For: Alpine Grazing Taskforce

Future Options for cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park
A submission to the Alpine Grazing Taskforce

The Nationals (Victoria)

1. Portfolios

Sustainability and Environment

2. Executive summary

The benefits of cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park are numerous and worthy of consideration. The Nationals believe that the constituent members of the Alpine Grazing Taskforce should remain open-minded and objective in their assessment of cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park. For this reason, the Nationals would urge the taskforce to give due consideration to the valid case for the preservation of alpine grazing in Victoria's high country.

The Nationals support the renewal of all alpine grazing licences for a further seven years in accordance with the Alpine National Park Act 1989. They do so in the recognition that alpine grazing licences underpin many of the social, economic and environmental values currently found in the Alpine National Park and surrounding area.

The Nationals fully support the principle of controlled and managed access to the Alpine National Park, in the recognition that public land benefits greatly from the presence of responsible land using communities. Collectively, Victoria's cattlemen clearly represent such a community - in both their past and present use of the Victorian Alps, the cattlemen have continually acted to ensure the ongoing welfare of the alpine environment and have consistently demonstrated their deep concern for the high country.

The variety of benefits arising from alpine grazing will be discussed in this submission, as will the impacts that are commonly thought to derive from the practice. An analysis of cattle grazing in the greater context of public land management will also be included, as will various recommendations for the improvement of current land management practice in the Alpine National Park.

The Nationals recognise that in establishing a caucus taskforce to review alpine grazing, the current State government has created an excellent opportunity to reassess the current regime of land management in the Alpine National Park. To capitalise on this opportunity, the government must conduct an immediate review of current land management practice in the Alpine National Park with the ultimate aim of developing a novel management regime that can protect the considerable natural and cultural heritage of the Alps in symbiosis.

The Nationals recognise the need for a system of public land management in Victoria that is capable of bringing various stakeholders together in common projects of active land management. Only by developing such a system can the current government demonstrate its commitment to ensuring the sustainable management of public land in Victoria. The scope for this to occur shall be explored in this submission, as it represents a positive way forward for land management in this state.

3. Recommendations

It is recommended that the Alpine Grazing Advisory Taskforce endorse:

1. That the Government renews all current alpine grazing licences for a further seven years, according to the Alpine National Parks Act, 1989

2. That the Government ensure all subsequent licence renewal processes are negotiated at least three years before the licences expire, to allow for adequate community consultation prior to a final decision being made.

3. That the Government instruct Parks Victoria to develop a targeted approach to managing fuel loadings, fire regimes and pest plant and weed problems in the Alpine National Park - in a manner that is inclusive of the Mountain Cattlemen and various other users of the Alpine National Park.

4. That the government support the principles of controlled use and active land management in all National parks and reserves.

5. That the Government acknowledge the cultural and historical value of alpine grazing, and of the widespread community support for retention of the alpine grazing tradition in Victoria.

6. That the Government exercise caution when considering the ideologically loaded arguments of extreme environmental lobbyists who remain adamantly opposed to alpine grazing and lobby for its cessation, whilst failing to provide a realistic and informed alternative land management scenario for the Victorian Alps.

7. That the Government acknowledge the considerable local knowledge held by long-term land using communities in the Victorian Alpine National Park and be proactive in the development of far-sighted strategies that incorporate this local knowledge into projects of active land management.

8. That the Government gives full consideration to the joint management plans that have been voluntarily drafted by the Mountain Cattlemen's Association of Victoria (MCAV).

9. That key agencies (DSE, Parks Victoria) work to generate projects that harness the considerable concern and willingness of land using communities in the Alpine National Park, including the cattlemen.

10. That the key agencies work towards best practice sustainable land management outcomes in the Alpine National Park and surrounding crown land in cooperation with local land-using groups and willing volunteers.

4. Overview

The fact that alpine grazing contributes to the economic and social wellbeing of the North-Eastern and Gippsland communities of Victoria is indisputable. The traditional practice of grazing cattle in the Alpine National Park is the source of pride for many people living in the alpine area. Consequently, the loss of alpine grazing licences could be expected to cause considerable sadness and significant social dislocation within the local communities of the alpine area

For the families who hold grazing licences in the Alpine National Park and surrounding areas, alpine grazing represents far more that a simple means to an economic gain. It is a culturally and spiritually important practice that unites a community in the collective effort to maintain the tradition and history of their forebears. The loss of grazing licences would have a profound effect on this grazing community, not to mention the many in the wider Victorian community who value the ongoing tradition of alpine grazing.

In the townships and regions surrounding the Alpine National Park, alpine grazing provides an important boost to the local economy. As well as receiving a direct economic gain from alpine grazing, these local economies also benefit from the various tourism enterprises that are reliant on the living legend of the mountain cattlemen. Indeed, the popularity of the mountain grazing tradition is such that it operates to draw many potential tourists to the Victorian Alps. Local communities have come to depend on the revenue generated by tourism and would undoubtedly suffer if cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park were to cease. For the sake of these local communities, and their ongoing social and economic welfare, it is essential that grazing be permitted to continue in the park at the sustainable level at which it currently occurs. The economic benefits of alpine grazing will be discussed in section five of this submission.

