National Parks Association of NSW (NPA) has welcomed the release of the Ecohealth scorecard for Royal National Park, Heathcote National Park and Garawarra State Conservation Area.
‘It is fitting that the first Ecohealth scorecard that has been released is for Royal, Australia’s oldest national park and a landscape of exceptional biological diversity’ stated NPA Southern Sydney Branch president Brian Everingham.
‘Royal National Park’s status as an international conservation icon began when it received legal protection in 1879. Legislation is a great starting point, but what the scorecard tells us is many, if not most ,of the conservation values of the national park have been maintained over the subsequent 150 years’.
NPA congratulates the National Parks and Wildlife Service on the rigorous methods used to assess of the current condition of Royal and its adjoining parks.
‘The spread of camera monitoring sites across key park habitats is commendable, as is the huge effort involved in processing and analysing the results’ Mr Everingham continued.
The result is a database of threatened species, native animals and ferals that provides essential information for Park managers and community alike. The EcoHealth Scorecard also addresses water quality and stream biodiversity, including the Hacking River which bisects Royal National Park. Identification of fire-affected communities is another useful outcome of the scorecard.
‘While this is a good beginning there is certainly room for improvement in the next round of Ecohealth assessments’ noted Mr Everingham. ‘The current Scorecard offers incomplete information about the state of the parks’ threatened vegetation communities, which limits its value as a baseline for measuring the impact of activities such as illegal mountain bike track construction.
‘Another missed opportunity is the neglect of marine biodiversity such as fish and invertebrates. This omission is particularly surprising given that Royal National Park includes the seafloor habitats of parts of the Hacking River including South West Arm. NPA advocates further marine extensions to improve protection for Cabbage Tree Basin and other sensitive parts of the Hacking estuary’.
NPA encourages NPWS to continue to enlist support of scientists and community to ensure that the biodiversity of Australia’s first national park and adjacent reserves have a bright future.
ENDS
Media contacts: (02)9299 0000
Brian Everingham, president, National Parks Association Southern Sydney Branch
Gary Schoer, Secretary, National Parks Association Southern Sydney Branch