NSW WILDERNESS RED INDEX
Published by the Colong Foundation for Wilderness Ltd
(September 1999)
2/332 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 ph 02 9261 2400; fax 02 9261 2144
email keith@colongwilderness.org.au web site colongwilderness.org.au
| NAME: | Genoa |
| NOMINATED BY: | The Wilderness Society Sydney Branch and Total Environment Centre (December, 1987). |
| LOCATION: | Straddles the NSW-Victorian border, 48km south west of Eden and 210km south of Canberra. |
| SIZE: | 47,620 ha |
| TENURE: | NPWS Estate (Oct. 1993) South East Forest National Park (NSW) 6,100 ha Coopracambra National Park (VIC) 34,700 ha New NPWS estate (Oct. 1993- Sept. 1999) Former Bondi and Yumbulla State Forest 520 ha Other tenure State Forest (VIC) 6,300 ha |
Wilderness Declared (NSW):
Genoa Wilderness, South East Forest National Park;
| Size: | 6,100 ha |
| Percentage of entire VIC/NSW area: | 13% |
Wilderness not Declared (NSW):
South-East Forest National Park;
| Size: | 520 ha |
| Percentage of entire VIC/NSW area: | 1% |
Wilderness Declared (VIC):
Genoa Wilderness, Coopracambra National Park;
| Size: | 19,400 ha |
| Percentage of entire VIC/NSW area: | 40% |
Wilderness not Declared (VIC):
Coopracambra National Park;
| Size: | 15,300 ha. |
| Percentage of entire VIC/NSW area: | 32% |
State Forest;
| Size: | 6,300 ha |
| Percentage of entire VIC/NSW area: | 13% |
DESCRIPTION:
The Genoa River is the main feature of this wilderness. It drains the granite escarpment of the southern extremity of the Monaro Tableland and then flows south-east into the Mallacoota Inlet in Victoria. The river has formed a 30km gorge straddling the border in the sandstone tableland dominated by Yambulla Peak and Nungatta Mountain, and has exposed one of the most important Devonian fossil sites in Australia. West of the Genoa River's headwaters is the granite country of Mount Coopracambra (900m) and Mount Kaye. As it flows south-east it passes through metamorphic rocks that form Mount Merragunegin. South of the Genoa River are the headwaters of the Thurra River which form the southern portion of the wilderness.
The Genoa Valley has a range of ecosystems, which include dry sclerophyll forest of Silvertop Ash (Eucalyptus sieberi) and Yertchuk (E. consideniana). Wetter and cooler areas, such as the flanks of Coopracambra and Merragunegin, support stands of Messmate Stringybark (E. obliqua). Some plant species reach their southernmost distribution in the area, such as Blue-leaved Stringybark (E. agglomerata). The sandstone tableland area supports a range of heathland shrub species more reminiscent of the Sydney region such as Dwarf Casuarina, Geebung (Persoonia spp.), Patersonia and Pommaderis. Further south, along the Thurra River, are a number of rainforest stands. Mount Waalimma is dominated by Acacia smithii, the westernmost population of this rainforest species. The Jones Creek catchment within Coopracambra National Park contains the largest stand of warm temperate rainforest in Victoria, including significant species such as the rare fern Cyathea leichhardtiana, but it was extensively burnt in 1983.
The area has a wide range of fauna including the rare Eastern Horseshoe Bat (Miniopterus oceanensis). Other rare fauna includes the Sooty Owl (Tyto tenebricosa), White-footed Dunnart (Sminthopsis leucopus), the Yellow-bellied Glider (Petaurus australis) and Feathertail Glider (Acrobates pygmaeus). Significant uncommon mammals include the Eastern Pygmy Possum (Burramys parva). Of further significance are the rare amphibian species: the Giant Burrowing Frog (Heleioporus australiacus) and the Great Barred Frog (Mixophyes balbus), which is at its southern geographic limit. The Thurra River is a habitat for Australia's rarest (and most endangered) fish the Australian Grayling (Prototractes maraena).
Most of the area is included in the Victorian National Parks Association Australian Alps World Heritage Proposal.
LAND USE HISTORY:
| Aboriginal | The area is part of the traditional lands occupied by the Bidawal Aboriginal People. |
| Grazing | White settlers were discouraged by the poor
sandstone terrain of the Genoa Valley and took up land on the granite country further
upstream and down stream, and also along the Nungatta Creek to the north. The first grazing licence in far East Gippsland was issued in 1839, and covered the Wangarabell area. Grazing here, and along Nungatta Creek and the Cann River valley has continued to the present day. |
| Mining | Some gold mining has occurred along the Genoa River and a former goldfield lies near Mount Merragunegin. A deposit of molybdenum occurs at Wangarabell. |
Within Victoria most of the Wilderness Area has been occupied by at least one mineral exploration licence since 1970. Two licences situated at Cooaggalah Hill and Wangarabell Creek have been long term prospects. Under existing tenure about 22% of the State Forest is potentially open to exploration and mining. There are no mining leases over the Coopracambra National Park.