The benefits of cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park extend far beyond the local level. Alpine grazing provides a vital and accessible link to Australia's rich pioneering history. As an ongoing tradition, the practice continues to provide a marker of a uniquely Australian cultural identity. In the past, the tradition of alpine grazing has been celebrated at a host of public events including the 2003 Federation celebrations and the opening of the Sydney Olympics. On these occasions, the public's overwhelmingly positive response to the sight of cattlemen mounted on horseback has provided some indication of the pride and respect with which many view the tradition. The termination of this tradition would most certainly result in the loss of some of our nation's most valuable living heritage; a loss that would be mourned by the countless Victorians who desire the conservation of the history and tradition that is tied to the ongoing practice of cattle grazing in the Victorian Alps. Indeed, the desire to see Australia's unique history and culture preserved in perpetuity can explain the considerable support for continued alpine grazing among people who live in urban communities. For these individuals, a decision to renew grazing licences in the Alpine National Park would be nothing but positive. The cultural and historical benefits of alpine grazing will be discussed in section six of this submission.

The benefits that derive from alpine grazing also extend to the alpine environment. Victoria's cattlemen are a sustainable and responsible presence in the Victorian high country. The cattle that they take into the Alpine National Park are few, with stocking rates on alpine runs now at record low levels. These cattle are actively controlled by the cattlemen and, in reality, graze only on a very small proportion of the entire alpine area. Compared to other, more intensive uses of alpine land, the impacts of alpine grazing are negligible. The current allocation of grazing licences ensures that many areas of the Alpine National Park remain ungrazed by cattle. This situation creates an opportunity for future large?scale studies of the response of different alpine ecosystems to a range of land uses. Such far-sighted and broad-reaching studies are required to gain an empirically sound and accurate understanding of how the alpine environment responds to grazing.

The cattlemen themselves have long possessed a comprehensive knowledge of the alpine environment and its unique ecology, by virtue of their ongoing engagement with the high country landscape. Members of the cattlemen community also possess a complex understanding of land management as it has traditionally been practiced in the Victorian Alps. At present, this wealth of local knowledge is being undervalued by the agencies responsible for land management in Victoria. A transition to a forward?thinking land management regime in the Victorian Alps could see this knowledge become a valuable asset to Park's Victoria and DSE staff. Indeed, there currently exists a significant potential for future conservation efforts on Victoria's public land to be made both inclusive and cooperative, bringing together a range of motivated and willing stakeholders in a progressive approach to land management. The scope for this to occur in the Alpine National Park will be explored further in this submission, in section seven.

All recommendations in this submission have been developed to ensure that the significant and complex environmental requirements of the Alpine National Park are balanced with the requirement that the alpine grazing tradition in Victoria, and its associated economic, environmental, social, cultural and historical benefits, are preserved in perpetuity.

5. The Economic Benefits of Alpine Grazing

Alpine Grazing makes a direct and significant contribution to local economies in the North-Eastern and Gippsland regions of Victoria. When Victoria's reputation as a premium tourism destination and a source of clean, green produce is also taken into account, the economic benefits of alpine grazing may be observed to extend to the state as a whole. In their voluntary service to the Victorian community, the mountain cattlemen contribute to the efficiency of land management in the Alpine National Park. This largely unrecognised contribution represents a direct economic benefit to the state, and should be acknowledged as such by the Victorian Government. In the following sections, the economic benefits of alpine grazing briefly introduced here will be discussed in greater detail.

5.1 Victorian agriculture and the value of alpine grazing

Cattle grazed in the Victorian Alps are renowned for their high quality. Beef cattle that have been bred and reared in the high plains of the Victorian Alps contribute to the state's reputation as a source of clean, green produce. Indeed, precisely because of their continued access to high country runs, many of Victoria's cattlemen have been able to create a niche market for their calves amongst buyers who seek high quality Victorian beef. A proportion of this demand is driven by overseas markets that display a preference for organically produced beef over an alternative product that has been reared in artificial surrounds such as feedlots. The loss of alpine grazing licences would certainly damage this market and degrade Victoria's reputation as the source of clean green produce. This factor alone would certainly lead to a net economic loss for the state of Victoria.

The existence of a viable alpine grazing industry in Victoria is particularly important to the local economies of the townships and rural communities that surround the Alpine National Park. The revenue generated by virtue of grazing licences is spent in the local economy and the industry employs local people. In the event that alpine grazing licences are not renewed, it is highly likely that non-grazing related businesses in the area will incur significant economic losses.

5.2 Cattlemen and tourism in the Victorian high country

Various tourism activities associated with alpine grazing have emerged in recent history. These include the well-known Geebung Polo match that occurs at Cobungra station each Easter weekend, and the various guided horse rides that follow traditional mustering trails in the high country. Such activities contribute to Victoria's reputation as an exceptional adventure tourism destination, provide jobs for local residents of the alpine region and permit the general public an insight into a widely cherished Australian tradition. In various ways discussed below, alpine grazing plays a significant role in the tourism industry of Victoria's North-Eastern and Gippsland areas. The contribution of the tourist dollar to the local economy in these areas cannot be underestimated.

Tourists who travel to the Victorian high country are often drawn by the appeal of experiencing the grandeur of the alpine landscape in person and the desire to explore the remarkable history of the area. For many of these people, the fact that the living heritage of alpine grazing has remained in the Alps into the present day provides a significant drawcard to the region. Whilst some are content to tour cattlemen's huts and mustering trails on foot or in the comfort of vehicles, others seek the unparalleled experience of viewing the alpine grazing tradition first hand - from the back of a horse.

