Attachment C

Procedure for applying IUCN Protected Area Categories to ACT Reserves

This paper outlines a procedure for applying the Protected Area Management Categories developed by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to reserves in the ACT.

Background

The IUCN categories are described in Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories (Dudley 2008, IUCN). They are in summary:

Ia Strict nature reserveIb Wilderness areaII National parkIII Natural monument or featureIV Habitat/species management areaV Protected landscape/seascapeVI Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources.

Definitions for each category are listed in Attachment A. The Guidelines list the purposes for assigning IUCN categories to protected areas, which include:

To facilitate planning of protected areas; To improve information management about protected areas; and To help regulate activities in protected areas.

IUCN categories can guide the naming of reserves but this is not their principal purpose. Nomenclature is an important communication issue which is discussed in more detail below.

IUCN categories are assigned to ACT reserves for the purpose of reporting to the Commonwealth Conservation and Protected Area Database (CAPAD) under the National Reserve System program. The Commonwealth uses CAPAD for conservation planning at the national scale. It also informs Australia’s reports to the World Database on Protected Areas which is maintained by the UN Environment Program Conservation Monitoring Centre. The recent CAPAD reports for the ACT are summarised in Attachment B.

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Applying IUCN categories in the ACT

There is considerable flexibility in how the IUCN categories are interpreted and applied within jurisdictions. This flexibility has led to some inconsistency in how these categories have been applied both between and within jurisdictions.

This paper outlines a simple procedure for applying the IUCN categories in the ACT in a more consistent fashion. It is based largely on the IUCN Guidelines, but interprets them in the ACT context to produce a rigorous, repeatable result.

The procedure is intended to be applied:

Before a new protected area is established to inform intended management; For existing protected areas, to guide management within existing objectives;

or For existing protected areas, to guide a change in management following a

change in management objectives.

This procedure is designed to be applied to reserves in both public and private ownership, and involves the following three steps:

Step 1: Compile and analyse data;

Step 2: Apply Framework for assigning IUCN categories in the ACT;

Step 3: Discuss proposed category with reserve manager and interested stakeholders.

Step 1: Compile and analyse data

The IUCN category is largely determined by the physical characteristics of an area and its management objectives. Management objectives should apply to at least three-quarters of the protected area for the category to apply.

In the ACT, source data for the physical characteristics and management objectives of reserves includes:

Territory Plan (for public reserves): identifies the purpose of the reserve. The associated management objectives are listed in Schedule 3 of the Planning and Development Act 2007. The Conservator may also set management objectives, which has been done through plans of management;

Plan of management: identifies management objectives either explicitly or implicitly;

Lease and land management agreement (for private reserves): will identify any conservation-related management requirements;

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Discussion with reserve managers: this is particularly useful where there is no documented management plan.

Step 2: Apply Framework for assigning IUCN categories in the ACT

A Framework for interpreting and applying IUCN categories in the ACT context has been developed (Attachment C). This Framework has three elements: definition, physical characteristics and management intention.

A. Definition: Does the reserve meet the IUCN protected area definition?

The key aspect of the definition is that an area must be “dedicated...through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature”. This means that the area must have nature conservation as a primary objective, with other objectives being complementary to that primary objective.

If a public reserve, it must be dedicated as a national park, nature reserve or wilderness area under the Planning and Development Act 2007. For a private reserve, it must be protected by a covenant or legal equivalent on the lease which is binding on future leaseholders for at least 99 years.

B. Physical characteristics: How big is the area, and how natural is it currently?

Two area categories are identified:

Large: more than 5,000 ha, or part of a contiguous large area being managed in a complementary fashion

Small: 5,000 ha or less.

Naturalness is judged in comparison to areas which are ecologically intact, stable and self-sustaining (rather than in comparison to a theoretical pre-1788 benchmark state):

High: native species dominate all strata in all ecological communities, natural ecological processes stable and self-sustaining, little human influence evident

Medium: structure mostly intact in most ecological communities but the composition of some communities significantly altered due to human influence, natural ecological processes disrupted and unstable

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Low: structure changed significantly, human influence obvious.

