Summer 2016 – National Parks Association of NSW

Will the Darling River Survive?

Posted by NPA NSWon December 2, 2016February 28, 2017in Summer 2016Leave a comment

^{Terry Korn, President, Australian Floodplain Association}

The health of the Darling River system is at a tipping point. Can the system survive the next round of negotiations over how it should be managed? Terry Korn, president of the Australian Floodplain Association discusses a major issue of concern which could seriously impact on recovery of water for the environment, floodplain graziers, Aboriginal culture and small communities downstream of Bourke.

The Australian government has committed almost $15 billion to the largest rural restructure program in Australia and expects to effect significant changes to water management in the Murray-Darling Basin without affecting the reliability of water supply to the irrigation industry. This is an admirable but unreal aspiration.

Implementing an environmental-economic accounting framework

Posted by NPA NSWon December 2, 2016August 31, 2017in Summer 2016Leave a comment

^{Mladen Kovac, Chief Economist, Office of Environment and Heritage

Nicholas Conner, Principal Conservation Economist, Office of Environment and Heritage}

Implementing an environmental-economic accounting framework to support environmental policy-making: a work-in-progress

Introduction to SEEA

Along with nearly all other countries, Australia produces a set of national economic accounts – the System of National Accounts (SNA). The SNA provides information on economic activities in Australia, for income, expenditure, output, net worth and international transactions by households, businesses and governments. Importantly, the SNA shows not only how economic activity changes over time, but also how changes in one sector flow through, and affect other sectors in the economy. This information is routinely used by government policy makers to inform policy decisions, often supported by economic modelling showing trade-offs between different sectors of the economy under different policy options.

Rock Solid – New South Wales Geologic Features

Posted by NPA NSWon December 2, 2016February 28, 2017in Summer 2016Leave a comment

^{Carly Chabal, Intern, National Parks Association of NSW}

Every year, millions of visitors flock to sites like Half Dome, the Grand Canyon, and Kilimanjaro, pull out their cameras, find the perfect lighting, adjust the focus, and—you guessed it—take a selfie. Jokes aside, all of these locations are home to unique plants and wildlife, but they wouldn’t be nearly as amazing without the spectacular landscape.

There’s something mesmerising about natural geologic wonders in a world that is becoming increasingly filled with concrete. One of the things that make Australia so lovely is its dramatic landscape. From the white sandy beaches of the Gold Coast to the towering Uluru, Australia is a geologic wonder. Here in New South Wales, we have access to an expansive karst environment, the wild Blue Mountains, towering coastal cliffs, one of only four glacial cirque lakes in mainland Australia, and the highest peak on the main continent.

What is nature worth? Priceless!

Posted by NPA NSWon December 2, 2016February 28, 2017in Summer 2016Leave a comment

^{John Turnbull, Past President, National Parks Association of NSW

Anne Dickson, Sustainability facilitator and consultant and sessional lecturer in sustainability}

As I sat on the rocky ledge just south of Jibbon Head in the Royal National Park, I couldn’t find the words. In front of me – a pod of dolphins, migrating humpback whales, and just to my right, an Australian fur seal feeding in the shallows. Behind me – an echidna, black cockatoos, finches and early spring wildflowers. And the value of all this? Nothing short of priceless.

In today’s society, we seem to need to put a price tag on everything. Of course, some things can be valued in monetary terms – anything which has a market, which is bought and sold. Even then, the price paid may not be a true reflection of the value or cost – hence the need for carbon pricing, for example.

Ecosystem accounting – helping make an informed decision on the future of logging

Posted by NPA NSWon December 2, 2016February 28, 2017in Nature NSW, Summer 2016Leave a comment

^{Dr Oisín Sweeney, Senior Ecologist, National Parks Association of NSW}

A case study on the Victorian Central Highlands

Back in June, scientists and economists from the Australian National University produced a ground-breaking piece of work. They published a set of experimental ‘ecosystem accounts’ for the Central Highlands region of Victoria. NPA Senior Ecologist, Dr Oisín Sweeney, explains the relevance of this approach.

A Plan To Protect Kosciuszko’s Water Catchments

Posted by NPA NSWon December 2, 2016February 28, 2017in Featured Post, Summer 2016Leave a comment

^{Graeme L. Worboys, Adjunct Fellow, Fenner School of Society and Environment, Australian National University}

Large numbers of the Wild Horse, a farm-animal escapee, are severely impacting the water catchment wetlands of the Australian Alps, including right across Kosciuszko National Park. In 2014, 35% of the Alps wetlands had been damaged. These high mountain wetlands are the very heart of the headwater catchment sources for our mightiest rivers, the Murray, Murrumbidgee and the Snowy and regrettably they are also a preferred grazing area for these heavy stock animals. Numbers of Wild Horses have grown from about 2,000 to more than 6,000 in just 11 years and they are causing great damage to the catchments. The NSW Government, in response to these threats has launched, in May 2016, a draft Wild Horse Management Plan for consultation … a plan, amongst other things, to protect the water catchments.