues to the NPWS that had been overlooked by them.

In policy, the council was able to bring to the discussion the wide experience of its members. I am sure this resulted in better policy. Several times during policy discussions it was clear that the NPWS had not fully realised the effects of proposed policy. With the advice of the council it was able to be changed to policy that more accurately achieved its aims.

There is another issue of whether there should be a National Parks and Wildlife Board to oversee the NPWS in the same way the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has a board. I believe this would allow the NPWS to better serve the people of NSW and the conservation needs of this State. It would allow a freer hand to achieve the objectives of the Act. It would better separate the functions of policy and carrying out that policy.

When there is a review of the National Parks and Wildlife Act, I encourage everyone to put their point of view as to how to better conserve the natural and cultural heritage of our State.

Robert Pallin
is a long-standing NPA member.
He was on the Advisory Council for 8 years
and is now on the South Coast Advisory Committee.


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