C. Management intentions: How is the area intended to be managed?

In areas where the priority for human visitation is low, the ecological values or visitor experience would be degraded by even moderate levels of human visitation. In areas where the priority is high, visitors are encouraged and managed appropriately.

Management intervention required to maintain values describes the extent to which active management of the area’s conservation values is necessary:

Low: conservation values are largely self-sustaining apart from the core management required for all lands, such as erosion management, weed control and bushfire hazard reduction

Medium: regular local but low-intensity interventions are required to address the requirements of particular species or communities

High: landscape-scale interventions such as grazing, timber removal or burning are required regularly; or intensive, moderate scale interventions such as revegetation are required at many sites.

The focus of management describes the type of natural values the area is primarily intended to conserve:

Whole ecosystem: aims to conserve entire ecosystems and natural processes, including suites of ecological communities and entire catchments or significant subcatchments

Species or habitats: aims to conserve a limited number of ecological communities or particular species, parts of catchments or subcatchments

Natural feature: aims to conserve a notable natural feature, such as an unusual landform, culturally significant natural feature or site, and its local natural context.

Commercial resource use such as logging or grazing may be compatible with the conservation of the natural values present on the site. Note that the primary management objective of the area must still

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be nature conservation. Commercial resource use is not currently permitted in public conservation reserves in the ACT, but may be permitted in private reserves in the future. Grazing for bushfire hazard reduction, or for ecological purposes, is not considered commercial resource use.

Step 3: Discuss proposed category with reserve manager and interested stakeholders

After assigning a proposed category by applying the Framework in Step 2, the proposed category and the reasons for selecting it should be discussed with the reserve manager and any interested stakeholders. Interested stakeholders could include:

Parkcare groups Managers of neighbouring public lands Leaseholders of neighbouring lands and their representative bodies National Parks Association of the ACT and other environment NGOs ACT Government Directorates such as Emergency Services ACT NRM Advisory Committee

Key issues for the ACT

The Framework has been applied to ACT reserves based on current management arrangements and proposed categories have been assigned (Attachment D). This has resulted in all reserves being categorised as IV, apart from Namadgi NP and Tidbinbilla NR (NP area) which have been assigned II, and Namadgi NP wilderness area which is Ib. This categorisation has raised a number of issues which are described below.

Definition

Schedule 3 of the Planning and Development Act 2007 assigns nature conservation as the primary objective for all ACT national parks, nature reserves and wilderness areas. As a result, all of these reserves meet the IUCN definition of protected area.

Special purpose reserves (e.g. Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve valley floor) and water supply reserves (e.g. Cotter catchment) do not meet this definition as the primary management objective of these reserves is not nature conservation. The primary objective of a special purpose reserve is to provide for public and community use of the area for recreation and education. The primary objective of a water supply reserve is to protect existing and future domestic water supply, with conserving the natural environment as a secondary objective.

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In the past, IUCN categories have been reported to CAPAD for “other crown land managed for conservation”. These areas would not meet the definition of protected area as, despite the important conservation values they may contain, they have not been “dedicated...to achieve the long-term conservation of nature”. This would require a specific binding commitment to be made.

Categories relevant to the ACT

Two IUCN categories are not expected to be used in the ACT in the foreseeable future:

Category V (protected landscape/seascape): This category applies to protected areas where intense, long-term human modification has led to major changes to ecology and species diversity. In these areas, cultural management systems must continue for these biodiversity values to be retained.

While past Aboriginal management of the ACT region is likely to have influenced the biodiversity that is present today, and while some of these management approaches may be used in the future, the widespread and ongoing use of traditional management techniques is not considered necessary to maintain the values present today.

Category VI (protected area with sustainable use of natural resources): There are no protected areas in the ACT in which commercial resource use (e.g. native forest logging) occurs or is likely to occur. Where grazing does occur, it would be done for ecological management or bushfire hazard reduction purposes.

At present there are no protected areas that fit the Ia (strict nature reserve) category. These are areas where human visitation is strictly controlled due to the sensitivity to disturbance of the conservation values there. Human access is limited to research and management purposes. The management objectives for ‘nature reserve’ in Schedule 3 of the Planning and Development Act 2007 permit recreation and education, which are not generally permitted in IUCN Ia protected areas.

