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Representative freshwater reserves better late
than never the role of representative reserves
in the protection of freshwater ecosystems.

• Jon Nevill, B.E.Mech (Hons) B.A. M.Env.Sc.
• Only One Planet
• Ngaire Phillips, B.Sc. M.Sc (Hons) PhD. NIWA
  Australia

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Reserves are protected areas areas under a
particular management regime designed to protect
the areas ecosystems against threats. Representa
tive reserves are ONE COMPONENT in a protected
area framework. Other freshwater reserves have
been established, for example, with the primary
aim of protecting recreational or landscape
assets, or conserving multiple use areas (Ramsar
wetland sites, for example). The US Wild and
Scenic Rivers Program has protected a variety of
such sites, for example. Currently The
Wilderness Society is arguing the case for the
protection of large pristine river systems for
their wilderness values (in northern Queensland,
for example).
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What are representative reserves?

• Representative reserves are areas selected to
  protect representative examples of natural
  ecosystems, features or phenomena. They are
  established for the
• protection of biodiversity
• 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 and uses.

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Why do we need representative reserves?

• Representative reserves are needed because
• Australia has a large variety of freshwater
  ecosystems, many of which receive little or no
  protection through existing reserve systems
• Threatening processes affect many of our
  remaining rivers, wetlands and aquifers
• Biodiversity protection requires the setting
  aside of representative examples of all
  ecosystems
• Aquatic ecosystems have other ecological values,
  which require protection, including rarity,
  naturalness and special features.

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Australias international commitments
representative reserve systems
Ramsar Convention 1971 - applies to wetlands
only wise use inventories World Charter for
Nature 1982 - terrestrial, marine and freshwater
ecosystems International Convention on
Biological Diversity 1992- terrestrial, marine
and freshwater ecosystems
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Australias national commitments representative
reserve systems

• 1992 InterGovernmental Agreement on the
  Environment
• 1992 National Forest Policy Statement
• 1992 National Strategy for Ecologically
  Sustainable Development, and
• 1996 National Strategy for the Conservation of
  Australia's Biological Diversity.

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Australias national / State reserve systems
1890 - 1970

• 1890s first national parks declared.
• Growth of the parks estate based on- natural
  beauty- wilderness- recreational- nature
  conservation, and- cultural values

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Australias national / State reserve systems
1970 - 1995

• 1970s first marine parks declared
• 1970s growth of concerns about representation
  of terrestrial reserves
• 1991 Commonwealth Ocean Rescue 2000 program
• 1992 National Reserves System Program
• 1995 Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation of
  Australia

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Australias national /State reserve systems 1996
- 2000

• 1996 National biodiversity strategy
• 1996 Natural Heritage Trust funding supports
  the NRSP
• 1997 Oceans bioregionalisation developed
• 1998 National Oceans Policy
• 1999 Oceans Action Plan includes funding from
  the NHT

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Australias national /State reserve 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 FW ecosystems are
protected. The most significant gaps probably
relate to river and aquifer ecosystems.
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Representative freshwater reserves commitments
by States

• New South Wales Rivers and Estuaries Policy
  1993 Wetlands Management Policy 1996
  Biodiversity Strategy 1999
• Victoria Nature Conservation Strategy 1987
  Biodiversity strategy 1997
• Western Australia Wetlands Conservation Policy
  1997
• Queensland Wetlands Strategy 1999.

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Representative freshwater reserves commitments
by States

• Northern Territory A Strategy for Conservation
  of the Biological Diversity of Wetlands, 2000
• ACT Nature Conservation Strategy 1998
• Tasmania Developing Tasmanias nature
  conservation strategy 2000
• South Australia is developing a draft wetlands
  policy (no commitment to representative
  freshwater reserves at this stage).

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Representative freshwater reserves programs by
States

• Victoria Heritage Rivers Program 1988
  Heritage Rivers Act 1992 15 Representative
  Rivers designated program incomplete.
• ACT several reserves designated covering river
  and wetland areas managed under the Nature
  Conservation Strategy

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Representative freshwater reserves programs by
States

• Western Australia
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• New South Wales
• Tasmania.
• - no specific programs to meet commitments.

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Representative freshwater reserves programs by
States
Summary All States except SA are committed to
the development of systems of representative
freshwater reserves however Victoria and the
ACT are alone in establishing programs to
implement this commitment.
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Difficulties causing delays in establishing
systems of representative freshwater reserves

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

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Recommendations

• Our two central recommendations are that
• agreed National methods for the classification of
  freshwater ecosystems into (representative)
  categories should be established, which can be
  incorporated into a comprehensive national
  inventory and
• a national approach should be developed to enable
  the identification of gaps in the existing
  reserve system relating specifically to
  freshwater ecosystems.

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Recommendations
These recommendations, we believe, should be
initiated within the cooperative frameworks of
the NRS and ANZECC, assisted by agencies such as
AFFA, EA (wetlands program), the National Audit,
and Land and Water Australia (including
involvement by the National Rivers Consortium).
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ASL representative reserves working group
Working Group Reference Group Discussion
paper www.asl.org.au www.onlyoneplanet.com.au