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Policy failurefreshwater protected area systems
in Australia .

• Jon Nevill, B.E.Mech (Hons) B.A. M.Env.Sc.
• OnlyOnePlanet Consulting
• 8 March 2005
  jon_nevill_at_yahoo.com.au

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AcknowledgementsAustralian Society for
Limnology
Working Group Reference Group Discussion paper /
resourcebook www.asl.org.au www.onlyoneplanet.com
.au
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Acknowledgementsfinancial help and support
Land and Water AustraliaAustralian National
UniversityAustralian Conservation FoundationWWF
Australia Prof Andrew Boulton, UNE Prof Peter
Cullen CRC FE Prof Ian White ANU CRES
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Are freshwater protected areas important?
According to the Convention on Biological
Diversity 1992, the conservation of
biodiversity, including aquatic biodiversity,
requires the protection of representative
examples of all major ecosystem types, coupled
with the sympathetic management of ecosystems
outside those protected areas. These twin
concepts underpin all Australias biodiveristy
protection programs. Protected areas are the
single most important tool used in biodiversity
conservation programs throughout the world.
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What are freshwater protected areas?

• Protected Areas
• IUCN definition management of threatening
  processes must be defined, effective and
  secure (agreed management plan, value and
  condition monitored, secure tenure)
• six categories
• Category one full protection
• Category six multiple use, little protection.

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What are freshwater protected areas?

• Freshwater protected areas are areas selected to
  protect examples of natural ecosystems, features
  or phenomena. They are established for the
• protection of biodiversity - particularly
  representative ecosystems
• protection of threatened ecological communities
  and species
• preservation of unique, rare or outstanding
  phenomena
• the establishment of ecological benchmarks and
• protection of important landscape, wilderness,
  recreational, scientific, cultural and
  educational values, including processes
  necessary to sustain ecosystems or ecosystem
  services.

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What are freshwater protected areas?

• Freshwater protected areas are areas selected to
  protect examples of natural ecosystems, features
  or phenomena. They are established for the
• protection of biodiversity - particularly
  representative ecosystems
• protection of threatened ecological communities
  and species
• preservation of unique, rare or outstanding
  phenomena
• the establishment of ecological benchmarks and
• protection of important landscape, wilderness,
  recreational, scientific, cultural and
  educational values, including processes
  necessary to sustain ecosystems or ecosystem
  services.

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What are freshwater protected areas?

• Freshwater protected areas are areas selected to
  protect examples of natural ecosystems, features
  or phenomena. They are established for the
• protection of biodiversity - particularly
  representative ecosystems
• protection of threatened ecological communities
  and species
• preservation of unique, rare or outstanding
  phenomena
• the establishment of ecological benchmarks and
• protection of important landscape, wilderness,
  recreational, scientific, cultural and
  educational values, including processes
  necessary to sustain ecosystems or ecosystem
  services.

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What are freshwater protected areas?

• Freshwater protected areas are areas selected to
  protect examples of natural ecosystems, features
  or phenomena. They are established for the
• protection of biodiversity - particularly
  representative ecosystems
• protection of threatened ecological communities
  and species
• preservation of unique, rare or outstanding
  phenomena
• the establishment of ecological benchmarks and
• protection of important landscape, wilderness,
  recreational, scientific, cultural and
  educational values, including processes
  necessary to sustain ecosystems or ecosystem
  services.

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What are freshwater protected areas?

• Freshwater protected areas are areas selected to
  protect examples of natural ecosystems, features
  or phenomena. They are established for the
• protection of biodiversity - particularly
  representative ecosystems
• protection of threatened ecological communities
  and species
• preservation of unique, rare or outstanding
  phenomena
• the establishment of ecological benchmarks and
• protection of important landscape, wilderness,
  recreational, scientific, cultural and
  educational values, including processes
  necessary to sustain ecosystems or ecosystem
  services.

