ANGAHOOK-OTWAY INVESTIGATION

Summary by Sarah Kerr, CMPA Project Manager

The Otway Ranges National Park covers 102,470 ha, linking the existing Otway National Park, and Angahook-Lorne, Carlisle, and Melba Gully State Parks and many state forest areas and smaller reserves.

The recommended national park will provide for biodiversity conservation and a range of exciting opportunities for visitors to the region and encompasses a range of environments, including the majestic mountain forests, spectacular coastal views along the Great Ocean Road and inland
waterfalls.

The Otway Forest Park encompasses some 39,265 ha and provides for recreation, nature conservation and minor resource utilisation. This new category is similar to the existing state forest and regional park categories, and has been developed in response to the desire for a diverse range of recreation activities in the natural environment of the Otways.

Compared to state forest, the forest park category is focused more strongly on recreational use and protection of natural values, and significantly less strongly on commercial resource utilisation.

The forest park category has broad applicability, unlike regional parks which are generally associated with particular towns.

Extraction of Sand, Gravel and Stone:
The Otways public lands are an important source for many extractive industry products and no current operations will be adversely affected by the recommendations. Current operations will continue either outside the national park or under provisions of the National Parks Act 1975. New licences can be issued in all public land categories (generally subject to approval by the Minister for the Environment) except the national park.

Resource industries use public land for mining, quarrying, sawlog and pulpwood production, harvesting of forest produce, commercial fisheries, apiculture, and grazing. These industries make a valuable contribution to the livelihood of local communities. Continued use of resources from public land depends on both sustainability and compatibility with conservation and recreation objectives.

The recommendations in this report offer simplified public land management, planning and administration for the resource industry in the Otway region.

However, resource utilisation will not generally be appropriate in the national park and may be restricted in parts of the forest park where it conflicts with other values.

There are ten current work authorities on public land in the study area, and four applications or proposals for additional work authorities.

VEAC recommends that exploration for, and extraction of, earth resources and minerals within the forest park be subject to approval from the Minister for the Environment.

VEAC considers that extraction of stone should generally be concentrated in the fewest possible sites, while still allowing competition between suppliers.

Two small stone reserves on Rochfords Road, south of Modewarre, are recommended as uncategorised public land. On the basis of its own work and that of independent social and economic consultants engaged by VEAC, Council anticipates that any negative effects of the recommendations on resource users are likely to be relatively minor.

However, where an individual, business of local community is disproportionately affected, VEAC considers it appropriate for the community, through Government, to assist in overcoming those effects, and has made a specific recommendation to that effect.

The key outcome is that none of the current operations on public land will be adversely affected.

Reference: Angahook-Otway Final Report, VEAC

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