| Logging | The State Forests surrounding Nungatta
National Park in NSW are contained within the Eden Forest Management Area and as such are
part of the Harris-Daishowa export woodchip licence area. Bondi State Forest, to the west of the Wilderness Area, has been very heavily logged since the late 1970's, with both whole compartment and alternate coupe logging. The Rockton section of the State Forest, also to the west has been replanted with pines. Significant areas of this State Forest were burnt in the bushfires of 1983 and are also being replanted with exotic conifers. The northern section of Bondi has also been extensively clearfelled under the alternate logging coupe system. In Victoria, the northern section of the Wilderness in Coopracambra National Park is precluded from logging. The Thurra River section of the Wilderness was excluded from the Land Conservation Council (LCC) 1991 recommendations because of the timber resources in the area, currently estimated at 124,600 cubic metres spread over 2,603 ha. This would represent possible production of 3,000 cubic metres a year or only 1.7% of the East Gippsland Forest Management Area's annual yield. Further justification for exclusion was the existence of 228ha of logged forest within the area. The State Forest within the Thurra River area was under a logging moratorium prior to the outcome of the Wilderness Special Investigation. The West Branch of the Thurra River catchment of about 3,700 ha of land, useless for timber production, has been added to the Coopracambra National Park. The East Branch, however, with 1.7% of the sustainable yield of the East Gippsland Forest Management Area, continues to be logged. |
| 1997 | The Victorian and Commonwealth Governments sign a Regional Forest Agreement (RFA) with the timber industry for 20 year resource security in the East Gippsland region. Only small additions are made to National Parks in the area while the proposed southern section of the wilderness area is left open to logging in a General Management Zone. |
HISTORY OF CONSERVATION MEASURES:
| 1969 | NPWS Scientific Committee on Parks and Reserves, Report No. 2 recommends a major reserve of 89,000 ha embracing a large section of the escarpment forests of the south eastern region, including the northern section of Genoa. |
| 1973 | Nungatta National Park of 4,800ha gazetted. |
| 1976 | Victorian Land Conservation Council recommends a Coopracambra State Park downstream, and adjacent to, Nungatta National Park. |
| 1979 | Genoa identified by M. Feller in Wilderness in Victoria: an Inventory. Coopracambra State Park created. |
| 1986 | Wilderness Working Group includes Genoa as one of thirty-six identified wilderness areas in NSW in its Report to the Minister for Environment and Planning, Bob Carr. |
| 1987 | The Wilderness Society (NSW) and Total Environment Centre submit Genoa Wilderness Nomination. |
Land Conservation Council recommends Coopracambra State Park becomes a larger Coopracambra National Park.
The upper Thurra River placed on interim list of National Estate.
| 1988 | September: Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) publishes the Australian Alps World Heritage Nomination Proposal, which includes the Victorian section of the Genoa Wilderness. |
| 1989 | Then Premier of NSW, the Hon Nick Greiner,
pre-empts National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) recommendations that Coolangubra and
Genoa Wilderness Areas be gazetted by commenting that no new National Parks or Wilderness
Areas would be created in the region. February: NPWS recommends that Genoa and Coolangubra be declared wilderness areas. Environment Minister Tim Moore announces dedication of Genoa. Upper Thurra placed on Register of National Estate. |
| 1991 | Victorian Land Conservation Council recommend declaration of 19,400 ha Genoa Wilderness Area within Coopracambra National Park. |
| 1992 | 6,100 ha of Nungatta National Park declared as
Genoa Wilderness under Section 59(1) of National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974, and
Section 8(1a) of the Wilderness Act 1987 Genoa Wilderness is included in Clover
Moore's South East Forests Protection Bill. West Branch of the Thurra River added to Coopracambra National Park. 30 June: 19,400 ha Genoa Wilderness area proclaimed by Victorian Government. July: Genoa Wilderness included in the Earth Foundation's Far South East World Heritage Assessment Report. The Prime Minister and the Premiers of all Australian states, except Tasmania, sign National Forest Policy Statement. This Statement declares "until the assessments (of forests for conservation values) are completed, forest management agencies will avoid activities that may significantly affect those areas of old growth forest or wilderness that are likely to have high conservation value". |
| 1994 | 30 November: Genoa National Park is gazetted, consisting of the former Nungutta and Nalbaugh National Parks and 3,974 ha of former State Forest . The south-western part of the identified Genoa Wilderness around the Saddle Flaps area is added to the park in this gazettal (approximately 500 ha). |
| 1995 | May: NSW Labor Government ceases logging in all NPWS identified wilderness areas. |
| 1996 | November: The Forestry Revocation Act 1996 is passed by State Parliament. This creates stage one of South-East Forest National Park. The new park includes the 20 ha section of NPWS identified wilderness within Yambulla State Forest. |
| 1997 | 3 February: the Regional Forest Assessment (RFA) of East Gippsland forests identifies a considerably larger area of wilderness than recommended by the LCC in 1991, including the southern sections of the Genoa Wilderness. The Comprehensive Regional Assessment (CRA) identifies a 28,050 ha Coopracambra Wilderness of which 25,460 ha is already reserved in the Coopracambra National Park. Of this area only 19,400 ha are fully protected in the Genoa Wilderness Area proclaimed in 1992. |
THREATS:
| Logging | The environmental impacts of logging are well documented. Logging results in: soil compaction and erosion; pollution of drinking water; escaped regeneration burns and excessive production of CO2; introduction of noxious weeds and dieback; destruction of flora and fauna; and general ecosystem degradation. |
In Victoria, a large section of the Wilderness Area (6,300 ha) around Thurra River Headwaters is contained within State Forest. Although on the Register of the National Estate, the area is still threatened by logging. The Land Conservation Council's Final Recommendations include that, because of the timber resources of the area, this area of state forest be excluded from the wilderness.
