Conservation Reserves Management Strategy 2003 - Parks Victoria

Strategic Plans in the form of Management Plans provide the overall direction for the management ofindividual parks reserved under the National Parks Act. The need to develop management strategiesto protect and enhance the environmental, cultural and recreational values of each park is highlightedin these plans and is a core responsibility for Parks Victoria.Management plans have been prepared for only a small number of Conservation Reserves particularlythose with high natural values. Due to the large number of Conservation Reserves, Parks Victoria andthe Department of Natural Resources and Environment have agreed that generally individual plans willnot be prepared for the Conservation Reserves managed by Parks Victoria. Instead, it is proposedthat this Conservation Reserves Management Strategy will facilitate the development of strategicmanagement objectives to provide a sound basis for programming management activity in thosereserves.The Conservation Reserves Management Strategy will:• encompass the full range of activities undertaken in reserves under Parks Victoria’s key outputareas—natural values management, heritage values management, indigenous valuesmanagement, and visitor services;• establish a strategic priority ranking of Conservation Reserves, based on environmental values toguide the programming of management activities;• establish a range of strategic management objectives for the four output areas, which will besuitable for all types of Conservation Reserves; and• set directions and strategies for Parks Victoria staff to use in the development of managementobjectives for individual reserves.In addition, development of the strategy will enable:• review of available sources of information;• identification of information gaps and data limitations;• development of an overview of the Conservation Reserve estate;• improved understanding of the three categories of reserves— Nature Conservation Reserves,Natural Features Reserves, and Historic and Cultural Features Reserves; and• understanding of the current level of management activity.1.3 LCC AND ECC RECOMMENDATIONS AND LEGISLATIONLCC/ECC 1 RecommendationsThe majority of Conservation Reserves were established as a result of LCC and ECCrecommendations for the use of public land. The remainder were established as a result of landpurchase or other assessment programs.Upon Government approval of LCC/ECC recommendations the relevant land manager is bound tomanage the reserve in accordance with those recommendations until it is formally reserved as such.This is effected:• under Section 10(3) of the repealed Land Conservation Act 1970 (Vic.), which was saved inSection 26 of the Environment Conservation Council Act 1997 (Vic.). This requires Governmentdepartments ‘to use all diligence … to give effect to such recommendations … and manage theareas accordingly until implemented’. Similarly, Section 26 of the Victorian EnvironmentAssessment Council Act 2001 (Vic.) states that if the Government wholly or partly accepts arecommendation, the Government 'must ensure that appropriate actions are taken to implement1the former Land Conservation Council (LCC) became the Environment Conservation Council (ECC) in 1997, and thensubsequently became the Victorian Environment Assessment Council (VEAC) in 2001.4