The guided horse treks that are run by several cattlemen families are particularly appealing to tourists seeking to experience the alpine grazing tradition first hand. These treks permit people to develop their understanding of the heritage and history associated with alpine grazing while they travel through the high country in a novel and exciting way. The indisputable appeal of such tourism opportunities has most certainly been boosted by the production of a number of popular books and films based on the alpine grazing tradition. Collectively, these films and books evoke the romance and history of the grazing tradition in the public domain, thereby increasing interest in the Victorian Alps and their legendary mountain cattlemen. The impending production of a film version of Banjo Patterson's legendary poem, 'Clancy of the Overflow', will only boost the public's interest of the Australian grazing tradition and can be expected to generate further interest among prospective visitors to the Victorian Alps. It is imperative that alpine grazing related tourism ventures are retained in the Alpine National Park, to cater for this potential market.

For the cattlemen families who operate tourism ventures in the Victorian high country, ongoing access to alpine grazing leases is vitally important. For prospective visitors to the Victorian Alps, the appeal of a guided ride in the high country often lies in the fact that such rides afford an opportunity to gain an insight into the long-running alpine grazing tradition - as it is still practiced. Whilst riding in the high country with the cattlemen, tourists are permitted to observe and engage directly with the history and tradition that is associated with alpine grazing whilst learning about the life of a mountain cattleman first hand. Ongoing access to grazing leases will ensure that the cattlemen who run these ventures can continue to offer these truly unique and highly valued opportunities to both local and international tourists, and that alpine communities will continue to benefit from the revenue generated by alpine grazing-related tourism.

5.3 Cattlemen's contribution to the responsible management of alpine land

In the course of the annual grazing season, Victorian cattlemen will generally visit one or more of the traditional cattlemen's huts that are located throughout the high country. In maintaining these huts, the cattlemen perform a vital service to the Victorian community. Providing shelter to bush walkers, an essential refuge for cross country skiers and a fascinating historical insight for tourists, these huts are some of the Alpine National Park's greatest assets.

In recent history, cattlemen's huts have been the focus of considerable attention, with the Victorian High Country Huts Association (VHCHA) forming in the aftermath of the devastating fires of 2003. This association of volunteers has come together with the aim of maintaining existing cattlemen's huts and rebuilding those huts destroyed in the fires. This committed group of individuals represent the majority of Victorians who value the cattlemen's huts of the high country. Their hard work and dedication mirrors that of the cattlemen, who for decades have provided a valuable service to the Victorian community in voluntarily maintaining a network of historically important buildings. Their efforts in doing so have more than once saved lives. In addition to providing shelter, cattlemen's huts are regularly stocked with emergency food supplies and firewood. These life saving supplies do not simply appear out of nowhere - it is the cattlemen of Victoria who supply them. This voluntary service to the Victorian community is indicative of the Cattlemen's responsible use of the Alpine National Park and should be acknowledged as such by the Victorian government.

Maintenance of huts is not the only service that the mountain cattlemen provide to the Victorian community. Members of the cattlemen community also regularly contribute to the management of Alpine National Park assets such as roads and trails, keeping them open for the benefit of other park users, such as bushwalkers. History has repeatedly shown the cattlemen's willingness to assist with search and rescue operations, weed and pest animal control, and fire fighting efforts. In all of these activities, cattlemen are able to employ their invaluable knowledge of the high country environment to assist Park's Victoria and departmental staff in their service to the Victorian community. Their ability to do so relies on their ongoing engagement with the alpine environment. For many park users, the mere presence of the cattlemen in the high country provides a sense of security and comfort.

The services the cattlemen voluntarily provide to Victorian community contribute to the efficiency of land management in the Alpine National Park. As such, they represent a distinct economic benefit to the Victorian government and the state as a whole. The Nationals urge the alpine grazing taskforce to take this and other benefits of alpine grazing into account in their assessment of alpine grazing.

6. The Cultural and Historical Benefits of Alpine Grazing

Alpine Grazing in the Victorian high country is a tradition with a rich history and an unquestionable cultural significance. As newspaper polling and community surveys have demonstrated, numerous Victorians support the continuation of alpine grazing in the Alpine National Park. Many have do so in the recognition that a sustainable level of alpine grazing provides the community with a tangible and continuing link to Australia's past. For these people, the conservation of the significant cultural and historical heritage of Victoria's alpine grazing tradition is of paramount importance.

The preservation of a cultural and historically important tradition will prove to be a definite benefit of any decision to renew alpine grazing licences. This benefit clearly justifies the continuation of a sustainable level of cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park and will be discussed in detail in the following section.

6.1 The living heritage of the alpine grazing tradition

Compared to other parts of the world, Australia is a relatively young nation. Nevertheless, Australia does have a number of historically significant traditions that are both highly valued by the general community and widely regarded as important markers of national identity. From the Royal Flying Doctor's Service and the surf lifesavers of our coasts, to the aboriginal dreaming and the mountain cattlemen of Victoria, Australia can boast many examples of living heritage ? traditions that are valued precisely because they have continued into the present day.

As some aspects of Australian history have vanished from the everyday world into the history books and journals of our time, certain ongoing traditions such as alpine grazing have kept alive aspects of the fascinating and valuable history of our nation. These ongoing traditions provide the community with an immediate and accessible link to Australia's past, and enable the transmission of invaluable cultural knowledge into the future. They are also key to the existence of a sense of shared national identity in Australia. In providing a tangible link to the nation's history, traditions such as alpine grazing contribute to a sense that, as a community, Australians share a heritage that forms the foundation stone of our collective cultural identity.