All ACT nature reserves currently provide for visitation to varying degrees, and none actively prohibit visitation to avoid damage. While Mulligans Flat NR is being intensively managed for the reintroduction of regionally extinct species, this management is not expected to require the exclusion of human visitors to be successful. This category may be useful in the future if the exclusion of visitors is found to be necessary to avoid degradation of the natural values.

There are no ACT reserves that could be considered for category III (natural monument or feature). These are generally small, high visitation reserves set aside to protect a specific natural monument or feature such as a cave, cliff or waterfall.

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While a number of ACT reserves include natural features such as these, there are none that have such a feature as the principal focus.

The remaining three categories do clearly apply to ACT reserves and there are some obvious examples:

Ib (wilderness area): e.g. Namadgi NP wilderness II (national park): e.g. Namadgi NP IV (habitat/species management area): e.g. Crace Grassland NR

Size and management focus

IUCN does not provide clear guidance on size and notes that there is great variety in how it is interpreted around the world. Developing a workable approach for the ACT is essential to the success of this framework. This issue is closely related to the question of management focus.

The principal decision in assigning IUCN categories to ACT reserves is choosing between categories II (national park) and IV (species/habitat management area). The Guidelines refer to categories I-IV as either highly or strictly protected, but note that: “the categories do not imply a simple hierarchy, either in terms of quality and importance or in other ways – for example the degree of intervention or naturalness.”

A comparison of the definitions and objectives of category II and IV protected areas shows that they have similar management objectives but with key differences (Attachment E). Category II objectives imply generally larger areas with a whole-of-ecosystem focus, while category IV objectives imply smaller protected areas with a much narrower management focus on parts of ecosystems. For example:

Category II objectives mention “natural biodiversity along with its underlying ecological structure and supporting environmental processes”, “representative examples of physiographic regions”, “viable and ecologically functional populations”, “wide ranging species” and “regional ecological processes”, while

Category IV objectives refer to “species and habitats” and “fragments of habitats as components of landscape or seascape-scale conservation strategies”.

The Guidelines reinforce this view, describing category II areas as “usually large” and category IV areas as “often small”. They do not provide specific size thresholds, however, and they note that “the distinction between categories II and IV is therefore to some extent a matter of degree”. The Guidelines make the point that “larger areas set aside as nature reserves but needing regular management to keep functioning might best be IV”.

ACT reserves naturally fall into two main size categories:

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Large (more than 5,000ha): Namadgi NP

Small (5,000 ha or less): the remainder, including all the separate nature reserves in Canberra Nature Park.

This suggests that all reserves but Namadgi could be considered category IV. This is reinforced by an examination of available plans of management for ACT reserves. The Namadgi National Park Plan of Management 2010 includes the following management objectives which are clearly aligned with the ecosystem focus of IUCN Ib and II:

“The biodiversity and geodiversity of Namadgi National Park is conserved. Ecosystems are managed so that they can continue to function and evolve

naturally, and the integrity of landscapes and scenery is maintained.”

The Canberra Nature Park Management Plan 1999 includes management objectives which are much more closely aligned to the species and habitat management focus of IUCN IV:

“conserve and improve native plant and animal communities and maintain biodiversity and ecological processes, including the improvement of wildlife movement corridors through the urban area to link with other areas of habitat beyond the urban area;

conserve features of cultural, geological, geomorphological and landscape significance, including the setting of Canberra as the ‘bush capital’;”

This Plan says that “the Gungahlin Grasslands reserves...are classified as IUCN (The World Conservation Union) Protected Area Management Category IV...”, despite these reserves being reported as IUCN II in CAPAD at the time.

Both categories II and IV encourage visitor access for recreation and education, and would be consistent with the recreational use of ACT reserves through initiatives such as the Centenary Trail.

The appropriate category for Tidbinbilla is slightly more complex as, while not large itself, it is contiguous with Namadgi NP and much of Tidbinbilla is managed in a consistent way to Namadgi. This is reinforced in the Tidbinbilla Revised Draft Plan of Management 2011, which includes primary management objectives that have an ecosystem focus rather than a species and habitat orientation:

Natural values: Primary Management Objectives

The biodiversity and geodiversity of Tidbinbilla is conserved. Ecosystems are managed so that they can continue to function and

evolve naturally and the integrity of landscapes and scenery is protected.

