Biriwal Bulga National Park and Weelah Nature Reserve - plan of ...

1 NATIONAL PARKS AND NATURE RESERVES
IN NEW SOUTH WALES
1.1 LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY FRAMEWORK
The management of national parks and nature reserves in NSW is in the context of the
legislative and policy framework, primarily the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (NPW
Act), the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 (TSC Act), the NPW Regulations and
the policies of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). The policies arise from the
legislative background and internationally accepted principles of park management. They
relate to nature conservation, Aboriginal and historic heritage conservation, recreation,
commercial use, research and communication. Other legislation, international agreements
and charters may also apply to management of the area. In particular, the NSW
Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (EP&A Act) requires the assessment
and mitigation of environmental impacts of any works proposed in this plan.
The planning area includes ‘Ministerial roads’, which are those roads that do not form part
of the gazetted park and are vested in the Minister for the Environment on behalf of the
Crown for the purposes of Part 11 of the NPW Act. Ministerial roads were created under
section 13 of the Forestry and National Parks Estate Act 1998 to ensure the continuation
of access arrangements that existed immediately before the park’s creation. This primarily
relates to use of these roads for timber hauling and private property access. Whilst
Ministerial roads do not form part of the gazetted park area, the management of these
roads is subject to the provisions of this plan, the NPW Regulations and the requirements
of the EP&A Act.
1.2 MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES
National parks are reserved under the NPW Act to protect and conserve areas containing
outstanding or representative ecosystems, natural or cultural features or landscapes or
phenomena that provide opportunities for public appreciation and inspiration and
sustainable visitor use.
Under the Act, national parks are managed to:
• conserve biodiversity, maintain ecosystem functions, protect geological and
geomorphological features and natural phenomena and maintain natural landscapes;
• conserve places, objects, features and landscapes of cultural value;
• protect the ecological integrity of one or more ecosystems for present and future
generations;
• promote public appreciation and understanding of the park’s natural and cultural
values;
• provide for sustainable visitor use and enjoyment that is compatible with conservation
of natural and cultural values;
• provide for sustainable use (including adaptive reuse) of any buildings or structures or
modified natural areas having regard to conservation of natural and cultural values; and
• provide for appropriate research and monitoring.
Nature reserves are reserved under the NPW Act to protect and conserve areas
containing outstanding, unique or representative ecosystems, species, communities or
natural phenomena.
Biriwal Bulga National Park and Weelah Nature Reserve: Plan of Management 1