Cultural Landscape Management - Australian Alps National Parks

• Facilities must only support the visitor experience of primary national parks landscape values, rather than beingattractions in themselves (Sax 1980:88-89).• Provision of facilities may be used as a means of controlling visitor impacts on cultural landscapes - eg paths, fencing,signage.• Level and type of facilities should reflect the management objectives for the landscape.• If the landscape or feature is currently overused and suffering from degradation as a result, removal or reduction of someexisting facilities may help reduce visitor pressure (eg closure of a carpark or removal of picnic facilities).• Design and construction of visitor facilities in cultural landscapes must be of a high standard, with minimisation ofimpact as a primary objective. New facilities must be identifiable as new additions to the landscape. Note that theopportunity exists to make a positive contribution to the cultural landscape through excellence in design and construction- for example, Greg Burgess' Aboriginal cultural and interpretation centre at Gariwerd, Brambuk, or the centre serving asimilar purpose in Uluru National Park.• Ensure that facilities can be removed and the site restored to its original condition if this was desired, through appropriatesiting and design, documentation of site prior to construction, and avoiding the destruction of cultural landscape featuresetc.• Monitor impact of facilities on landscape values. Criteria to include integrity of site, visual impact, fabric of landscapeetc• Level of facilities must not degrade cultural landscape values.Lower level of facilitiesappropriate/acceptable .High sensitivity of cultural or other landscape• values to intrusion by facilitiesLow interpretative or recreational value of•cultural landscapeLow current or projected visitor numbers•High impact on landscape values of facility•type and designFacilities do not meet primary national parks•objectives ie do not facilitate the experienceof unique natural and cultural environmentsPoor design and construction of facilities•Facilities offer no benefits in reducing•existing negative visitor impactsAdequate or similar facilities exist nearby•Higher level of facilitiesappropriate/acceptableLow sensitivity of cultural or other landscape• valuesHigh interpretative or recreational value of•cultural landscapeHigh current or projected visitor numbers•Low impact of facility type and design•Facilities assist in meeting primary national•parks objectives ie aid experience of uniquenatural and cultural environmentsExcellence in design and construction•Facilities useful in reducing existing negative•visitor impactsNo similar facilities nearby•70