Conservation

Campaigns
  - NPA-West  
   - Red Gum Icons
   - Macquarie
      Marshes
  - Western
     Woodlands
  - Riverina
  - Marine
  - Eastern Link
  - Kosciuszko
  - Crown Lands
  - Firewood

Biodiversity

NPA Policies

Park Management

Park Management Issues

NPA is constantly scrutinising the management of our National Parks with a specially-formed Park Management Committee. Some broad issues reoccur across the state, including:

• Inappropriate recreation in national parks, especially high-impact recreation such as horse-riding, driving off the public access roads, powerboating and fishing,
  
• Pest control, particularly with regards to feral horses, deer, bees and Bitou bush,
  
• Feral dog control and dingo conservation, a serious concern given the effects of aerial bating on non-target species such as the tiger quoll, and a declining number of pure-bred dingoes,
  
• Bushfire, and developing good policy and control plans to minimise damage to ecosystems and to private property,
  
• Coastal degradation, including damage to sand dunes, coastal lakes, and beach driving in the intertidal zones excluded from National Parks and Wildlife Service management,
  
• Wilderness, and its declaration and management,
  
• Bushwalking and camping, especially promoting a strong code of ethics, as well as adequate maintenance of bushwalking tracks,
  
• Access, involving entry fees, organised tourism, cycling, roads and driving,
  
• Regional parks, and the recreational scope to be permitted within these,
• Park services, including provision of information to visitors, interpretation, and ensuring facilities fit in with the local area.
  
• Aboriginal aspects, including ownership, co-management, and management of cultural sites,
  
• Commercial activities, including licensing of tour operators, and leasing of land and buildings,
  
• World Heritage Area management,
  
• Marine reserves management and policy.

The Park Management Committee is involved in preparing submissions to draft Plans of Management, as well as to draft Fire Management Plans. They also attend government meetings and NPA State Council meetings, and prepare reports, motions or workshops.

The Committee also liases with National Parks and Wildlife staff and with other NGOs. Inspection trips are made and often National Parks Journal articles are prepared on an issue.

Areas subject to recent attention include the Blue Mountains, Sydney Harbour, Lord Howe Island, Morton and Budawang, Myall Lakes, Gibraltar, Jervis Bay, Ku-ring-gai Chase, Kosciuszko and Royal national parks.

The Park Management Committee is always keen to hear from NPA members who can help in these areas, or on the above-mentioned issues. Email pmc@npansw.org.au   Park Management Documents More information on park management can be found in our policies pages.

Mud churned up by horses at Long Plain Horse Camp (Yorkies Creek, Kosciuszko NP)

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Photo by Henry Gold
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