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Australias international commitments
representative FW protected area systems
Ramsar Convention 1971 - applies to wet lands
promote wise use develop inventories
protect outstanding examples. World Charter for
Nature 1982 - protect representative terrestrial,
marine and freshwater ecosystems. Convention on
Biological Diversity 1992- protect
representative terrestrial, marine and freshwater
ecosystems.
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Australias international commitments
representative FW protected area systems
The IUCN World Conservation Congress was held in
November 2004 in Thailand. The congress
resolution on freshwater protected areas reads
(in part)   1. THE CONGRESS RECOMMENDS that all
states (a) establish protected areas
representative of all freshwater ecosystems,
including but not limited to riverine,
lacustrine, wetland, estuarine and
groundwater-dependent ecosystems, in cooperation
with local communities and resource users, so as
to safeguard the biodiversity of each of their
freshwater ecosystems, and set targets for
protection where useful and appropriate.
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Australias international commitments
representative FW protected area systems
Ramsar Convention 1971 -Wetlands are areas of
marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or
artificial, permanent or temporary, with water
that is static or flowing, fresh, brackish or
salt, including areas of marine water the depth
of which at low tide does not exceed six metres.
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Australias national commitments representative
FW protected area systems

• 1992 InterGovernmental Agreement on the
  Environment
• 1992 National Strategy for Ecologically
  Sustainable Development
• 1996 National Strategy for the Conservation of
  Australia's Biological Diversity and
• 2001 National Objectives and Targets for
  Biodiversity Conservation.

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State and territory commitments to create
representative freshwater protected areas

• Victoria 1987
• New South Wales 1993
• Western Australia 1997
• ACT 1998

• Queensland 1999
• Tasmania 2000
• Northern Territory 2000
• South Australia 2003

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State has funded a program specifically to
implement this commitment

• Victoria - part
• New South Wales - no
• Western Australia - no
• ACT - yes

• Queensland - no
• Tasmania - part
• Northern Territory - no
• South Australia - no

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State commitmentseg Victorian freshwater
protected areas
18 Heritage Rivers, 25 Natural Catchments,
(Heritage Rivers Act) 15 Representative Rivers
(management plans) 11 Ramsar sites 159
sites listed in the Directory of Important
Wetlands. Wetland inventory containing 13,114
sites river inventory exists. Victoria
contained (c1800) around 17,000 wetlands over 1
ha. State Environment Protection Policy
(Waters of Victoria) 2003 provides
additional protection to high conservation
value waters the only State water quality
policy to do this. Retention of native
vegetation policy (incl riparian and aquatic)
the only State where no net loss has moved
to net gain.
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Australias national /State protected area
systems representative freshwater ecosystems
The existing reserve system includes some
important freshwater ecosystems, notably Ramsar
wetland sites, and freshwater ecosystems
contained within large terrestrial reserves.
However, no information is available on the
extent to which representative freshwater
ecosystems are protected. The most significant
gaps probably relate to river and aquifer
ecosystems (way forward IFBRA?).
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Australian Capital Territory commitments

• Nature Conservation Strategy (NCS) 1998 makes
  commitments to protect all ecosystems within a
  comprehensive, adequate and representative
  network of protected areas.
• Extensive river reserves protect the
  Murrumbidgee River and the Cotter river within
  ACT jurisdiction.
• Extensive terrestrial reserves protect all other
  major wetland types within the ACT an
  inventory of freshwater ecosystems is
  complete but in need of updating.
• Recognising the small size of the ACT, the
  extensive ownership of land by the Crown, and
  extensive existing terrestrial reserves, the
  ACTs system of governance makes freshwater
  ecosystem conservation substantially easier than
  in other Australian jurisdictions.

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New South Wales commitments

• NSW Rivers and Estuaries Policy 1993 commits
  to CAR freshwater PAs.
• NSW Wetlands Management Policy 1996 commits to
  CAR freshwater PAs, (current revision includes
  CAR fw Pas).
• NSW Biodiversity Strategy 1999 commits to CAR
  freshwater PAs, Promised aquatic biodiversity
  strategy in 1999 strategy apparently
  abandoned in 2003.
• NSW Fisheries Management Act provides for the
  establishment of aquatic reserves. However,
  none have been created in freshwater.
• State Water Management Outcomes Plan 2003
  proposed a network of aquatic reference sites.

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Northern Territory commitments

• The NT wetlands strategy 2000 commits to
• identify wetlands in each biogeographic region
  of the Northern Territory
• undertake biological and environmental surveys
  of wetlands
• develop a geographical information system
  wetland inventory and
• examine the range of wetland types included in
  the current reserve system, and identify gaps
  in representation. (still in progress 2005)

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Queensland commitments

• Queenslands Wetlands Strategy 1999 commits to
  the development of CAR freshwater protected
  areas
• Implementation of this strategic commitment is
  not backed up by detailed policy commitments
  or program funding
• At this stage Queensland has no clear
  commitment to identify and protect a full
  range of riverine ecosystems, however the
  development of a rivers policy, which stalled in
  2001-2002, was resurrected at the last State
  election, and legislation to establish
  Queensland wild rivers is proposed.