A brief account of the history of alpine grazing in Victoria's high country, and an analysis of the iconic status of 'the mountain cattleman' in the Australian psyche, can provide some insight into the widespread community support for the continuation of alpine grazing. Both will be provided below.

6.2 Alpine grazing as an important link to Victoria's past

Examination of the historical record of alpine grazing reveals a practice that has continued for some 170 years in the Victorian high plains. Whilst the practice has been modified over the years to reflect knowledge developments and changes in land management priorities, alpine grazing as it occurs today provides an active, ongoing record of some of our nation's most fascinating history.

As early as 1834, cattlemen from the Monaro district of New South Wales arrived in the Omeo area in search of new pasture for their stock (Holth 1980). Between the 1830s and the 1860s, squatters in the Victorian Alps were permitted to establish tenure over areas of crown land in the high country, receiving licences upon application to the government. Nevertheless, initial exploration of the Victorian Alps was gradual, as the unpredictable weather conditions and rough terrain of the mountains regularly made passage through the mountains a difficult task.

The discovery of gold in the vicinity of the Bogong High Plains in the 1850s and 1860s led to further pastoral settlement of the Alps as former miners elected to take up small grazing selections in the region. By the 1850s, summer grazing of sheep and cattle had become widespread in the Victorian Alps.

In the early years of alpine grazing there was little control of stock numbers in the high country. In times of severe drought, Victoria's high country would become home to huge numbers of sheep and cattle, brought to the high country from regions as distant of the Riverina (Bennett 1995). The grazing licences issued by the government held little currency at such times, as other pastoralists joined the cattlemen in their quest to feed their starving stock. Inevitably, this led to competition between graziers for access to areas most valued as quality grazing pasture. In this context, overstocking was often a reality and the alpine environment suffered some damage in the form of soil erosion and vegetation loss. The introduction of the rabbit only exacerbated this damage, causing severe erosion and destruction of some native vegetation in the alpine area (Holth 1980).

This situation was to change in the early 1900s. As a fledgling conservation movement begun to lobby for restrictions to be placed on alpine grazing, the Victorian government and cattlemen community came to an agreement - controls were to limit the extent to which the Alps were grazed. Sheep were excluded from the high country and tighter regulations were introduced to control the numbers of cattle that were taken up to alpine leases. Preliminary measures were also introduced to limit the duration of the summer grazing period.

As official land management strategies have evolved, successive Victorian governments have initiated further withdrawals of cattle from certain defined areas of the high country. An understanding of the current limits that are placed on alpine grazing is crucial to an accurate appreciation of contemporary alpine grazing. The Alpine Grazing Taskforce must recognise that alpine grazing, as it is currently practiced, cannot not pose a threat to the alpine environment as the stocking levels prescribed by alpine grazing licenses are inherently low.

Whilst most cattlemen would concur that stocking levels in the Victorian Alps were excessive in the initial years of alpine grazing, the cattlemen community is now in unanimous agreement that the current stocking levels of alpine leases are sustainable. In fact, after the 170 years in which grazing has occurred in the Victorian high country, the alpine environment is viable and healthy - so much so that the Victorian government has deemed the Victorian Alps as an area suitable to managed as a National Park.

At present only 56 licenses to graze cattle remain in the Alpine National Park. As each of these licences only supports a small number of stock, the total number of cattle in the park is inherently limited. In ecological terms, the numbers of cattle are such they only have a minor influence on the growth of alpine vegetation. Like any animal, cattle taken to the high country will inevitably have an effect on the environment in which they live. However, it is fallacious to portray this impact as a form of permanent damage. A journey to the Victorian high country can clarify this point - throughout the varied landscapes of the Alpine National Park it is indeed a truly difficult task to identify areas that have been significantly and permanently damaged by cattle.

The long history of alpine grazing has seen the mountain cattlemen modify their grazing operations to reflect knowledge developments in the areas of cattle behaviour and environmental change. Whilst stocking levels are much reduced in the contemporary situation, the manner in which the cattlemen conduct their grazing operations preserves many of the traditions that have been passed down through history. When considered in context, the current scope of cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park achieves an excellent balance between the need to preserve the cultural and historical heritage of the park, and the necessity that stocking levels are kept to a level that is ecologically sustainable.

6.3 Protecting the living heritage of Australia

As members of the present generation it is imperative that we respect our nation's historical treasures and continually act to honour and protect them into the future. Our living heritage is the source of pride for many Australians and an important marker of our unique cultural identity. For this reason, the alpine grazing tradition, as an excellent example of living heritage, must be permitted to continue in the Alpine National Park.

Unlike some material relicts of history, living heritage will not survive the test of time when abandoned by its custodians. On the contrary, the survival of the traditional practices that constitute living heritage ultimately requires that cultural knowledge can be passed from one generation to another. Often, this occurs through the collective enactment of traditional practices and customs. For the cattlemen, the continuation of the living heritage of alpine grazing necessitates ongoing access to their alpine lease areas. Without this access, the cattlemen community would lose the ability to teach their sons and daughters the finer detail of the grazing tradition - as the only real means of doing so involves taking novices into the high country and letting them experience the complexity of the cattleman lifestyle first hand.

