By Callum Ludwig
A national poll has shown that 78 per cent of 1122 Australians who were surveyed don’t support development projects in national parks and protected areas, echoing the sentiment of opposition to the Warburton Mountain Bike Destination project.
The research was undertaken by the National Parks Australia Council — a coalition of state-based conservation groups — as a result of community concern that Federal and State governments are undermining the integrity of national parks.
President of the National Parks Australia Council Bruce McGregor said that governments have a responsibility to maintain national parks and uphold their purpose.
“The Victorian Government declared the Yarra Ranges National Park in the mid-1990s, they did it in perpetuity, saying that these are special areas for the protection of nature for people to come and experience nature there,” he said.
“To be able to manage the park in perpetuity, you have got to look after it like a house. You might build a new house, but you can’t just go away and expect it to be standing there in 50 or 100 years, you’ve got to maintain things carefully.”
91 per cent of those surveyed also believed national parks and conservation areas are critical to protecting nature from resource extraction including logging and mining.
Protection of nature, saving threatened species, and quiet enjoyment of nature were the top reasons why national parks were considered important to Australians according to the survey.
The survey also revealed there isn’t a prevalent demographic that prioritise the protection of national parks, with regional Australians only five per cent more likely than capital city residents to vote for their local member of parliament if they actively prioritised or advocated national parks.
The Victorian National Parks Association (VNPA) have addressed the proposed bike track project in Warburton, which when completed will traverse Mount Donna Buang, Mount Little Joe and Mount Tugwell, expressing their key issues and concerns with the proposal of the 44 trails spanning 177 kilometres including through the Yarra Ranges National Park.
Jordan Crook said the VNPA believes the northern trail network located primarily in the Yarra Ranges National Park, making up just over a third of the trails, should be abandoned.
“It’s about 22 kilometres worth of tracks in the national park that will intersect cool temperate rainforests, and critically endangered wildlife habitat. It would endanger and disturb up to six and a half kilometres of cool temperate rainforest and potentially introduce the pathogen Myrtle Wilt, which kills Myrtle Beech trees,” he said.
“It will also help feral animals such as foxes and cats move further into uncleared areas and dissect the habitat of the Leadbeater’s Possum and the Mount Donna Buang Wingless Stonefly which is only found on the side of Mount Donna Buang.”
However, they would have no issue with the majority of the southern trail network, mostly in state forest proceeding with some minor changes.
In its current state, VNPA argues that the bike trail will result in a large-scale clearing, negative impacts on threatened plants, animals, and communities, as well as heritage values, pests, and water catchments. They believe it reflects an attack on the integrity of national parks and that the project also has social and economic impacts that are being neglected.
Yarra Ranges Council will be holding a public hearing in March to discuss the major project further.
Director of Environment and Infrastructure at Yarra Ranges Council Mark Varmalis said the project will bring more people to the forests surrounding Warburton, with minimal impact on the environment. He pointed to the success of other similar projects as a reason for optimism.
“The Environment Effects Statement prepared for this project is the most comprehensive study into mountain biking and its effects ever carried out. It outlines the trail and its potential impacts on all facets of the local environment, including in nearby national parks,” he said.
“The success of other projects, such as Three Capes in Tasmania and the Grampians Peak Trail, and excitement about projects such as Falls to Hotham, shows us that there is a wider trend of community members wanting to see, experience and enjoy national parks.”
The Victorian National Parks Association report can be found at: https://vnpa.org.au/publications/polling-2022/
