Working together for generations to come: two draft joint management plans out for public comment
Two Joint Management Plans for Central Australia are now out for public comment. This is an opportunity for the community to have their say on the future management of these Reserves.
It's been a busy year for the planning team as we worked together with Traditional Owners to prepare two draft joint management plans for Central Australia. Mac Clark (Acacia peuce) Conservation Reserve is a well-known and loved destination for those interested in rare plant species, cultural sites and local history. Located close to Alice Springs is the lesser known but equally significant Kuyunba Conservation Reserve, a culturally significant men's sacred site.
Both reserves will benefit from joint management and a strong working partnership going forward. The plans will cement joint management governance, park management and conservation.
The public now has an opportunity to comment on the two draft plans for these reserves.
Mac Clark (Acacia peuce) Conservation Reserve
Located 294 kilometres south of Alice Springs, this remote Reserve lies on a stony wind-swept plain. The Reserve lies within the rich cultural landscape of Lower Southern Arrernte country. The Reserve and the surrounding lands are known as Akerre country. The estate group with primary responsibility for the Reserve are also known as the Akerre or Andado people. The site is home to Acacia peuce or Irrkep [IL-KUP], one of the rarest and most striking trees growing in the Australian arid zone.
The draft plan for Mac Clark (Acacia peuce) Conservation Reserve is the Reserve's first Joint Management Plan. Lower Southern Arrernte, Eastern Arrernte and Central Arrernte representatives, together with Parks and Wildlife and Central Land Council staff, were involved in the plans preparation. This involved a series of participatory planning meetings with many hours of discussion held out on country and in the office, resulting in the draft plan.
As part of the name suggests, the Reserve was established to protect the Acacia peuce species. Growing up to 17 metres in height, this slow growing lofty tree can be found clustered in several stands within the Reserve as well as across the surrounding land. The species is only found in 2 other locations, near Boulia and Birdsville in Queensland on the fringe of the Simpson Desert.
The Traditional Owners' social, cultural, and spiritual connections are embedded within the land. Traditional ecological knowledge is held and maintained in traditional practices that are passed on to younger generations. The Reserve is rich with Aboriginal artefacts and there are several important stories that are told about the site.
'That stem its strong, growing tall, [the] branches are all of us growing strong one way together' – Akerre Traditional Owner.
Since 1979 the Reserve's population of Acacia peuce has been the subject of a long-term research and monitoring program. The program provides valuable information on the conditions necessary for the survival of this significant species.
In 2022, Acacia peuce was the subject of an episode of the ABC Catalyst television program - Australia's Favourite Tree. The species was dubbed 'Australia's Loneliest Tree'. 'The Acacia peuce, or waddy-wood, is described as 'lonely' because it grows far from other trees in the deserts of the Northern Territory and Queensland.' - ABC Catalyst.
The species is listed as 'vulnerable' under the Commonwealth's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and as 'endangered' under the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976. The Reserve provides an opportunity to see an unusual natural phenomenon and the research and conservation efforts required to ensure the species' survival.
Kuyunba Conservation Reserve
Kuyunba Conservation Reserve is a short 15 kilometre drive south-west of Alice Springs. The secluded Reserve covers an area of 647 hectares and is largely a registered sacred site restricted to initiated Aboriginal men. The Reserve is an example of Parks and Wildlife's commitment to the preservation of the Northern Territory's rich and diverse Aboriginal culture. While visitors can access the Reserve, at the request of the Traditional Owners visitation is not actively promoted.
The draft Joint Management Plan for Kuyunba Conservation Reserve is the result of many hours of consultation and planning. Key contributors include the Traditional Owners, the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority, the Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap and the public of Alice Springs.
Planning for joint management of the Reserve started with a meeting of Traditional Owners and Parks and Wildlife staff at Kuyunba Conservation Reserve in June 2022. A planning team of Traditional Owners, Parks and Wildlife staff and Central Land Council staff was formed and together they drafted the plan. In March 2023, the draft plan was reviewed and approved for public comment by a full meeting of Traditional Owners.
The Reserve protects a sacred site, considerable archaeological material and galleries of rock paintings significant to the Eastern and Central Arrernte people. The area is associated with the Plum Tree Dreaming and contains important ceremonial and mythological sites associated with the plum tree totem. It is known as 'the place of uninitiated men'.
'We call Pine Gap [Qu-na-ben] and Ampetyane country is all around' – Kuyunba Traditional Owner.
Traditional ecological knowledge is preserved through traditional practices and passed on from generation to generation. There is great potential for this knowledge to contribute to park management, particularly fire management.
Large stands of white cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla) and mulga (Acacia aneura) contribute to the Reserve's conservation values. These species inhabit the Reserve's rocky slopes and valleys, which help to protect the trees from fire.
The Reserve contains a diversity of native animals, largely due to the variety of habitats that are present. This includes 2 threatened species, the grey falcon (Falco hypoleucos), which is listed as vulnerable under both the Territory Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act 1976 and federal Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and the Central Australian rock-wallaby (Petrogale lateralis centralis), which is listed as vulnerable under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
You can download copies of the draft joint management plans at:
https://depws.nt.gov.au/consultation-publications/plans-open-comment
Or inspect copies at:
Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security, Tom Hare Building AZRI, South Stuart Highway, Alice Springs.
Send written submissions to:
Park Development and Strategic Projects
Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security
PO Box 1120 Alice Springs NT 0871
Or email to:
parkplanning@nt.gov.au
Comments close on 4pm Monday 15 April 2024.
