By Jay Anderson
The main
conservation issues that currently exist within Western Australia are
summarised below.
· Housing developments
in the Southwest of the state (from north of Perth in Wanneroo to as far north
as Jurien Bay) continue to have significant impacts on karst areas and caves in
particular. Several known cave
entrances were destroyed when a road was built over them at Carabooda just
north of Perth. The Presidents of the
Clubs have met with the local City of Wanneroo to discuss the karst in the area
and to plan a co-ordinated approach-involving liaison regarding areas under
development in karst regions. Greater
liaison with the Environmental Protection Authority is also planned, by caving
clubs, to ensure further caves and karst areas are not impacted. There is a huge task of acting to protect
the karst areas, as decisions of the last 40 odd years in “land specification”
are affecting the current development and impact of Perth’s expanding
population pressures on the karst.
· Cape Range – The
legal action of the A.S.F. (that was supported by the E.D.O) regarding the
proposed mining leases covering 82 sq km of Cape Range was concluded in the
Wardens Court in Perth on 10 November 2000.
The Warden made his recommendation to the Minister for Mines on 9
February 2001. The mining company had
also referred the proposed mine to the E.P.A. for evaluation. Objections to the level of evaluation were
lodged, with us recommending for a change in the level of assessment. The outcome was that the level of assessment
was changed (although not to the level we suggested). We are now waiting on the proponent to release their environmental
review document for public submission, at which time we will make further
comments in a formal submission.
Additionally, through the campaigning of other conservation groups, the
public is becoming more aware of the proposed resort at Mauds Landing, north of
Coral Bay, on the Cape Range coast.
There is now more support for the A.S.F. and W.A. caving clubs objection
to the proposed mine as other groups are now aware that the limestone from the
proposed quarry is for the proposed marina at Mauds Landing.
· The Department of Conservation and Land
Management (C.A.L.M.) was divided into two departments: One to manage Forest’s,
the other to manage National Parks and Reserves. The body that previously managed lands held by C.A.L.M. (tbe
N.P.N.C.A.) was reorganised and is now called the Conservation Commission. They will be approached to ensure that
future management plans adequately cover the specific needs of caves and karst. The N.P.N.C.A. had previously indicated that
the appointment of a State Karst Officer was being considered. Further approaches, to the Conservation
Commission regarding this issue, will be made once a suitable proposal is
developed. There are several members
working on plans for the State Karst Officer proposal and methods of lobbying
Government for this position.
I have held the
position of W.A.S.G. Conservation Officer for two years. I am also the W.A.S.G. representative on two
Government Cave Management Committee’s, both of which meet bi-monthly –The
Leeuwin Naturaliste National Park and The Yanchep National Park. During 2000, and with the realisation that
the conservation position required more than one person, W.A.S.G. approved my
proposal for a Conservation sub-committee.
This group currently consists of 4-5 self-nominated people and meets
monthly to discuss the specific issues that arise and to actively work towards
the conservation of caves and karst.
After discussions with other clubs, I am pleased to state that
S.R.G.W.A. has nominated a representative to the committee. The Conservation Committee will now
represent all W.A. clubs and several members will jointly be the A.S.F.
conservation convenors.
Finally, a big
“Thank You” to all cavers who have been interested in conservation issues and
who have volunteered their time for various discussions, meetings and projects,
especially to Rauleigh Webb who is willing to share what he has learnt and who
is able to provide valuable consultation on an informal basis to anyone who
asks and is willing to listen.
Jay Anderson
Leeuwin-Naturaliste
National Park (L.N.N.P.)
The Cave Manager
for the Department of Conservation and Land Management has been managing the caves
within the National Park, including restricted access and permit system
caves. Additionally, the Cave
Management Advisory Committee meets bi-monthly to advise C.A.L.M. and the Caves
Manager on cave management issues.
Under C.A.L.M. organization, various Projects have been carried out
during the past year – these include – monitoring of water levels,
environmental monitoring of air quality, trackmarking, installation of hazard
signs and installation of infrastructure such as boardwalks or stairs. It has been reported that the income from
public cave entry and the cave/abseil/climbing permit system is covering the
day to day operating costs. However,
there is a HUGE list of projects that need to occur (replace gates, signs,
stairs, pathways; increase staff monitoring of caves, installation of
toilets). Additionally, where
conservation or rehabilitation work needs to occur, cavers and volunteers are
utilised for labour. However, it is
also disappointing to see that the issue of research or investigative
assessments are not a consideration due to the current lack of funding. It is felt that there needs to be more
provision of funding to allow the much needed work and research in the areas
caves.
