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Author Archives: Neal Ames

Victorian Land Management Strategy

Victorian Land Management Strategy (11MB)

The Land Management Strategy, the first prepared under the Parks Victoria Act (2018), provides strategic long-term directions for how the parks estate will be managed. The Strategy covers all of the Parks Victoria estate; four million hectares across 3,000 land and marine parks – or 18 per cent of Victoria’s land and 70 per cent of its coastline.

The Strategy is the guiding document for all strategies and management plans produced by Parks Victoria and is the document that sets the vision and guiding principles of the sustainable management of the parks estate.

Review Status: Pending

River Red Gum Parks Management Plan

River Red Gums Management Plan (20MB)

 

The River Red Gum Parks Management Plan (RRGPMP) is a strategic guide for managing and protecting five national parks and more than 100 other parks and reserves that comprise the planning area in northern Victoria. This plan takes a multi-park approach within a geographic landscape covering over 215 000 ha of parks and reserves.

The RRGPMP is the largest landscape based management plan produced. It covers the Murray, Goulburn and Ovens river corridors. The River Red Gum has been voted the most popular tree in Australia, with its inland river environments presenting the classic Australian ecosystem. Many generations of Australians have camped on these rivers, and have enjoyed the shade under the red gums. A diverse ecosystem of animals depend on the gums as do many towns along the rivers.

This management plan involved a team of authors and took 10 years to complete. It is registered in both the National Library in Canberra as well as being noted by the United Nations. Of particular note is the extensive narrative and actions  in the MP regarding the RAMSAR wetlands that form a significant portion of the landscape.

Review Status:

MidCoast Open Space and Recreation Strategy 2023 – 2035

MidCoast Open Space and Recreation Strategy 2023 – 2035 Final (27.5MB)

The MidCoast Open Space and Recreation Strategy 2023 – 2035 is the most contemporary strategy of its type in Australia, having been adopted by Council in July 2023.

The Strategy is based on an Adaptive Management model, making it unique in Australia for its appreciation of MidCoast’s 4100ha of open space and the activities that the community does on that space as a complete system, needing to be managed for emergent challenges. The Strategy includes an Impact Assessment model that assists Council’s land managers in being able to identify impacts on their parks and reserves, and what measures to put in place to meet those challenges. Primary among those challenges is climate change and impacts from over-use and over-visitation.

The Strategy also includes a new set of parks guiding principles, that once again are focused on the “whole system” rather than just human activity.

Review Status: