Are candidates in the current NT election committed to supporting the Reserve?

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Posted on 21/08/2024 by Ulrike Kachel

In recent years, uncontrolled fires, weeds and insufficient operational funding have combined to put the natural values of Casuarina Coastal Reserve into decline. Nearby clearing of the bush combined with increasing numbers of human visitors mean that it is a more precious asset than ever, and yet this isn’t reflected in Government spending priorities.

Friends of Casuarina Coastal Reserve, Rapid Creek and Casuarina Coastal Reserve Landcare Groups asked candidates in the upcoming Territory election four questions about their plans for the Reserve, funding and Landcare.

NT Labor and the Greens party answered each question, and no reply was received from the Country Liberal Party. Five independents replied: Justine Davis, Graeme Sawyer, Justine Glover, Belinda Kolstad and Martin Jackson. Lauren Moss and Natasha Fyles wrote separate letters detailing their commitment to local landcare and the Reserve.

Authorised by Deborah Hall, Kapalga Street Tiwi.

What we asked candidates:

If elected, will you commit to increase operational funding to the Parks and Wildlife Commission NT by at least 20% by 2026?
If elected, will you ensure that cleaning of visitor facilities in Casuarina Coastal Reserve is no longer the responsibility of rangers?
If elected, will you pledge to establish dedicated weed management and feral animal control rangers in Casuarina Coastal Reserve?
If elected, will you commit to ongoing operational funding for LandcareNT as per the rest of Australia, to support the important work of volunteer landcarers?

Below are response snippets from their individual submissions/replies. Text in italics indicates a missing or unclear response. The individual responses are linked as PDFs at the end of this page.

	Increase of operational funding?	Responsibilities of rangers?	Dedicated management?	Operational funding for LandcareNT?
Eva Lawler	No clear financial commitment but continued Implementation of NT Parks 10 Year Activation Plan	No answer	Will consider	$150,000 this financial year; will work on long-term funding agreement
Lauren Moss	Not clear	Costing for waste removal and maintenance work is underway	Supports looking for options	Involved with the Casuarina Landcare for a decade; will continue to advocate for increased operational funding
Natasha Files	Will advocate for increased funding	Some work underway in understanding the costs associated with waste and maintenance.	Understands the changes over the years of what needs to be done in maintaining the Reserve	Involved in the Rapid Creek Landcare Group since 2012
NT Greens	Yes, will commit to increasing funding to Park and Wildlife	Yes, will advocate for systems that support rangers to focus their time on the key environmental work	Yes, will advocate within parliament for biodiversity to be protected	Yes, this promise is explicitly included in our “Healthy country, thriving nature – Water, Environment and biodiversity” election platform
Belinda Kolstad	Will be guided by Constituents if the matter arises	Will be guided by Constituents if the matter arises	Will be guided by Constituents if the matter arises	Will be guided by Constituents if the matter arises
Graeme Sawyer	Yes, our park estate is badly underfunded	Yes, rangers have a much more important role to play in the management of Biodiversity	Yes, feral plants and animals are destroying the Biodiversity	Yes, there is a significant need for organisations such as Landcare and NRM to coordinate management
Justine Davis	Yes, support this	Yes, freeing up ranger time to protect and care for the natural values of the Reserve	Yes, this is essential	Absolutely
Justine Glover	Yes, as has been underfunded	Yes, rangers have more important work to do	Yes, weeds are causing significant damage	Yes, the NT is way behind and needs to fully fund this important group
Martin Jackson	Don’t know, need to know how and what is already spent	Don’t know the issues	Don’t know the issues	Supports Landcare but hesitant to commit

See below the individual responses we received:

http://fccr.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Eva-Lawler.pdf

http://fccr.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Lauren-Moss.pdf

http://fccr.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Natasha-Fyles.pdf

http://fccr.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/NT-Greens.pdf

https://fccr.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Belinda-Kolstad.pdf

http://fccr.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Graeme-Sawyer.pdf

http://fccr.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Justine-Davis.pdf

http://fccr.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Justine-Glover.pdf

http://fccr.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Martin-Jackson.pdf