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South Australian commitments

• South Australias Wetlands Strategy 2003
  contains a commitment by the State government
  to the development of CAR (comprehensive,
  adequate and representative) wetland
  protected areas
• Existing reserve acquisition programs have
  targeted wetland ecosystems for a number of
  years however funding for acquisition
  programs is limited

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Tasmanian commitments

• Tasmanias Nature Conservation Strategy
  Discussion Paper 2000, as well as the State
  Water Development Plan, propose both the
  development of a comprehensive freshwater
  ecosystem inventory and the development of
  representative freshwater protected areas
• Reserve acquisition programs in Tasmania operate
  under severe funding limitations (other than
  some RFA acquisitions).
• Existing surveys of fluvial sites will underpin
  the development of a comprehensive inventory.
• The Conservation of Freshwater Ecosystem Values
  Project (2002 to 2005) will see the
  development of a strategy to protect
  freshwater ecosystem values using CAR principles.
  Implementation funding (2005 onwards) is not
  guaranteed.

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Victorian commitments

• Policy commitments in 1987 and 1997 to develop
  representative PAs for both wetlands and
  rivers.
• Fifteen representative rivers identified in
  1991. Draft management plans for 11 of these
  15 prepared by 1996 - no further progress,
  none have been implemented.
• Wetlands investigation by LCC shelved in 1992
  LCC disbanded.
• Heritage Rivers Act passed in 1992. Management
  plans for 18 Heritage Rivers still in draft
  form in 2005 none implemented.
• No public reporting on implementation of
  management plans.
• River Health Strategy 2002 targets healthy
  representative river reaches by 2021. VEAC
  to review representative rivers?

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Western Australian commitments

• WAs Wetlands Conservation Policy 1997 committed
  the State government to establish
  representative freshwater reserves covering
  both still and flowing waters (streams and
  rivers).
• The development of freshwater ecosystem
  inventories is moving slowly, due to funding
  limitations and the large size of the State.
• Development of a biodiversity strategy and
  related legislation, commenced in 2000,
  appears to be moving very slowly...
• The draft Waterways WA Policy 2000 failed to
  amplify earlier commitments regarding the
  protection of representative examples of
  rivers. Final Waterways WA Policy remains
  unpublished (March 2005).

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Legislation to create aquatic protected areas
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Legislation to create aquatic protected areas
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Legislation to create aquatic protected areas
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Legislation to create aquatic protected areas
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Legislation to create aquatic protected areas
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Legislation to create aquatic protected areas
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Legislation to create aquatic protected areas
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Legislation to create aquatic protected areas
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Legislation to create aquatic protected
areasEnvironmental Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act 1999 (Commonwealth)
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Legislation to create aquatic protected areas
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Legislative tools developed in Qld, SA, NSW, Vic
and Tasmania NOT USED Why?

• Lack of broad community concern and support
• farmers
• Indigenous communities
• fishers
• conservationists - not talking or supporting
  each other
• Lack of political will (politicians and advisors)
• Bureaucratic inertia and incompetence
• Scientists remain silent

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Other problems with the implementation of policy
commitments remain in limbo for many years the
Victorian example -

• 1987 State Conservation Strategy commitment to
  identify gaps in wetland reserves enabling the
  development of a fully representative wetland
  reserve system no action after 17 years.
• Heritage Rivers 18 management plans remain in
  draft form after 12 years, thus without statutory
  force under the Heritage Rivers Act.
• Representative Rivers of the 15 required
  management plans, only 11 have been drafted after
  12 years.
• Source Nevill and Phillips 2004.