During 2001, the
contract expired for Edith Cowan University to provide Leadership training for
the C.L.A.P. course ( Cave Leadership Assessment Panel). The Landmanager is now organising and
facilitating the leadership training. As
previously reported, with the introduction of Formal Leader Training, the number
of leaders went from about 500 (in the self-assessment method) to the current
number of about 60 leaders. It appears
that there are few participants on the courses (3-5 people), which make the
course difficult to run more than several times a year. This basic course provides knowledge about
local karst and some leadership skills to Outdoor Leaders wishing to take
participants to a certain category of caves within the National park. It is considered by some that there needs to
be some more ongoing assessment or training of leaders, and that encouraging
leaders to belong to A.S.F. caving clubs would improve the attitudes and
behaviours of Leaders.
There was once
major cave conservation incident during the year. A significant piece of formation called the “Christmas Tree” in
Dingo cave was damaged. It appeared
that there was a minor incident within a group of teenagers where the leader’s
attention was diverted from the larger part of the group. During the trip, the formation was broken,
apparently accidentally. It is
important to note that the area was trackmarked and signs in the area should
have indicated the significance of the area.
However, it appears that the trackmarking had been previously tampered
with (and not reported to management) and the “no-go” sign’s had been
removed. The combination of factors led
to light disciplinary action and a heightened awareness of the need for regular
management visits to caves. The
Formation was able to be returned to it’s original position, however it is not
the same and is missing most of it’s crystals.
It is hoped that this most unfortunate incident allowed all cavers and
cave visitors to reconsider both their attitudes towards caves and their impact
on caves.
As a result of the
above incident, the Caves Manager has implemented a specific “Caves Monitoring”
system where there is regular assessment of; permit system compliance and
visitor impact; environmental resource and visitor impact; and environmental
monitoring. Regular management
inspections of caves will occur to check the impacts on the cave and other
factors such as trackmarking. The
implementation of this process is a great improvement on the current situation.
I can report that caves
within the Permit System (where public have access with accredited and approved
leaders) are either trackmarked or utilise a route marking reflection
system. Caves within the Restricted
access and locked section are trackmarked according to work trip proposals and
caver recommendations. Generally this
system is maintained by cavers, volunteers or C.A.L.M employees when damages
are observed or reported. It is my
opinion that, although cavers and landmanagers are aware of the human impact on
caves and minimal impact caving practices, there still is a lot of work that
can be done and actions that can be undertaken to minimise our impact on
caves. The Education of cave users,
about their direct and indirect impacts on caves is a continuous process!!!
The
Main Roads department in Western Australia has been planning for a lengthy
period of time to widen Caves Road in the South-West of Western Australia (from
Yallingup to Augusta). This road has
become the major access road to many of the key features of the Leeuwin-Naturaliste
National Park (such as Calgardup Cave, as well as tourist facilities such as
Lake Cave, Mammoth Cave and the Caveworks Interpretive Centre). It also passes over a number of known caves
and lies very close (less than 10m) to a number of others. It appears that portions of Caves Road will
be relocated, at some stage, to avoid “Black Spots” and also a number of
caves. It is reported that the intent
is that the road will not be widened in the National Park, and that any
possible changes would be in consultation with the landmanagers/National park.
It has come to our attention that Commercial activity on the Nullarbor
has been increasing. The affects of
this are not yet known, however Television and individual reports indicated
that there are some commercial operators who are visiting this region (caves
such as Old Homestead). Discussions
with Landmanagers and D.O.L.A. reveal that the landmanagers don’t consider this
an issue and have little capacity to control access to the area. It is considered that public visitation to
this area is a future issue that will need to addressed.
There appears to have been no progress on this issue, since
the election of the new Government placed the proposed listing in limbo. No new developments have occurred and this
area’s status needs to be raised with the Government again.
The
situation has not changed significantly from previous reports. It still appears that none of the proposed
National Parks or reserves in the Nullarbor region have been declared. The required legislation is still on it’s
way……. The management plan for the area is almost due for renewal and none of
the proposed National Parks or reserves to protect caves have been declared.
During mid 1999,
the Yanchep National Park Caves Advisory Committee was formed. This was in accordance with the Park Management
Plan involving “Cave Management”. This
committee has recently developed a set of “Guidelines” for cavers, “Objectives
for caving Permit system”, and a “Code of Practice for Caving in Yanchep
National Park”. Additionally, the caves
have been categorised into various categories according to access. A manual cave visitor register has been
formalised to record cave visitations and some caves will be gated and
locked. Members of our clubs have been
involved in the process of assessing caves and recommending appropriate gate
types. It is anticipated that C.A.L.M.
staff will make the gates and the caving club members will assist in the
installation of the gates.