When historically and culturally important traditions and artefacts are found upon public land, it becomes the task of governments to ensure that they are protected in perpetuity.
As such, it is the responsibility of the current government of Victoria to ensure that the living heritage of the alpine grazing tradition is permitted to remain in the Alpine National Park. This should not represent a significant challenge for the Bracks government; for alpine grazing, at the level at which it currently occurs, is a sustainable and responsible use of the Victorian Alps.

6.4 The heritage value of alpine grazing

It is a common misconception that the heritage values associated with alpine grazing may be retained in the absence of grazing licences. On the contrary, it can be expected that the termination of alpine grazing licences in the Alpine National Park would sound the death knell of the mountain cattlemen tradition. When excluded from their alpine leases, mountain cattlemen lose the ability to convey to their sons and daughters the knowledge required to sustain the alpine grazing tradition. Far from lessons taught in school, it is the ongoing engagement with the alpine environment that has permitted the cattlemen community to transmit vital cultural knowledge through successive generations. The practice of alpine grazing requires a detailed understanding of the alpine landscape, its constantly changing conditions and complex environment. This kind of understanding is only arrived at after years of practice and cannot simply be gleaned from books or the spoken word. It requires that the cattlemen are permitted ongoing access to their leases in the Victorian high country.

For the small number of families who retain grazing licences, the continuation of the alpine grazing tradition is regarded as something of a responsibility. The reality of alpine grazing is not easy - the practice involves a great deal of hard work and has in recent times entailed an ongoing and traumatic battle to retain grazing licences. Nevertheless, the cattlemen of Victoria feel honour-bound to continue a tradition that is supported and valued by so many Victorians. The Nationals believe that the Victorian government should be doing all within their powers to support this community of graziers. At the very least, the current Victorian government should acknowledge the cattlemen's constant efforts to preserve an Australian tradition and immediately renew all alpine grazing licences for a further seven years.

6.5 Alpine grazing as a valued practice

More than just a source of pride for many Australians, our nation's heritage also provides a key marker of cultural and national identity. The alpine grazing tradition is an iconic feature of the Australian story. From the poems of Banjo Patterson to the various films that have been produced about the mountain cattlemen, the tradition has featured strongly in accounts of the archetypical Australian spirit and has come to represent a marker of our shared national identity. The continuation of the grazing tradition in the high country is a source of comfort for many Australians, as it indicates to them that the work ethic, skills base and spirit of adventure of those who built the nation is kept alive in the Victorian high country.

6.6 Knowledge for the future

The continuation of the alpine grazing tradition over the years has enabled the mountain cattlemen community to preserve and build upon a body of knowledge first established by their predecessors, over 170 years ago. This body of knowledge incorporates a valuable understanding of the ecology and geography of the high country landscape, and an appreciation of how successive generations of people have modified the alpine environment in the course of various activities. The existence of such knowledge is beneficial for various reasons explained below.

By virtue of their understanding of the geography of the alpine landscape, the cattlemen are well positioned to assist with search and rescue and fire-fighting efforts in the Alpine National Park and surrounding area. In the past, this has saved many a life in the high country. The renewal of alpine grazing licences will ensure that the cattlemen community can retain a strong presence in the landscape and continue providing assistance to the Victorian community in the event of life-threatening emergencies.

The cattlemen's knowledge of how a history of human use has changed the alpine environment also enables them to pinpoint pest and weed problems, monitor adverse human behaviour and alert authorities to the accumulation of fuel loadings in the bush.

The latter point is of particular relevance to contemporary policymakers. In the wake of the devastating fires of 2003, many people, including the Emergency Services Commissioner of Victoria, Bruce Esplin, recognised the need for land management authorities to place a greater emphasis on the prevention and mitigation of fires through increased fuel reduction burning. Another recommendation of the Esplin report suggested that official agencies responsible for fire management on public land move to ensure that local knowledge is incorporated into tactical and strategic fire management. To comprehensively follow up the accepted recommendations of the Esplin report, the Victorian government should immediately begin consultation with local communities living in the vicinity of the Victorian Alps. There is little doubt that if this were to occur the government and the relevant land management agencies would quickly realise the value of the local knowledge of Victoria's mountain cattlemen.

Many of the cattlemen alive today have an excellent memory of the era in which they were able to conduct controlled burns on their alpine leases. Many others have been long?term volunteers on local CFA brigades. These individuals possess a valuable knowledge of the behaviour of fire in the alpine landscape and a comprehensive understanding of the intrinsic relationship between fuel loadings and fire intensity. In enabling the cattlemen to remain in the high country, the current government would ensure that these individuals will retain a knowledge of the high country that is unparalleled amongst other users and administrators of the Alpine National Park.

The government, Parks Victoria and the emergency services of Victoria stand to benefit greatly from the knowledge of traditional controlled burning practices that is retained to this day by members of the cattlemen community. The Nationals recommend that the current government act immediately to source this valuable knowledge through an ongoing program of consultation, subsequently incorporating it into fire prevention and control strategies.

7. The Benefits of Alpine Grazing to the Alpine Environment

The continuing presence of mountain cattlemen in the Victorian high country is of considerable benefit to the alpine environment. By virtue of their long?term engagement with the high country landscape, the cattlemen of Victoria possess an understanding of the alpine environment that enables them to contribute to the sustainable management of the Alpine National Park in a variety of ways. The Nationals believe that the current government must acknowledge this fact and investigate the option of increasing the involvement of land users such as the mountain cattlemen in programs of conservation and public land management.

