Parks - IUCN

PARKS VOL 9 NO 3 • OCTOBER 1999
The second phase of this process is placing conservation values on each of these
remnants, then producing a map of remnants within macro corridors, each remnant
being coloured according to conservation value or priority. This map is assisting the
decision-making process of how and where to allocate resources when implementing
on-the-ground works.
Representatives of the community, as well as local and state government land
managers participate in planning the project. They provide information on progress
to the general community at a local level, as well as identifying and developing
projects to strengthen and protect macro corridors using best practice management
information and methods. They work closely with local advisory networks (e.g.
Bushcare, Coastcare, Landcare, Rivercare) and community groups to integrate the
macro corridor network with other projects within the Region.
A biological monitoring programme is being established across the macro
corridor network. It incorporates some existing monitoring sites such as the
‘Mountain Peak’ monitoring sites (Barrett, 1996; Barrett and Gillen, 1997), the
Fitzgerald River Biosphere monitoring sites (Sanders, 1996; Watson and Sanders,
1997) and CALM’s fox baiting monitoring sites used to monitor fauna recovery. The
flora and fauna data collected may provide feedback on the effectiveness of the
macro corridor network and could play an important part in any international
network of long-term marine and terrestrial monitoring sites which gather information
on topics such as global change, biodiversity, and forest health.
Where to from here...? the grand vision...
Ultimately we seek the establishment and community ownership of a strategic macro
corridor network across the entire South Coast Region of Western Australia. This will
comprise major macro corridors, especially along the coast and running inland along
river valleys, but also narrower corridors, good quality remnant vegetation, and a
gradation down to ‘micro’ corridor establishment or protection at the individual farm
or property level. This is somewhat analogous to a road transport system consisting
of an interconnected network of wide free ways, highways, major arterial roads,
secondary roads, minor roads, and four-wheel-drive bush tracks. Furthermore, the
macro corridor network will be multidimensional (i.e. latitudinal, longitudinal, and
altitudinal) thereby linking all components of the landscape and including all major
vegetation types and habitats.
In essence this will be an expansion out across the whole region of the biosphere
reserve principles of the Fitzgerald River National Park which lies at the central hub
of the macro-corridor network (Figure 2).
Finally, there is potential for the macro corridor network to be regarded as one
protected area comprising a range of IUCN categories, in particular categories I, II,
III, IV, and VI. Thus there will be wilderness areas, national parks, nature reserves,
and bushland protected through other agencies and landowners – but all interconnected
through the one network.
Watch this space!
Acknowledgments
We acknowledge Kenton Miller and Larry Hamilton for providing the ‘springboard’ for
our existing interest in corridor connections to be expanded to a full bioregional
strategy.
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