It has been known
for some time that the water levels in the caves and caves streams has been
declining over the years. The Park
staff have been monitoring the habitats and numbers of amphipods in caves. It is also understood that the Waters and
Rivers Commission has been pumping water to certain areas in attempts to
maintain the stygofauna habitats. It
appears that the fauna are now being kept alive in artificial conditions in
several caves. It is unclear how many
amphipods are remaining in the cave environment now that the cave streams and
root matt communities have been affected by the lowered water table.
It is known that
the Gnangara Mound is at low levels.
There are plans to selectively reduce the Pine Tree Plantations in the
area and to replace them with native vegetation. However, this process needs to occur immediately, not over 20-30
years as is currently proposed. The
Government Department responsible for managing the State’s water supply
acknowledges that the water table has lowered, however it is unclear whether
this is a result of climatic conditions or whether it is a seasonal issue. Regardless of the cause, the low water table
impacts on the caves and the effect of this on the cave fauna is at a critical
stage.
It was reported last year on the proposed development
of a privately owned block at Carabooda, called “Emerald Valley”. Unfortunately the land owner and developer
did not consider the importance of caves during the development of this
land. There were 23 caves and karst
features located, explored and documented on the land proposed for development. A total number of 8 caves were directly
impacted on by the development. Despite
the objections of local members, nothing was done (by either the local Council
or the State Government) to address the issue.
Furthermore, there is a proposed road through the Emerald Valley area
called Alkimos Drive. This road passes
next to a recreation reserve and adjacent to Reserve No. 24637 (an old
limestone quarry site). The area is
currently native bushland and contains a large number of caves. It is of great concern that the road is
planned to go straight over a number of significant caves. One cave called Koala Cave has been known to
contain palaeontological remains. More
recently, this cave was visited and further important bones have been
found. It is reported that this site is
the only substantial mega fauna site in the Perth Metropolitan Area. The following fauna was found at Koala Cave
during September 2001: Sthenurus pales
and Sthenurus brownei (large extinct kangaroo’s), Vombatus hacketti (extinct
wombat), Wonambi naracoortensis (extinct giant python at 4-6m long) and the
Phaseolarctus cinereea (Koala). It is
clear that this area is significant and needs to be protected.
There are two other areas nearby that are currently under plans for further
development: Lot 51 Walding Road and Bernard Road. Members will be continuing to express concern regarding these
proposed developments to the City of Wanneroo and the State Government. Letters will continue to be dispatched to
appropriate authorities indicating the impact of development on caves and
calling for the environmental assessment processes to be changed to ensure that
such a situation will not occur again in the future. Many thanks to Lex Bastian for his continued attempts to draw
notice to this matter with authorities and on raising the awareness of local
cavers to the impact of development in our “backyard”.
The City of Wanneroo corresponded with the caving clubs during 2000,
regarding a request for cave location details and a proposed Memorandum of
Understanding between the S.E.S., Police, City of Wanneroo and Caving
Clubs. The main issues involved were
regarding environmental management and safety issues around the caves in the
area. Several Joint meeting between the
clubs resolved that specific cave locations could not be safely exchanged or
kept in a Government Department. As
such, there is a plan for a co-ordinated approach-involving liaison between the
City of Wanneroo and Caving Clubs regarding areas under development in karst
regions. Additionally, discussions were
held regarding the sharing of cave locations for safety issues and the
consultation and involvement of cavers in a rescue with other agencies such as
the S.E.S. and the Police. Greater
liaison with the Environmental Protection Authority is also planned, by caving
clubs, to ensure further caves and karst areas are not impacted. There is a huge task of acting to protect
the karst areas, as decisions of the last 40 odd years in “land specification”
are affecting the current development and impact of Perth’s expanding
population pressures on the karst.
The northwards
extension of the Freeway and Wanneroo Road Upgrades may also impact on karst
areas. This issue is being investigated
further. The extent of the impact of
the new developments on the boundary of the National Park is also an issue that
is being investigated.
Development
subdivisions in areas such as reported in previous reports (the Tokyu
Corporation) continue to rise. The City
of Wanneroo has a Karstic Policy stating that new developments need to undergo
a cave and karst assessment first. It
is anticipated that “cavers” will be allowed access to the caves to make
appropriate comment on potential impacts on the caves and karst. There are several caving club members who
have been utilised for this process of visiting a property and making an
assessment of the karst features present.
Where areas are assessed by the E.P.A. and are applied for under the
environmental review process, the A.S.F. will continue to provide
submissions.
· Old River Cave - The land clearance
adjacent to the National Park took place during the year 2000. This large land clearance caused concerns to
be raised to the Environmental Protection Authority and may affect future
applications for land clearances. At
this stage, the impact of the land clearance on Old River Cave does not appear
to have been assessed.