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Difficulties causing delays in establishing
systems of representative freshwater protected
areas

• permeable boundaries inherent management
  difficulties
• no agreed national approach to freshwater
  ecosystem classification enabling
  identification of representativeness
• comprehensive freshwater ecosystem inventories
  remain incomplete in all Australian States
  and
• focus in National Reserves System on broadscale
  bioregional planning matters of fine scale
  (such as freshwater ecosystems) deferred
  until changes to policy in late 2004

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Comprehensive inventories of freshwater
ecosystems

• Inventories should cover wetlands rivers est
  uaries subterranean freshwater ecosystems.
• Inventories should contain information
  on location value, and condition.
• Inventories should be readily accessible to
  decision-makers and to stakeholders.

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Canadas Heritage Rivers System

• the Canadian Heritage Rivers System was created
• in 1984 by an agreement between the Federal
  and
• Provincial Governments.
• Listing as a heritage river is achieved by a
  two-step process nomination and designation.
• Nomination submissions must demonstrate that
  the river in question meets criteria for
  'outstanding value and has integrity.

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Canadas Heritage Rivers System

• Nominations must demonstrate strong community
  support, and must have the support of the
  provincial government.
• A nominated river will not be designated until
  a management plan has been developed which
  seeks to protect the values for which the
  river has been nominated.

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Cumulative effects of incremental
development Principles of management

• the need to establish strategic development caps
  on a catchment basis must be formally recognised
  in water resource legislation, and appropriate
  procedures must be established to set and
  implement the caps in consultation with
  stakeholders
• caps must be comprehensive and inclusive,
  stakeholder consultation programs must establish
  caps covering water extraction from both surface
  and groundwaters the construction of farm dams
  (number and volume), agricultural drains,
  impediments to fish passage, and levee banks the
  development of irrigated pasture the clearance
  of deep-rooted vegetation, and activities (eg
  stock access) capable of degrading riparian
  vegetation
• adaptive management principles must be rigorously
  incorporated within catchment planning processes
• caps on development must be set well ahead of the
  point where the catchment enters a stressed or
  crisis situation and
• last but not least, the caps must be set in a
  precautionary way.

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Recommendations

• Ecosystem inventories and representative
  protected areas
• National protocols be established for the
  collection and storage of freshwater ecosystem
  data to support the development of nationally
  compatible ecosystem classifications and
  inventories.

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Recommendations

• Ecosystem inventories and representative
  protected areas
• National protocols be established for the
  collection and storage of freshwater ecosystem
  attribute data to support the development of
  nationally compatible ecosystem classifications
  and inventories.
• A national approach be developed to enable the
  identification of gaps in the existing protected
  area system relating specifically to freshwater
  ecosystems.

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Recommendations

• Ecosystem inventories and representative
  protected areas
• National protocols be established for the
  collection and storage of freshwater ecosystem
  attribute data to support the development of
  nationally compatible ecosystem classifications
  and inventories.
• A national approach be developed to enable the
  identification of gaps in the existing protected
  area system relating specifically to freshwater
  ecosystems.
• Programs be funded to establish and manage a
  comprehensive, adequate and representative
  network of inland aquatic protected areas
  (which would be developed as an outcome of the
  implementation of the first two
  recommendations).

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Recommendations

• The Canadian Heritage Rivers model
• the Commonwealth should initiate, fund and
  convene an inter-State working group to discuss
  and develop mechanisms to protect high
  conservation value rivers, with particular focus
  on the possibility of adapting the Canadian
  Heritage Rivers System to the Australian
  situation.

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Recommendations

• Ramsar and national wetlands directory
  frameworks
• Immediate steps (coordinated and partly funded
  by the Commonwealth) should be taken to
  accelerate the use the existing Ramsar framework
  to identify, select and protect rivers of high
  conservation value (rivers of international
  importance) and

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Recommendations

• Ramsar and national wetlands directory
  frameworks
• Immediate steps (coordinated and partly funded
  by the Commonwealth) should be taken to
  accelerate the use the existing Ramsar framework
  to identify, select and protect rivers of high
  conservation value (rivers of international
  importance) and
• Commonwealth funds should be provided to the
  States to accelerate the assessment of rivers
  against the importance criteria which underpin
  listing in the Directory of Important Wetlands in
  Australia (rivers of national importance), and
  States should be encouraged to add important
  rivers to the Directory.

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Recommendations (final slide)
These recommendations, we believe, should be
initiated within the cooperative frameworks of
the NRS, CoAG and NRMMC, assisted by agencies
such as DAFF, DEH (wetlands program), the
National Audit, and Land and Water Australia
(including involvement by the National Rivers
Consortium).