Alternative methods of public land management that classify the land user or the activity rather than the land should be researched because the current process of setting aside land into parks and reserves has unnecessarily added to the polarisation of community opinions.
The PLCV considers that current methods of public land management which involve setting aside land into parks and reserves has unnecessarily added to the polarisation of community opinions. An alternative method of land management needs to be developed.
Opinion is polarised
The PLCV considers that the classification of land into 19 levels of parks, reserves and forests has unnecessarily exacerbated the polarisation of public opinion. Indeed, the LCC often notes that land use issues are "often distinguished by ... polarisation of opinion ...".
In effect, the LCC recommends the allocation of land to various interest groups. Put simply, environmental lobby groups receive their (political) allocation as National Parks, whereas the public land user groups (hunters, miners, four-wheel-drivers etc.) receive their (political) allocation as State Forests.
This "cartographic land allocation process" exacerbates the conflict and arguments as one side or the other claim that it has been allocated less than its fair share.
The "cartographic land allocation process" is unsustainable because it depends on political decisions that create continuing uncertainty and produces winners and losers.
The LCC itself has acknowledged that, "Ultimately, the decisions that must be made are political and the decisions to be made are about competing values and interests". Given that the only certainty in politics is change, it follows that land use decisions, which are based on political decisions, will change with the political winds. Therefore, those who lost in earlier decisions will always seek to have those adverse decisions reviewed at a later date, when the political winds tend more in their favour.
Increasing levels of environmental responsibility are ignored
Over the past decade, the community of people who want access to public land has become more aware of the need to be sensitive towards the environment and have markedly improved their methods and activities. Sometimes this has been due to the availability of improved technology. On the wider canvas, young people imbued with the recent pro-conservation culture are moving into jobs and are hastening on the new era of more environmentally aware commercial and recreational activity.
The cartographic land allocation process, which involves the imposition of lines on maps, can not accommodate changes in the attitudes of people and companies accessing public land.
The loss of access
Australians have almost always had relatively free access to public land. However, since the 1970's access to public land has been almost halved.
Alternative land management regimes
It should be possible to develop a land management regime that is more widely acceptable and less reliant on arbitrary decisions at the political level. There should also be ways to manage and protect Victoria's public land without creating such clear winners and losers.
If the size and visibility of the wins and losses can be reduced, the losers are less likely to seek to have decisions reviewed at a later date, in a more favourable political climate.
We need to have a land management regime that:
Alternative land management mechanisms
Alternatives to classifying the land are discussed below:
(a) Performance based approach
The LCC's recent Marine and Coastal Descriptive Report described a system which uses a performance-based approach to management by stating that a wide range of uses could be permitted subject to performance standards, codes of conduct, guidelines and management plans.
(b) Classify the land user rather than the land
"A grade" land users could, because of their record and commitment to the environment, be granted access to all public land in Victoria. On the other hand the land user with no grading could be confined to areas where there are no special conservation values. (This might be more applicable to companies rather than individuals.)
(c) Access for controlled numbers
The number of people using an area could be limited.
(d) Access for controlled periods of time
Activities could be permitted for specific periods of time. The length of time might be a season. Alternatively, potentially conflicting users could be allocated different time for access. Time is already used to regulate activities such as four wheel driving and recreational deer hunting.
(e) Conditional access
It should be possible to allow access for a range of activities to parts of public land that would be "conditional" upon circumstances related to the land. (Activity not permitted during drought or flood. Activity permitted after seeding, or flowering etc.)
For comment or further information E-mail: barker@vicnet.net.au
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