· Drover’s Cave - A meeting occurred in 1999
between the A.S.F. Co-Convenors and CALM to discuss the removal of large
quantities of concrete blocking solution pipe cave entrances and the
construction of a new gate for Drovers Cave.
It was hoped that both of these acts would restore airflow to the cave
and possibly attract back the bats that once resided in the cave. This proposal was sent to CALM in late 2000
and a response was received during mid 2001.
The Landmanager was in agreance with most of the proposals and further
discussions will be undertaken regarding actions that will need to occur to
implement the proposal.
The northward
growth of Perth continues to impact on the coast and associated karst
features. There is a planned coast road
between Two Rocks/Lancelin and Cervantes.
The coastal localities of Wedge and Grey have been cited in development
plans as “attractive locations on the Turquoise Coast”. It appears that land to the east of Jurien
has already been subdivided with one known cave being involved. There is a current proposal for the
“Turquoise Coast Development, Jurien Bay”.
This area is an area of 2,006 hectares that contains 1,508 hectares of bushland,
and is bounded to the south by the Hill River, and to the east by Indian Ocean
Drive. The existence of caves or karst
features in this area of land is yet to be determined.
Please refer to previous reports for the
background and specific details of this issue.
The legal action of the A.S.F. (that was supported by the E.D.O)
regarding the proposed mining leases on the Cape Range was concluded in the
Wardens Court in Perth on 10 November 2000.
The Warden made his recommendation (to the Minister for Mines on 9
February 2001), having accepted the evidence of several witnesses called by the
A.S.F. The Warden found that the Cape
Range is a unique karst system, outstanding on world scale in terms of its
location, geological structure, subterranean fauna and it’s integrity. He also agreed that the Cape Range contained
unique and extraordinary subterranean fauna, and that it was likely that unique
fauna would be destroyed by a mining operation. The Warden also noted a high potential for significant
undiscovered anthropological sites. The
Warden accepted that the Cape Range contained World Heritage values and that
mining activity would be a “significant negative factor” in future decisions
regarding World Heritage nomination or listing.
Specific Recommendations of the Warden
included: The mining lease should only be granted for the area presently
proposed to be mined (thereby rejecting 99.98% of the area applied for); The
mining lease should only cover an area that is necessary for the proponent to
conduct an efficient mining operation; This small mining lease should only be
granted if the E.P.A. finds that the proposal is environmentally acceptable;
The E.P.A. assessment of the proposal to mine should be made before the
Minister makes his decision (contrary to current policy); If it is found that
the mine should not be sited where it is presently proposed, then the applicant
should not put the mine in any other site within the lease area without going
through the process again. It appears
that the Warden was keen to minimise the risk to the environmental and World
Heritage Values of the area and it is a positive result for the A.S.F.
The mining company had also referred the
proposed mine to the E.P.A. for evaluation.
Objections to the level of evaluation (Public Environmental Review -
P.E.R.) were lodged, with us recommending for a change to a Proposal Unlikely
to Environmentally Acceptable (P.U.E.A.).
The outcome was that the level of assessment was changed from a P.E.R.
to an Environmental Review and Management Program (E.R.M.P). Once again, this is a positive outcome, and
the Minister allowed an extended period of public comment (10 weeks instead of
8 weeks).
Additionally, through the campaigning of other conservation groups, the
public is becoming more aware of the proposed resort at Mauds Landing. This is north of Coral Bay, on the west of
the Cape Range coast. It is apparent
that the area is a significant site for a large variety of marine creatures and
that the area will be impacted on by the proposed development. The limestone for the proposed marina at
Mauds Landing is to come from the proposed quarry. There is now more support for the A.S.F. and the W.A. caving
clubs objection to the proposed mine, as other groups are now aware of the two
issues.
It is known from
past fauna studies that there is a large variety of troglobitic fauna in the
Cape Range area. Preliminary
information regarding the fauna collected (from drill holes placed on the
proposed mining lease) indicates several possible new species. The report indicates that there are several
new genus and species of troglobitic fauna identified. One species had not been previously found in
the Cape Range or elsewhere, while another is a new family record for
Australia. It will be interesting to
see what the proponent does with these results.
We are now waiting
on the proponent to release their environmental review document for public
submission, at which time we will make further comments in a formal
submission. However, it is the Minister
for Mines, who will have the final decision regarding the granting of the
mining leases.
Finally, we really
appreciate the huge amounts of work that was undertaken by the lawyer’s of the
Environmental Defender’s Office and their staff in the preparation and
execution of this case. Whatever the
outcome of this case the A.S.F. will need to continue to oppose limestone
mining on the Cape Range peninsula, call for the Government to remove the
strategic limestone mining purpose from the proposed 5(h) reserve, enlarge the
Cape Range National Park and advocate for World Heritage Listing for Cape
Range.