The development of a new and inclusive management regime for the Alpine National Park would constitute a far?sighted strategy that could ensure that programs of responsible and active land management are established to preserve the environmental integrity of the Victorian Alps into the future. There is little doubt that the Bracks government would be well rewarded for developing such a strategy, as the majority of Victorians would be likely to support any move to improve current, flawed land management regimes in the Alpine National Park. In the following section, the benefits that alpine grazing bring to the Alpine National Park will be explored, as will the scope for these benefits to be maximised in future programs of alpine land management.

7.1 The cattlemen community as a barometer of environmental change

By virtue of their extensive knowledge of the alpine environment, the cattlemen of Victoria are well positioned to recognise and report incidents of adverse environmental change in the Alpine National Park and surrounding area. Renewal of alpine grazing licences will ensure that the cattlemen community can continue to act as an 'environmental barometer' in the Alpine National Park ? actively monitoring the alpine landscape and reporting any instances of adverse environmental change. The renewal of grazing licences will also ensure that individual cattlemen can continue to work proactively to control pest weeds and animals on their alpine lease areas, whenever they are permitted to do so by the relevant land management authority.

Like any environment, that of the Victorian Alps exists in a natural and constant state of flux. Nevertheless, a long history of human activity in the Alpine National Park has meant that the alpine environment has undergone some changes that contravene the principles of sustainable land management. One such change has been the introduction of pest weed and animal species into the alpine landscape.

7.2 Weeds proliferation in the Alpine National Park

Weeds are emerging as one of the most significant risks to the valuable biodiversity of the Victorian Alps. Indeed, this is supported by the National Weeds Strategy, which has identified weeds as amongst the most serious ongoing threats to primary production and biodiversity conservation in Australia. In Victoria alone, the environmental cost of pest weed and plant species is incalculable. The current extent of the weed problem on public land indicates that government spending on weed control is doing little to prevent the spread of pest plants throughout Victoria. Analysis of this problem reveals that new strategies are immediately required to effectively combat the proliferation of weeds in the Victorian Alps.

Whilst many private land?owners are tackling weeds on the home front, very little is currently being done to prevent the spread of weeds in Victoria's National Parks. For many people, this is the cause for considerable alarm. Indeed, for some time now, the spread of weeds within the Alpine National Park has been the focus of considerable concern within the cattlemen community. History has regularly seen members of this community take an active role in fighting weeds in the Victorian Alps.

By virtue of their long?term engagement with the alpine environment, the cattlemen are adept at recognising the proliferation of pest plant communities in the high country, and are well placed to assist in their control and eradication. The immediate renewal of alpine grazing licences will ensure that the cattlemen can remain in the alpine environment as a frontline defence against the serious problem of weed proliferation in the Alpine National Park.

7.3 Feral animals in the Alpine National Park

Just as they are adept at recognising weeds, the cattlemen of Victoria are also well attuned to the signs of pest animals in the alpine landscape. In the last century, pest animals have emerged to become a serious threat to the biodiversity of the alpine landscape. Indeed, the proliferation of wild dog numbers in the Alpine National Park has recently attracted a considerable amount of public attention, as local communities have reacted with horror at the wholesale destruction of domestic animals and native fauna by these feral creatures.

From the extent of the wild dog problem in the alpine area it is clear that the current efforts to control the problem are having little effect. Without an immediate rethink of strategy, the government and public of Victoria will be left watching from the sidelines as feral dogs continue their wholesale slaughter of native and domestic animal populations.

If licensed to assist parks staff in efforts to eradicate pest animals, the mountain cattlemen community could become Parks Victoria's most valuable asset in the battle to stem the proliferation of feral animals in the Alpine National Park. However, for this to occur, the ongoing presence of the cattlemen in the alpine landscape will need to be protected in perpetuity. In the short term, this necessitates the immediate renewal of alpine grazing licences for a further seven years.

7.4 The risk of fire in the Alpine National Park

Since 1989 and the transition to national park's management, fire regimes have been altered markedly in the alpine environment. During this time, the mountain cattlemen, along with members of local communities in the alpine area and other users of the Alpine National Park, have become increasingly vocal about the need for increased fuel reduction burning within the alpine area. For the cattlemen, the increased risk of a massively destructive fire that has been created by reduced fuel reduction has been obvious for over a decade.

Attuned to change within the alpine environment, Victoria's cattlemen could easily identify the accumulation of fuel loadings in the lead up to last year's fires. Indeed, over the past decade, members of the cattlemen community have often been the most vocal advocates of the need for increased fuel reduction in the Victorian Alps. Their awareness of the risk of extreme fires is clearly the consequence of their ongoing engagement with the alpine environment.

Many of the older members of the cattlemen community possess a comprehensive knowledge of the fire ecology of the alpine area, having spent a great deal of time engaged in seasonal fuel reduction burning in the alps. Many cattlemen have also gained considerable experience in combating fires as committed members of CFA brigades. For these individuals, the accumulation of fuel loadings in the Alpine National Park was an overwhelming concern and source of anxiety. Sadly, last years massively destructive fires only justified this concern, as they swept through the Alpine National Park destroying all within their wake.

