Caring for Country — The Otways and You - Parks Victoria

Strategies for natural values conservationDSE to carry out proper and sufficient workfor the prevention and suppression of fire inState forests and national parks, and on allprotected public land.The Code of Practice for Fire Management onPublic Land (DSE 2006) provides aframework for fire management procedure andpractice on public land in Victoria. The coderequires fire management planning andactivities to protect, as far as practicable,environmental values from the harmful effectsof wildfire and altered fire regimes.Fire management plans and fire operationsplans prepared in accordance with the Code ofPractice for Fire Management on Public Land(DSE 2006) will guide activities throughoutthe parks. Under the new code four firemanagement zones will apply to the parks:• Asset Protection Zone — for the highestlevel of strategic protection to human life,property and highly valued assets.• Strategic Wildfire Moderation Zone —toreduce the speed and intensity of fires,reduce the damage to assets and assist inmaking fire suppression activities safer andmore effective.• Ecological Management Zones —for theuse of prescribed burning for specific landmanagement objectives.• Prescribed Burning Exclusion Zone.Work has commenced on an integrated systemfor fire planning across public and private landwith Integrated Fire Management PlanningCommittees to be established for each localgovernment area. An example of this assetprotection works adjoining coastal townshipson both public and private land recognising theshared risks to communities. It is expected thatthis integrated approach will evolve during thelife of this management plan.Fire management activities encompass landmanagement burning, prevention,preparedness, response and recovery. Firemanagement activities are undertaken by DSEwith support from Parks Victoria, the CountryFire Authority and other organisations.The response to wildfire throughout the parksare guided by the Readiness and ResponsePlan South West Area (DSE 2008c), which isreviewed annually. All fire managementactivities require careful planning andimplementation to avoid impacts on culturalsites, historic heritage sites, water supplies,visitor facilities, visitor enjoyment andbiodiversity values. Roads, signs, waterextraction points and other infrastructure areessential for fire protection. Consistent withgovernment-accepted VEACrecommendations, fire protection in the parksis managed to give emphasis to nearby townsand settlements and critical infrastructureassets.Fire as a management tool maintains orimproves ecosystem health and resilience,based on a particular ecosystem’s requirementsof fire frequency, intensity, scale andpatchiness. In most Ecological VegetationClasses in the parks, prescribed burning is anessential management tool. Since the arrival ofEuropeans, fire regimes have progressivelyaltered.A number of heathy vegetation communities,in particular, have declined in condition partlydue to a reduced fire frequency.Management strategies• Integrate fire planning and preventionworks such as strategic fuelbreaks andasset protection zones across-tenure toprotect landscape scale biodiversity andprotect private assets that abut the parks.• Prepare an integrated fire managementplan to replace the Fire Protection Plan inaccordance with legislation and policy inconjunction with key stakeholders and withcommunity consultation.• Fire management planning for the parkswill be undertaken in accordance withcurrent legislation and policy (currentlythe Code of Practice for Fire Managementon Public Land) in conjunction with keystakeholders and with communityconsultation.• Encourage research projects that willimprove knowledge of fire management,including Aboriginal use of fire, that willsupport or improve management.• Increase the planned burning programbased on ecological and risk managementobjectives.28 Great Otway National Park and Otway Forest Park Management Plan