Discovery Walks 2024

Posted on 02/07/2024 by Ulrike Kachel

Join the Friends of Casuarina Coastal Reserve Inc. on Sunday, 21 July 2024 (8-11 am) for a fun-filled morning to explore the beautiful Reserve. Six concurrent guided small group walks are on offer. Register for one of these special experiences. You will learn about the local flora and fauna, practice your art or photography and take in the breathtaking views of the coastline. The walks will be followed by light refreshments and a talk with Park Rangers and the Friends of Casuarina Coastal Reserve (10-11 am). It’s a great opportunity to get some fresh air, exercise, and learn something new about this amazing local wonder. Register for the activity of your choice through the ticketing options. All adult tickets are $7 to cover admin and refreshments (kids are free).

For information on the walks and booking, please visit https://events.humanitix.com/discovery-walks-casuarina-coastal-reserve

Parks and Wildlife has called for submissions about whether the Reserve should become a National Park.

Posted on 10/04/2024 by Ulrike Kachel

The Friends of Casuarina Coastal Reserve welcome the proposal to convert the Reserve into a National Park. Currently, Parks and Wildlife is seeking submissions from the wider community.

The announcement said:

‘by bringing management of the Reserve and the new area of land under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, the land will be managed by Parks and Wildlife in perpetuity, with improved powers to manage the land for its conservation, cultural and recreational values’ (our emphasis). Now is a good time to propose changes to fulfil this charter.

FCCR have discussed some ideas based on the current state of the Reserve and what we think is important to consider when establishing it as a National Park. We would like to share these with you and encourage you to make your own submission. Below are some ideas for you to consider in your submission and links to the background information. You can comment on just one topic or as many as you like.

‘Have Your Say’ about Casuarina Coastal Reserve

Parks and Wildlife has called for submissions about changes to the Reserve. The Friends of Casuarina Coastal Reserve Inc. have some suggestions to consider in your comments.

Plants and animals, birds, insects and reptiles	It’s been decades since the area has been comprehensively surveyed, and a lot has changed in the local area. Surveys would discover what’s there and needs protection. Should this be done?
Rangers	Current management prioritises maintenance of visitor facilities (toilets, BBQs etc). Do you agree this is most important? Are there enough rangers?
Fire	Arson has devastated parts of the Reserve in recent years. What could be done to limit the damage and reduce the risks? (e.g. better control of grassy weeds, more surveillance, trained volunteer firefighters)
First Nations culture	Casuarina Coastal Reserve is important to Larrakia people, but there’s minimal presence at present. Do you have some changes to suggest?
Weeds	Weeds dominate parts of the Reserve and new weeds are coming in. What should be done about this? (e.g. spraying, revegetation of disturbed areas, more use of volunteer labour)
Visitor facilities	What do you use and enjoy? What would improve the Reserve?
Recreation	Humans enjoy the Reserve in many ways. What activities are compatible with sustainable management of the Reserve’s natural values? Should there be any restrictions or exclusion zones for certain activities?
Sandy Creek, Rapid Creek and the marine environment	Little is known about the water quality in Sandy Creek, should this be surveyed and monitored? Some of the best seagrass meadows in Darwin Harbour are offshore in the Reserve. How should they be protected for dugongs, turtles and other marine life? (e.g. limits on outboard motorboats and powered craft, controls on fishing)
Migratory Shorebirds	Thousands of endangered birds feed and roost in the Reserve. Are they adequately protected, and if not, what should change? (e.g. more ranger patrols, barriers at roosting sites, education for beach users, less dogs)
Education	What could be done to better inform and educate park users about the wildlife and the bush? (e.g. signs, wildlife encounters, guided walks, online resources)
Advice from the community	Would an Advisory Committee be a good way for ongoing community input to the management of the Reserve? Or have you got another idea?
Dogs	Lots of dogs and their owners enjoy the Reserve What changes if any would you suggest to the management of dogs in the Reserve?

Background information is at https://haveyoursay.nt.gov.au/casuarina-coastal-reserve

Send your submission to: parkplanning@nt.gov.au by 22 April 2024.