Perhaps the biggest tragedy of the 2003 fires was the utter lack of attention that was paid to local concerns prior to the fires. Representatives of Victorian government and Park's Victoria should accept full responsibility for this failure and be more attentive to local concerns about the accumulation of fuel loadings in the Alpine National Park in the future. In the spirit of learning from their mistakes, both the government and Parks Victoria must now follow a key recommendation of the Esplin inquiry and put in place strategies to incorporate local knowledge into programs of fire mitigation and prevention.

One valuable source of local knowledge will inevitably be the cattlemen community. Many cattlemen retain their knowledge of traditional controlled burning in the alpine area and possess a willingness to assist contemporary land management agencies in their efforts to conduct fuel reduction programs in the Alps. Renewal of alpine licences will now ensure that the cattlemen can continue their service to the Victorian community in monitoring the accumulation of fuel loadings in the alpine environment and will permit them to provide ongoing assistance in the design and execution of programs of fuel reduction burning in the Victorian Alps.

7.5 The unsuitability of wilderness style management in the Alpine National Park

At present, the limited human and financial resources of Parks Victoria and the Department of Environment and Sustainability appears to mitigate their capability to execute effective programs of fuel reduction and pest weed and plant control in the Alpine National Park. This reflects a broader situation across Victoria, in which community concerns are increasingly drawing attention to the significant shortfalls of public land management regimes.

In the alpine region, community concerns about land management practices in the Alpine National Park have been evident for some time. Indeed, the palpable sense of fear that has long been evident in alpine communities has only intensified in the past year, as people have come to terms with the destruction wrought by the 2003 fires. Residents of these communities contend that contemporary management regimes in the Alpine National Park are failing to control endemic pest plant and animal populations and the risk of fire brought about by the unchecked growth of fuel loads. These individuals are not alone in their concerns. Scientists and policy advisers are now also joining the call for altered land management regimes in the wake of the destructive fires, contending that immediate human intervention in the alpine environment is not only justifiable, but a vital necessity if we are to prevent further holocaust fires from destroying vast tracts of native flora and fauna.

The Nationals share with the Victorian community many of their concerns about the current state of public lands across the state. The party recognises that in announcing a review of alpine grazing licences in the Alpine National Park, the current government has created an excellent opportunity to review current land management in the Victorian Alps. Part of the problem with the existing model of land management in the Alpine National Park is brought about by the misconception that the Victorian Alps can be acceptably be managed as 'wilderness'.

In the late 1970's and 1980's, a wave of environmental fervour spread throughout Australia and the industrialised world. The massive popularity of the environmental movement since this time reflects widespread community concerns about the changes that have occurred in natural environments as a result of human action. While it may be characterised by good intentions, the environmental movement of the past has often been fuelled by ideological notions and has frequently failed to grasp the inherent complexity of environmental issues as a consequence. In Australia, the trend towards the wilderness management of National Parks may be seen as a product of a well?intended desire to preserve our nation's natural heritage in perpetuity.

However, as people have come to terms with the consequences of wilderness management, there has been a gradual shift away from the guiding principles of such models of management. Increasingly, the principles of active management are coming into favour amongst policymakers and informed conservationists (Russell and Jambrecina 2002). The current management of the Alpine National Park provides an insight into why this shift is occurring.

Wilderness management is only suited to environments that have remained relatively free of human intervention throughout history. In the contemporary world, such environments are few, and generally exist at the final frontiers of human habitation - such as the polar extremes of the earth. Areas such as the Alpine National Park have been subject to human intervention for centuries. From aboriginal inhabitation of the Bogong High Plains to the subsequent mining operations, hydroelectricity schemes, intensive tourism use and alpine grazing of the Victorian Alps, the area currently managed as the Alpine National Park has a long history of human intervention. With this human intervention has come many changes to the ecological balance of the alpine environment. Native populations of flora and fauna have changed, fire regimes have been altered and foreign species have been introduced. With continued human management of the environment, none of these factors need represent a severe threat to the biodiversity of the alpine area. However, with the introduction of Wilderness management in areas of the national park, factors such as pest weeds and plants have been permitted to escalate beyond control to become the severe and concerning environmental issues that now pose a threat to the biodiversity of the Victorian Alps.

It is naive and irresponsible of the Victorian government to presume that large areas of the Victorian Alps can be simply locked up and left alone. These areas require active management to ensure that the problems that have already been created by human intervention do not threaten the biodiversity and natural values of the Alps. Wilderness management must now be abandoned as a guiding principle of National Park's operations. Instead the Victorian government must move to create new models of public land management that can secure the sustainable management of the Alpine National Park into the future.

7.6 Future Options for land management in the Alpine National Park

The need for coordinated and integrating approaches to natural resource management is increasingly being recognised by a number of commentators (Downs et. al., Martin and Lockie 1993). In Victoria, where a large amount of public land is currently managed as national parks and reserves, the need for novel approaches to natural resource management is significant. Clearly, the current combined resources of Parks Victoria and the DSE are insufficient to permit the active and sustainable management of the Alpine National Park and surrounding area. Unacceptably high fuel loadings, pest animals and weeds are just some of the problems that now threaten the biodiversity of the Victorian Alps. A comprehensive solution to these problems is now required.
Inclusive and participatory land management regimes offer a way forward for the agencies entrusted with the task of managing public land. These progressive models of land management would involve the active recruitment of different stakeholder groups to common projects of public land management. In adopting a novel and inclusive style of management in the Alpine National Park, the government could ensure that the considerable concern and motivation of land?using communities is harnessed and subsequently directed to positive ends in efforts to ensure the long?term viability of the Alpine National Park.

