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.
Thanks for your efforts to be part of this. I think the biggest issues are weeds and fires and linked to that the lack of ranger time to manage these. As you state much of their time is cleaning rubbish and things – could contractors do this and leave rangers to land management? Perhaps too much focus on Gamba and letting mission grass go. Weeds need to be managed together holistically or one will replace the other. You cannot stop fire and small quiet evening burns are needed to break up the fire patterns I think. And of course – save and add the proposed DHA land where all the big old growth trees are that are vital for the wildlife.
Thanks again.