Big Steps out West
Anita Sundstrom
Western Project Officer
Andrew Cox
NPA Executive Officer
|
Big Steps out West Anita Sundstrom Andrew Cox |
|
ANITA SUNDSTROM and ANDREW COX reflect on the Western Region Project's many achievements. Since its inception in 1996, NSW Western Project has fulfilled an important role in advancing conservation issues west of the Great Dividing Range that had received little attention by environment groups and Governments alike. It is a joint project of NPA, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Nature Conservation Council of NSW. |
| A highlight for the project’s first officer, Cath Webb, was the
evolution of her work into negotiating voluntary listings of private
land under the RAMSAR Convention in the Macquarie Marshes and Gwydir
Wetland – world-first precedents.
Rachelle Thompson drew together a comprehensive package of areas for conservation in the west and helped shape the western regional assessments now underway. She was the first to focus on the campaign against the charcoal plant proposed for Dubbo or Gunnedah. |
|
Anita Sundstrom continued much of this work when she joined the NPA in December 1999. The establishment of NPA’s Western Woodlands Project NSW allowed the Western Project to focus on issues of the far west, mainly in the Western Division. A progress report on key issues follows:
Western Conservation Strategy
In mid 2000, a small working group was formed between NPA, WWF and NPWS Western Directorate to develop a joint Western NSW Conservation Strategy, recognising the barriers to a strategic approach to reserve acquisition and other NPWS conservation work in the West – lack of data and resources, land tenure and landuse issues specific to western NSW.
The group focused on developing strategic priorities in spite of these barriers, and as a precursor to comprehensive assessments.
Land Stewardship in the Western Division
Largely as a result of our efforts, West 2000 Plus (a Commonwealth/State rural restructuring program in the NSW Western Division) will introduce a pilot stewardship style scheme where landholders will be paid to implement biodiversity conservation management on pastoral leasehold land. In light of current debate in many natural resource committees, which is often polarised between conservation interests and rural interests, it is increasingly important to develop conservation options that are supported by the rural community.
Sand Mining in the Murray Basin
The Project is working with other conservation groups in NSW, SA, and Victoria to ensure that the full environmental impacts of the development of mineral sands industry development in the far South West of NSW are comprehensively assessed and that the conservation of biodiversity in this region is not compromised. Developments of greatest concern are those in the vicinity of the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area and Mungo National Park, an area of high habitat value.
The project enters a new phase with the departure of Western Project Officer Anita Sundstrom after nearly two years.
The Western Project will continue as NPA, WWF and NCC work cooperatively to promote conservation in western NSW. The NPA’s work will shift to the red gum in the NSW Murray River region, to complement work just begun in Victoria with our counterpart, the Victorian National Parks Association.
Anita Sundstrom
Western Project Officer
Andrew Cox
NPA Executive Officer
Click here to read an "Adios" message to Anita Sundstrom from Philippa Walsh of WWF Australia.
|
Red Gum Thank You Thank you to those who donated to the NPA Red Gum Appeal in June this year. Your support has allowed NPA to employ a part-time project officer to help protect the Murray River red gums and other important ecosystems in the area. If you can further support this work we can employ a full-time project officer. |
|
|
National
Parks Association - Home Page |
|