On that basis it is appropriate for Tidbinbilla NR (NP) to be categorised as IUCN II.

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Nomenclature

Most protected areas in the ACT are called nature reserves, even some such as Tidbinbilla NR which are designated “national park’ under Schedule 3 of the Planning and Development Act 2007. Under the Framework, most of these ACT “nature reserves” are categorised as IUCN IV (species/habitat management area) and none fit the IUCN Ia (nature reserve) category.

The Guidelines make it clear that IUCN categories are primarily concerned with guiding management rather than naming:

“the fact that a government has called, or wants to call, an area a national park does not mean that it has to be managed according to the guidelines under category II. Instead the most suitable management system should be identified and applied; the name is a matter for governments and other stakeholders to decide.”

It is not intended that this categorisation should lead to a change in the name of ACT reserves.

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ATTACHMENT A

Definitions of IUCN protected area categories

(from Dudley 2008)

Ia Strict nature reserve

strictly protected areas set aside to protect biodiversity and also possibly geological/geomorphological features, where human visitation, use and impacts are strictly controlled and limited to ensure protection of the conservation values. Such protected areas can serve as indispensable reference areas for scientific research and monitoring.

Ib Wilderness area

usually large unmodified or slightly modified areas, retaining their natural character and influence, without permanent or significant human habitation, which are protected and managed so as to preserve their natural condition.

II National park large natural or near natural areas set aside to protect large-scale ecological processes, along with the complement of species and ecosystems characteristic of the area, which also provide a foundation for environmentally and culturally compatible spiritual, scientific, educational, recreational and visitor opportunities.

III Natural monument or feature

protect a specific natural monument, which can be a landform, sea mount, submarine cavern, geological feature such as a cave or even a living feature such as an ancient grove. They are generally quite small protected areas and often have high visitor value.

IV Habitat/ species management area

protect particular species or habitats and management reflects this priority. Many category IV protected areas will need regular, active interventions to address the requirements of particular species or to maintain habitats, but this is not a requirement of the category.

V Protected landscape/ seascape

where the interaction of people and nature over time has produced an area of distinct character with significant ecological, biological, cultural and scenic value: and where safeguarding the integrity of this interaction is vital to protecting and sustaining the area and its associated nature conservation and other values.

VI Protected area with sustainable use of natural resources

conserve ecosystems and habitats, together with associated cultural values and traditional natural resource management systems. They are generally large, with most of the area in a natural condition, where a proportion is under sustainable natural resource management and where low-level non-industrial use of natural resources compatible with nature conservation is seen as one of the main aims of the area.

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ATTACHMENT B

CAPAD reports for the ACT

Ib II IV V Total1997 122,527 1,300 123,8272000 123,032 123,0322002 128,212 128,2122006 28,880 100,075 84* 129,0392008 28,877 100,563 84* 129,5242011 (proposed) 28,879 81,569 18,092 128,540

(* Australian National Botanic Gardens – Commonwealth Government reserve)

1997 2000 2002 2006 20082012 (proposed)0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

120000

140000

VIVIIIb

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ATTACHMENT C

Framework for assigning IUCN categories in the ACT

A. DefinitionIs it “a clearly defined geographical space, recognised, dedicated and managed, through legal or other effective means, to achieve the long-term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values”?

Ia Ib II III IV V VI

B.

Phys

ical

ch

arac

teris

tics

AreaLarge*

Small

Naturalness

High

Medium

Low

C.

