Download The National Reserves System and non

National Reserve System and
non-marine aquatic
ecosystems
Presented by:
Tim Bond
Science Coordinator
National Reserve System Section
About the NRS
• The National Reserve System is Australia's network of protected
areas, conserving examples of our native ecosystems, plants and
animals for future generations.
• Its a natural safety net against our biggest environmental
challenges; climate change and declining water availability.
• It is one of the world's great conservation partnerships.
• The NRS includes more than 9,000 protected areas ranging
from huge national parks, Indigenous lands and conservation
NGO properties to conservation areas on working farms.
• In all, over 90 million hectares are now protected - more than 11
per cent of the continent.
• Building the NRS is one of the six national priorities under
Caring for our Country.
Caring for our Country
A well managed, comprehensive,
adequate and representative National
Reserve System
• $180 million – NRS
• $50 million – IPAs
• 25% increase in the area of the NRS
• 25 million hectares (8 – 16m ha IPA)
• 20 new IPAs
What’s funded
• Purchase of land to establish protected areas
• Perpetual Conservation Covenanting of land
• Projects to establish or support the
establishment of protected areas on private
land
• Establishing and managing IPAs on
Aboriginal land
Australian Protected Areas
Imperatives for AEs
• Directions for the National Reserve System Direction
7 to better include freshwater ecosystems in the NRS
• National Framework for the identification and
management of high conservation value aquatic
ecosystems
• National Water Initiative – water for the environment
• International obligations to protect representative
wetlands (Ramsar) and migratory waders and
waterbirds (CAMBA, JAMBA, ROKAMBA and East
Asian-Australasian shorebird site network)
Scientific framework
The systematic development of a comprehensive adequate and
representative National Reserve System rests on a scientific
framework.
The scientific framework has a series of fundamental components:
– Bioregional Framework (IBRA)
– Extent of Protected Areas (CAPAD)
– Bioregional assessment of Australia's biological diversity
– Guidelines for prioritising biodiversity values
– Targets for achieving comprehensiveness and representativeness
– Method for assessing adequacy
– Ongoing review of the impacts of threatening processes such as
climate change and water availability
– Methods for assessing the potential contribution of individual
properties
– Management effectiveness framework including adaptive
management, monitoring and reporting
– Information on the nature and extent of biodiversity values
Bioregional Framework
IBRA regions
CAR
Comprehensive: examples of all types of
regional-scale ecosystems in each IBRA
region should be included in the National
Reserve System.
Adequate: sufficient levels of each ecosystem
should be included within the protected area
network to provide ecological viability and to
maintain the integrity of populations, species
and communities.
Representative: the inclusion of areas at a
finer scale, to encompass the variability of
habitat within ecosystems.
Achieving CAR
Comprehensiveness:
– 80% of regional ecosystems in each IBRA
region represented by 2015
Representativeness:
– 80% of regional ecosystems in each IBRA
subregion represented by 2020
Adequacy:
– Ecological connectivity
– Climate change adaptation
– Effective management
Additions to the NRS
Focus on the comprehensiveness of under-represented bioregions that
have less than 10% of their area protected in reserves.
Priority will be given to projects that:
– add to the representativeness of the National Reserve System;
– will improve resilience and ecological connectivity of biodiversity within the
landscape;
– ensure greater adequacy of bioregions by providing long-term and increased
security for one or more ecosystems and associated species;
– add areas that have significant biodiversity values such a high diversity of
ecosystems or species, centres of endemism, containing significant habitat
for rare, migratory or threatened species;
– identify target areas based upon a strategic assessment of reserve options and
meeting key reserve system design criteria;
– consider and address Indigenous interests, socio-economic interests and
scientific importance;
– are feasible in terms of an area’s availability and cost-effective in terms of
acquisition, establishment and management; and
– demonstrate the ability of the organisation to manage and mitigate
threatening processes and ensures persistence of ecosystems and species over
time.
Bioregional Approach
To achieve an integrated landscape result the
NRS advocates a bioregional approach.
– Based on IBRA regions or subregions
– Biodiversity values and associated social
and economic values
– Integrity – resilience, CAR, climate change,
ecological connectivity
– Management – mechanisms, capacity and
integration with NRM (CfoC)
Examples
– Clarence lowlands wetlands
– SEQ LGAs
Governance of protected areas
Government
% of Aus
9.4%
Ave size 10,600ha
Number
6,800
IPA
% of Aus
1.9%
Ave size
695,000ha
Number
25
Private
% of Aus
0.3%
Ave size 1,300ha
Number
2,000
Protection of IBRA regions
35 IBRA regions that
have less than the
CBD target of
10%
50 IBRA regions
exceed this target
Range from
Tasmania West at
more than 84%
to Finke in
central Australia
at only 0.03%
protected
Protection of IBRA sub regions
44 sub regions (or
nearly 11%)
without
representation
in the NRS
144 sub regions
have less than
5%
representation
in the NRS
Australian Government Structure
Australian Government
Council of Australian
Governments (COAG)
State and Territory Governments
Australian LGA
representation
Natural Resource Management
Ministerial Council
Natural Resource Management
Standing Committee
Natural Resource Policies and
Programs Committee
NGO
National Reserve System Task
Group
CSIRO
National Reserve System
Scientific Advisory Sub Group
Key Documents
• Convention on Biological Diversity
– Program of works
– Millennium targets
•
•
•
•
National Biodiversity Strategy
National Forest Policy (JANIS)
Guidelines for Establishing the NRS
Directions for the NRS – A Partnership
Approach
• The Implications of Climate Change for the
NRS– a Preliminary Assessment
• www.environment.gov.au/parks/nrs/index.html