Progress Report 2007-2008 - Department of Environment and ...

112
Due date Region FA section Milestone Progress
Places of Aboriginal cultural significance
2001 1 April
UNE,
LNE,
Eden
2.8
2005 31 August Sthn 2.8
Ongoing
UNE,
LNE
2.7 (E)
5.1.1
NPWS to review Indigenous cultural heritage
management processes to provide a landscape-based
system.
NPWS to review processes for Aboriginal cultural
heritage management.
NPWS to conduct a preliminary assessment of all
new parks to identify priority areas that could be
added to Schedule 14 of the National Parks and
Wildlife Act 1974.
In progress
The integration of natural and cultural values in the landscape is one of DECC’s goals and identifying and assessing a landscape’s
cultural heritage values is vital to effectively managing it. To help DECC staff (and consultants and contractors DECC employs)
manage the department’s cultural heritage responsibilities strategic, information, community consultation and other policies form part
of a broader package aimed at better integrating cultural heritage into DECC conservation objectives and operations. The draft
Aboriginal Heritage Conservation Policy is an example of this work. DECC management processes for natural and cultural heritage
are taking a landscape approach through management planning and impact assessment.
Draft Cultural Landscape Management guidelines have been prepared that will assist PWG staff and others in adopting this approach.
DECC has also produced a document, Aboriginal Cultural Heritage Regional Studies: An Illustrative Approach, and manages a wholeof-government
initiative — the Aboriginal Heritage Mapping and Assessment Priorities program. The latter program is intended to
integrate government data and foster a uniform approach to regional assessment and mapping of Aboriginal heritage values. DECC is
also introducing Aboriginal regional assessment techniques and approaches. These include Value Interest Priority mapping that can
involve the Aboriginal community in broad scale multi-value assessment.
Aboriginal cultural heritage processes for consents and permits are being reviewed, in part to ensure a landscape approach is
adopted. The review is ongoing and is considering improved landscape planning processes. This takes the emphasis away from
individual consents and permits and would result in area-based permits. Legislative improvements are being investigated that will
underpin the administrative improvements that have already been made.
In progress
Refer to milestone above.
Deferred
Part 4A (‘Aboriginal Land’) of the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 provides for the return of DECC lands to Aboriginal ownership.
These lands are then leased back to the Government for joint management by the Aboriginal owners and DECC as park. Parks that
can be returned to Aboriginal ownership are listed in Schedule 14 of the Act. Seven areas of land are already listed and under the
provisions of the Act further parks can be nominated for addition to the schedule. Further background to lease-back agreements is
available through the DECC website at:
www.environment.nsw.gov.au/comanagement/Lease-backAgreement.htm .
There has been no widespread preliminary assessment of parks to date to assess whether they could be added to Schedule 14.
However, DECC continues to proceed with the return to Aboriginal ownership of those reserves already listed on Schedule 14 and to
respond to further nominations as they occur. One such nomination has been received for Tooloom, Toonumbar and Yabbra National
Parks in the UNE. A cultural significance assessment report of the lands commissioned by DECC was completed in May 2006. A
Government decision on the nomination is pending.
NSW FOREST AGREEMENTS AND INTEGRATED FORESTRY OPERATIONS APPROVALS