Man

agem

ent i

nten

tions

Priority for human visitation

Low

High

Management intervention required to maintain values

Low

Medium

High

Focus of management

Whole ecosystem

Species or habitats

Natural feature

Commercial resource use

No

Yes

(* or part of a contiguous large area)

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ATTACHMENT D

Application of Framework to ACT reserves

Canberra Nature Park

Aranda Bushland

Nature Reserve

Black Mt

Nature Reserv

e

Bruce Ridge Nature

Reserve

Callum Brae

Nature Reserv

e

Cooleman Ridge Nature

Reserve

Crace Grassland Nature Reserve

Dunlop Grassland Nature Reserve

Farrer Ridge Nature

Reserve

Goorooyarroo Nature Reserve

Gossan Hill Nature Reserve

Gungaderra Grassland

Nature Reserve

Isaacs Ridge Nature

Reserve

Jerrabomberra Wetlands

Nature Reserve

Kama Nature Reserv

e

McQuoids Hill

Nature Reserve

Mt Ainslie Nature Reserv

e

Mt Majura Nature Reserv

e

Mt Mugga Mugga Nature

Reserve

Mt Painter Nature Reserv

e

Mt Pleasant Nature

Reserve

Mt Taylor Nature

Reserve

Mulanggari

Grassland Nature

Reserve

Area Large

Small 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Evidence of human impact

Low 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Medium 1 1 1 1High

Priority for human visitation

LowHigh 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Management intervention required to maintain values

Low 1 1 1 1 1Medium 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

High

Focus of management

Whole ecosystem

Species or habitats 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Natural feature

Commercial resource use

No 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Yes

IUCN category IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV

Canberra Nature Park

Lower Molonglo River Corridor

Molonglo Gorge Nature

Reserve Murrumbidgee River CorridorNamadgi National

Park  

Mulligans Flat

Nature Reserve

Oakey Hill

Nature Reserv

e

O'Connor Ridge Nature

Reserve

Percival Hill

Nature Reserv

e

Red Hill Nature

Reserve

Rob Roy Nature

Reserve

The Pinnacle Nature

Reserve

Tuggeranong Hill Nature

Reserve

Urambi Hills Nature

Reserve

Wanniassa Hills Nature

Reserve

West Jerrabomberr

a Nature Reserve

Lower Molonglo River Nature

Reserve

Molonglo Gorge Nature

Reserve

Bullen Range Nature Reserv

e

Gigerline Nature

Reserve

Stony Creek Nature Reserv

e

Swamp Creek Nature Reserv

e

Woodstock Nature Reserve

National Park

Wilderness Zone

Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve

(NP)

AreaLarge 1 1 1

Small 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Evidence of human impact

Low 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Medium 1 1 1 1 1 1 High

Priority for human visitation

Low 1

High 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1Management intervention required to maintain values

Low 1 1 1 1

Medium 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

High

Focus of management

Whole ecosystem 1 1 1Species or habitats 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Natural feature

Commercial resource use

No 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Yes

IUCN category IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV IV II Ib II

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ATTACHMENT E

Comparison of Objectives of Categories II and IV (corresponding objectives highlighted in colour; key differences underlined)

Category II: National park Category IV: Habitat/species management area

Definition strictly protected areas set aside to protect

biodiversity and also possibly geological/geomorphological features, where human visitation, use and impacts are strictly controlled and limited to ensure protection of the conservation values. Such protected areas can serve as indispensable reference areas for scientific research and monitoring.

Definition protect particular species or

habitats and management reflects this priority. Many category IV protected areas will need regular, active interventions to address the requirements of particular species or to maintain habitats, but this is not a requirement of the category

Primary objective Primary objective To protect natural biodiversity along with its

underlying ecological structure and supporting environmental processes, and to promote education and recreation.

To maintain, conserve and restore species and habitats.

Other objectives: Other objectives:

To manage the area in order to perpetuate, in as natural a state as possible, representative examples of physiographic regions, biotic communities, genetic resources and unimpaired natural processes;

To maintain viable and ecologically functional population s and assemblages of native species at densities sufficient to conserve ecosystem integrity and resilience in the long term;

To contribute in particular to conservation of wide-ranging species, regional ecological processes and migration routes;

To manage visitor use for inspirational, educational, cultural and recreational purposes at a level which will not cause significant biological or ecological degradation to the natural resources;

To take into account the needs of indigenous people and local communities, including subsistence resource use, in so far as these will not adversely affect the primary management objective;

To contribute to local economies through tourism.

To protect vegetation patterns or other biological features through traditional management approaches;

To protect fragments of habitats as components of landscape or seascape-scale conservation strategies;

To develop public education and appreciation of the species and/or habitats concerned;

To provide a means by which the urban residents may obtain regular contact with nature.

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