122 Celebrating <strong>Mountains</strong> – An <strong>International</strong> <strong>Year</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong> Conference Jindabyne, New South Wales, Australia
M<strong>an</strong>agement Of Tourism In The Kosciuszko Alpine Area Graeme L. Worboys <strong>an</strong>d Catherine M. Pickering Graeme Worboys, Deputy Vice Chair <strong>Mountains</strong>, <strong>International</strong> Union for the Conservation <strong>of</strong> Nature World Commission on Protected Areas; Director, Jagumba Consulting Pty Ltd, 3 Rischbieth Crescent, Gilmore, ACT 2905, Australia, e-mail: g.worboys@bigpond.com Catherine Pickering, Senior Lecturer in Environmental Sciences, School <strong>of</strong> Environmental <strong>an</strong>d Applied Sciences, Griffith University, Senior Lecture in Environmental Sciences, Director, Mountain Tourism Subprogram, Cooperative Research Centre for Sustainable Tourism, School <strong>of</strong> Environmental <strong>an</strong>d Applied Sciences, Griffith University, Australia PMB 50 GCMC, Qld 9726, Australia, e-mail: c.pickering@mailbox.gu.edu.au Abstract The alpine area around Mt Kosciuszko is <strong>of</strong> high scenic, scientific, educational <strong>an</strong>d nature conservation signific<strong>an</strong>ce. As a result <strong>of</strong> past m<strong>an</strong>agement achievements the area, in 2002, is a major tourism destination, especially for summer day-walkers to the highest peak on the Australi<strong>an</strong> continent. The popularity <strong>of</strong> this natural heritage not only vindicates the historical vision for its conservation but has also created a new conservation m<strong>an</strong>agement imperative. M<strong>an</strong>aging tourism for this very confined area is placing pressure on both infrastructure <strong>an</strong>d the heritage values <strong>of</strong> the region. Numbers <strong>of</strong> tourists in the snow-free months have increased from 20,000 per year in the late 1970s to around 64,000 people per year in 2000. Around 21,000 <strong>of</strong> these visitors walk to the very confined area <strong>of</strong> the summit <strong>of</strong> Mt Kosciuszko. Tourism will continue to increase as it is actively promoted by tourism org<strong>an</strong>isations. Within this operating environment, the New South Wales National Parks <strong>an</strong>d Wildlife Service (NSW NPWS) has undertaken m<strong>an</strong>agement pl<strong>an</strong>ning <strong>an</strong>d is implementing works to help conserve the alpine area <strong>an</strong>d to achieve sustainable tourism. This will me<strong>an</strong> dealing with m<strong>an</strong>y challenges. A new M<strong>an</strong>agement Pl<strong>an</strong> for Kosciuszko National Park is expected to be completed for exhibition in 2003. The issues raised in this paper illustrate new conservation milestones that need to be reached to ensure that the NSW NPWS conserves <strong>an</strong>d sustains this scientifically signific<strong>an</strong>t <strong>an</strong>d limited alpine area for current <strong>an</strong>d future generations to enjoy. Introduction The most extensive contiguous alpine area in mainl<strong>an</strong>d Australia is found around Mt Kosciuszko in the Snowy <strong>Mountains</strong>, which are part <strong>of</strong> the Great Dividing R<strong>an</strong>ge <strong>an</strong>d associated mountains in the south east <strong>of</strong> Australia (Costin 1989; Figure 1). The area is protected within the Kosciuszko National Park (698,000 ha) in New South Wales, one <strong>of</strong> a series <strong>of</strong> linked Australi<strong>an</strong> <strong>Alps</strong> National Parks that conserve around 62% (15,000 km 2 ) <strong>of</strong> the mainl<strong>an</strong>d alpine <strong>an</strong>d subalpine region (Worboys 1996). Celebrating <strong>Mountains</strong> – An <strong>International</strong> <strong>Year</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Mountains</strong> Conference Jindabyne, New South Wales, Australia 123