Recommendation: That the approx. 6,000 ha of State Forest in the East Branch of the Thurra River be added to the Coopracambra National Park and also be reserved within the Genoa Wilderness Area. The CRA outcome for East Gippsland be adjusted so as to protect all wilderness values and old growth forests of the region.
| Victorian Land Conservation Council | Following the adoption of a reductionist
approach to wilderness identification by the LCC, only a minor portion of Victoria's
wilderness was granted adequate protection. The application of a succession of stringent
wilderness criteria led to the identification of small fragmented areas. The competing
land interests of loggers, graziers, mining concerns, hunters, horseriders and 4WD
enthusiasts emphasised wilderness constraints rather than opportunities. As a result the
smallest possible area of wilderness was declared and this was almost entirely over
existing national parks and unwanted desert areas in remote inland parts of Victoria. Just over half of the 47,620 ha identified by Feller and subsequently by the Wilderness Working Group and the VNPA, was recommended for preservation by the LCC and proclaimed as the Genoa Wilderness. |
Recommendation: That the Victorian Government expand the 19,400 ha Genoa Wilderness to incorporate all the wilderness identified by the Colong Foundation, Feller, VNPA, the Wilderness Working Group and Forest Assessment Process.
| Trails | The environmental impacts of trails on
wilderness areas include: soil compaction and erosion; rubbish dumping; weed introduction
and dissemination by NPWS and other vehicles; assisting feral animals to forage and
disperse; enabling arsonists to light wildfires in remote areas; and other adverse
environmental impacts related to off-road vehicle use and horseriding. A number of fire trails and roads dissect the Wilderness Area, the most significant being: Yambulla Peak Track (approx. 12km) crosses the border and joins up with the ‘WB Line’ Road; WB Line Road (approx. 25km), an unsealed road, capable of use by 2WD vehicles, which bisects the Victorian section of the Wilderness Area south of the National Park. This was taken by the LCC as its southern boundary to the Wilderness Area; A number of smaller 4WD trails also contained within the State Forest to the south east of the Victorian Coopracambra National Park. |
Recommendations: In addition to the severe environmental impacts associated with access trails in wilderness areas, such tracks do not comply with the management principles laid down under the provisions Wilderness Act. The existing trails should be rehabilitated as they serve little purpose other than to facilitate unauthorised access by 4WD enthusiasts and horseriders. In particular, the 2WD WB Line Road should also be closed. The Wilderness Area is currently surrounded by perimeter trails and these should be adequate.
The protection of wilderness values in fire management plans needs to be a priority. During fire emergencies bulldozers should not be allowed to scar the scenery by cutting fire control lines on steep slopes. All too often these measures fail to contain a wildfire. The best prescription to avoid fires in wilderness areas is to confine management trails to the edge, to prevent the spread of fire from outside. Decisions on damaging suppression practices should be addressed during management planning, not in a fire crisis. Except for fire trails in perimeter areas, trails constructed during fire fighting operations should be closed and rehabilitated immediately following the operation.
Fuel-reduction burns should be undertaken where they are most effective, that is close to the assets being protected (e.g. towns and rural districts). Most wildfires burn into parks, not the other way around, and broad-area control burns of wilderness are ineffective in controlling such external fires.
CONTACT ORGANISATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS
The Wilderness Society Canberra
P O Box 188
CIVIC SQUARE ACT 2608
Contact: Andrew Wong Ph: (wk) 02 6249 6491
FAX: 02 6249 1002
e-mail awong@netinfo.com.auNational Parks Association ACT
P.O. Box 1940
WODEN ACT 2606 e-mail: npact@spirt.com.auVictorian National Parks Association
10 Parliament Place
MELBOURNE VIC 3002
Contact: Amanda Martin (Director) Ph: 03 9650 8296
FAX: 03 9654 6843
e-mail vnpa@vicnet.net.au
RELEVANT ARTICLES:
Colong Bulletin, 131, March 1992, p2, Wilderness Window Dressing.
Colong Bulletin, 130, January 1992, p2, Support the South East Forest Protection Bill!.
Colong Bulletin, 129, November 1991, p5, Wilderness Between States.