Under an inclusive model of natural resource management, individuals would be invited to contribute in different ways to the active management of Victoria's natural resources. Whether their role is to provide information to land management agencies, or to provide hands on, ground level assistance to agency staff, all Victorians stand to offer something to the task of actively managing our National Parks and reserves. The Victorian government should be proactive in encouraging public involvement in all aspects of the management of public parks and reserves.

An example of inclusive natural resource management that has proved successful is provided by the total catchment management (TCM) approach that has been implemented in the Hunter Valley in NSW (Martin and Lockie 1993). In this approach, catchment managers have successfully provided a framework for the community consultation and have actively developed cooperative projects that have brought various stakeholders together to improve catchment management practices. In the Alpine National Park, a similar approach could see a range of groups with an ongoing interest in the welfare of the alpine environment, brought together in constructive programs of active natural resource management.

In bringing together and facilitating effective communication between different stakeholder groups in the Alpine National Park, the Victorian government could achieve a host of positive outcomes. For example, the instigation of greater dialogue between different stakeholder groups could encourage a greater understanding and tolerance of alpine grazing amongst those who have long remained ideologically opposed to the practice. Increased stakeholder communication could also foster greater cooperation between the different sectors of the Victorian community that desire the conservation of the significant natural and cultural heritage of the Victorian Alps. Ultimately, this could see these people become a united front in the effort to actively manage the natural environment of the Victorian alpine region. The government should support the development of novel and inclusive management plans for National Parks. As such, the government should give due consideration to the joint management plan that has been developed by the Mountain Cattlemen's Association of Victoria (MCAV).

8. The impacts of cattle grazing in the Alpine National Park

The impact of cattle in the Alpine National Park is remarkably minor and can in no way justify the removal of cattle from the Alpine National Park.

Any human activity within a particular environment will inevitably have an impact on that environment. Within the Alpine National Park, a great number of human activities stand to generate an impact on alpine ecology. Be they bushwalking or four-wheel driving, all visitors to the Alpine National Park will have some kind of effect on the alpine environment.

When formulating sound land management policy, it is the role of governments and decision?makers to distinguish the degree to which different activities will have an impact on the natural environment. When an impact is minimal and non-cumulative, the activity may be regarded as sustainable. However, when the impact of an activity is cumulative and leads to the ongoing degradation of the natural environment, the activity may be regarded as unsustainable detrimental to the natural environment. In relation to alpine grazing, this distinction is critical.

Alpine grazing, when managed effectively, fits unquestionably into the category of a sustainable practice. While the practice inevitably does have an impact on the alpine environment, this impact can in no way be accurately construed as damage - for alpine grazing, when managed effectively, does not result in cumulative damage to the ecology of the Victorian Alps.

Scientific evidence frequently cited by lobby groups such as the VNPA indicates that domestic cattle have an 'impact on both the structure and composition of subalpine grassland and heathland vegetation' (Wahren et.al 1994). The cattlemen of Victoria do not deny that cattle have an impact on the alpine environment. What the cattlemen strenuously object to is the repeated interpretation of these impacts as signs of damage to the alpine environment.

The Nationals, like the cattlemen, recognise that some lobby groups allow their ideological opposition to alpine grazing to influence their interpretation of the available data about the ecological effects of cattle in the high country. As such, the Nationals call on the Government to exercise caution when considering the ideologically loaded arguments of extreme environmental lobbyists. While these lobbyists have maintained a consistent opposition to alpine grazing for some years now, they have failed to provide any realistic and informed alternative land management scenarios for the Victorian Alps. This speaks volumes about the commitment of such groups to the active and sustainable management of the Alpine National Park.

9. Conclusion

The pest animal and plant problems and insufficiently managed fire risks of the Alpine National Park necessitate the immediate reappraisal of public land stewardship in the Victorian Alps. An attractive future option for park's management would consist of the development of an inclusive land management regime capable of bringing various motivated stakeholders together in cooperative efforts to actively manage the land and waterways of the Alpine National Park. The cattlemen community would be a true asset to such a regime, as their prolonged interaction with the Victorian Alps has endowed them with an intimate understanding of the alpine environment and an acute sensitivity to adverse environmental change within that environment.

The Nationals recognise that the immediate renewal of alpine grazing licences will ensure that in the future, government departments and agencies will continue to be able to draw on the considerable knowledge and insight of the cattlemen community. In the absence of grazing licences, the valuable presence of cattlemen will be lost from the high country landscape for good. This would be a loss mourned by the many Victorians who value the ongoing presence of the mountain cattlemen in the Alpine National Park.

11. Sources cited in the Submission

Holth, Tor., (1980) Cattlemen of the High Country Rigby Publishers Ltd, Sydney

Martin, P., & Lockie, S., (1993) 'Environmental information for total catchment management: Incorporating local knowledge' in Australian Geographer 24 (1) pp 75 - 85

Russell, J., & Jambrecina., (2002) 'Wilderness and cultural landscapes: Shifting management emphasis in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area' in Australian Geographer 33 (2) pp 125-139

Wahren, C-H.A., Papst, W.A., and Williams, R.J., (1994) 'Long-term vegetation change in relation to Cattle Grazing in Subalpine Grassland and Heathland on the Bogong High Plains: An Analysis of Vegetation Records from 1945 to 1994' in The Australian Journal of Botany 42 (6) pp 607 - 639.