The Alps:everyone’s

heritage

Welcome to Country

Before we start, we acknowledge and pay our respects to the traditional owners of this country, in particular the elders and all those traditional owners that may be present today.

Jaitmathang Aboriginal Tribe• “So little is known about them,

so few are the relics that they left behind, and so difficult is the country they inhabited that they must remain as the least known of the Aborigines of Victoria”. – Massola 1969: 152

Bogong Moth

1830’s – Mining. Cassilis Mine – near Swifts Creek

1850’s Cattle grazing

And with grazing came infrastructure.

Blairs Hut

Later the stock routes became roadswhich increased the access to the Alps

In early times there were no roadsin the Alps - original access to the area was on horseback.

1890’s – Recreational activities began – small numbers only

Mount Feathertop

1920’s Kiewa Hydro Scheme

Before the scheme…

…Today

Hydro infrastructure

Aqueduct being built on the Bogong High Plains

45km of aqueducts were constructed to divert water from adjoining catchments

1940’s - Ski resorts were established. Mt Hotham shown here.

Timber harvesting – mainly Alpine Ash

Human interactions with the Alps6000 years

ago

Today2010

1788-Cook landed

1850-Grazing started

1830-Gold rush

1890’s Recreation

1920’s-Hydro Scheme

1940’s-Ski Resorts

1940’s-Logging

Confirmed Indigenous Use

The Alps are only a very small part of Australia

Alpine National Park1986

647,000 hectares

Bogong National Park 1981

114,000 ha

1989: the Australian Alps National Parks Program was proclaimed

This includes

* Namadgi National Park• Kosciuszko National Park• Alpine National Park• Baw Baw National Park• Snowy River National

Park• Mt Buffalo National Park

Mt Everest

8848m

Mt Aconcagua

6959m

Mt Matterhorn

4478m

Mt Bogong 1986m

Compared to other mountains around the world Australia’s are small.

They are also relatively flat.

Why is it a National Park?• place of outstanding scenic value • rare and threatened plants

• rare and threatened communities • research projects

Mountain pygmy possum

Burramys parvus

• rare and threatened animals

Alpine Funnel Web

Spotted Tree Frog

Alpine She-oak skink

Alpine Water Skink

• preservation of cultural sites

Cope Hut – built in 1929, specifically for recreation

Red Robin gold mine – still operational today

• recreation

So, how do we ‘manage’ this…(and what exactly does management mean anyway?)

Recreation (and other users of the Park) – what types are there?

Bushwalking / hiking – over 300km’s of walking tracks

Mt. Bogong Summit

Huts – a focal point for visitors

Non – motorised…

… and motorised.

Winter Recreation

Ski touring and camping

Snow shoe’s – winter hiking

Kangaroo Hoppet

So what’s the problem?

• Lots of different types of uses – why can’t we have them all?

• Protection of environmental values

Erosion, catchment stability, sedimentation, water quality, water quantity

Dangers of land clearing … Mt Hotham, approx 1985

Frost heaveCreated when bare ground exists

Fire scars

Vegetation depletion and degradation

Protection of rare and threatened plants

Protection of rare and threatened animals

So now we see the potential problems…

How do we fix (manage) this?

• Management Plan– Public consultation– Signed off by the Minister for Environment– Includes all activities allowed in the park– Directs management activities

• Sets out clearly what can and can’t happen in the park and in what areas– According to what the majority of the public want

Tracks that look like this…….

…..should look like this.

Well maintained tracks– direct people

Signage – letting people knowwhat you can and can’t do

Toilets – stops people using the bush

Focus recreation in certain areas – protects other areas of significance

Pretty Valley Camping Area – focus for visitors - with toilet, picnic table and fire place.

Maintain vehicle tracks, so people don’t create a bigger

road by driving around

Harden off surfaces

Seasonal and management gate closures – protects park values

Yellow Hawkweed

Recreation (people) can also bring in weeds - weed control protects park values

Monitoring to ensure park values are maintained

Supply huts for safety and recreational use…..

…..especially in winter

Supply other areas for intensive recreation – such as Falls Creek. These areas still have an impact on the park such as weeds, seed dispersal and runoff.

Remote areas mean we use helicopters a lot – adds to complexity of management

What else do Rangers do….

Fire Management

Fire Recovery programs

Climate Change

– what are we doing about it……

Effects of Climate Change:

• Warmer planet = less snow = less Mountain Pygmy Possums (more predation, no hibernation, change in plants = no food)

• Warmer planet = less snow = less water will be released at the end of winter or stored in the mossbeds = less water for the rivers increasing the drought

• Other animals will move up into the Alps more, such as the reptile eating bird the Kookaburra = less rare and threatened skinks.

• Changes in plants that grow in Alps = may mean more fire

Research into the effect of increaseIn temperature on plants

Increased effort in Mountain Pygmy Possumprotection

The Alps:everyone’s

heritage