Little Desert National Park - Annotated Bibliography Example

Name Date Tutor Little Desert National Park Introduction Ref: Howard, T.M. 1974, Little Desert, WesternVictoria Vegetation Survey, Report prepared for the Fisheries and Wildlife Department, Melbourne The Little Desert National Park is found in Wimmera in Victoria in Australia. It runs all the way from Wimmera River in the Eastern part to the South western border of Australia. It is located about 375 km from Melbourne towards the West side. The park is a conservation site that hosts several species of flora and fauna even it is predominantly sandy. It is a major tourist destination in Victoria State and its management is done by Parks Victoria. The economic activities in the area are keeping sheep and cattle and growing of cereals and legumes. Light industry and other businesses are situated in Horsham, Dimboola, Natimuk, Goroke, Nhill and Kaniva. HISTORY •     History of National Park The establishment of this park was done in the 1960s. this was prompted by the action of the State government of Victoria to subdivide crown land of the size of about 80, 000 hectares in that area for the purposes of farming. The area where the park sits at that time had a lot of endangered species of various plants and animals with a big section of Mallee Bush land that had not been exploited. The little desert has sandy soils that cannot support agriculture because of their low nutrient content and poor water retention capacity. Farming in the desert could therefore not be successful until the 1940s when a discovery was made that proved that there was a lack of essential nutrients like copper, molybdenum and zinc. In the 1950s and 60s, studies by the Victorian government proved that the area may not be agriculturally productive even if fertilizers were applied to it. It was therefore futile to try to clear the place for farming; (Frood, D. &Calder, M 1987). To add on that there was a lot of opposition locally on the proposition of selling off the land for agricultural purposes. This opposition received a lot of support in the whole of Victoria. At first environmental issues and issues could not convince the Bolte government to do what the people were asking for. Due to public outcry the minister responsible for the intended subdivision of the land lost his sit when a by election was held during those times. The conservation council of Victoria was formed from the conservation movement of Victoria at that time as a result of the debate on the little desert. The conservative Victorian government was being compelled to adopt policies favoring environmental conservation. In this there was the establishment of the Land Conservation Council that would review the use of public land in the future all over the state. The Land Conservation Council was created by William Borthwick who had been appointed to the Ministry of Lands, Conservation and Soldier Settlement. He supported the preservation of the Little Desert as a reserve. With the passing of time it was made a National Park. This started with the third in the eastern part in 1986. In 1986, the Land Conservation Council did full investigations into the region which prompted the inclusion of two more sections in the western part. This went all the way to the Australian border on the south including all sandy regions. •     History of Little Desert Lodge The Lodge was started in the 1970s probably by accident. Raymond Whimpey Reichelt got an eye injury while on duty in a garage in 1969 July. He went home on a break of two months. While at home Whimpey was taking reports from the radio on the issue of the government taking the Desert for purposes of Agriculture. However, Whimpey believed that the place was unsuitable for agriculture and it was unique and only meant for another purpose. He vowed to protect the desert and with the help of others he sold the idea to more people; (Frood, D. &Calder, M 1987). Maureen Reichelt and Whimpey purchased a vehicle called ‘Bertha’. It was a four wheel drive and of course their very first one towards the end of that year. In 1970 they received a Tour license from the Transport Regulations Board. They started by escorting their relatives during the holidays and weekends on very new tracks. This was the beginning of Little Desert Tours. It grew very fast and by 1973 they had four vehicles that could carry around 93 people in Easter. About 1977 the Little Desert Lodge opened its doors. It began as an educational center just near the National Park of today. It was built on free hold land. Inspections of the Lodge and its environs by officials and politicians made the Lodge receive a wildlife shelter permit. A program for environmental studies was started by Maureen and Whimpey to carter for the needs of all kinds of people. Around 1987 the Lodge got its present shape brought about by extensions made on the conference and accommodation facilities; (Frood, D. &Calder, M 1987). THREATS Ref: Frood, D. & Calder, M. 1987, Nature Conservation in Victoria - Study Report, Victorian National Parks Association,Melbourne. •     Grazing This destruction of vegetation through grazing makes pest plants to come up. Many native plants are disturbed or killed by browsers and grazers. The capacity to regenerate for some of them is low making some native species to disappear. Grazing is done in the area for sheep and cattle kept by the people neighboring the park. It presents the threat of competition for food between domestic animals and the wild species. •       Human Impact Collection of firewood destroys ground vegetation thus helping pest plants to flourish. Vegetation is also disturbed by activities like relocation, maintenance and repair of tracks. Species destroyed by track relocation may not grow again on the old tracks. Some parts like Horseshoe, Big Bends, Ackle, Crow Hurst Flat and Dago need efforts to promote vegetation regeneration. Vehicles are damaging the area at Ackle Bends and Horseshoe. There is isolation facing the area resulting from the clearance of indigenous vegetation in the adjacent lands. This may affect the animals especially when trees with hollows in them are destroyed; (Frood, D. &Calder, M 1987). •     Fire. Fire may be classified as a necessity in any ecological system but it has its negative effects. The diversity and richness of the species of plants in the park is determined by the frequency of fire, the season it comes and its intensity. Some plant species are disturbed by the fire and can only flourish when the fire takes long intervals to come. In cases where some species are rare or found only in a small area then the regime of fire should be greatly considered. Some animal species need a particular regime of fire for them to survive. There is a long fire record in the park. In 1989 a wild fire occurred, destroying 7 200 hectares within the central and western blocks. In 1987 another one occurred in the central block destroying about 1500 hectares. •       Land degradation. Ref: (Wimmera Catchment Co-ordinating Group 1992); Wimmera River IntegratedCatchment Management Strategy - FinalReport, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Victoria; (1992) Destruction of land in the park is mostly caused by human interference. Soil erosion and destruction of vegetation and soil structure is caused by moving vehicles, renovation of tracks and other activities like collection of firewood. Land degradation interferes with the growth of ground vegetation and may even cause their disappearance. Soil erosion is evident along the river due the destruction of vegetation through burning, slashing and off road vehicles driven there. Soil erosion is also called by plenty of vegetation in the water and tracks located on the banks; (Wimmera Catchment Co-ordinating Group 1992). •       Noxious and environmental weeds Ref: DCE 1991b, Weed Control Strategy, HorshamRegion, Department of Conservation and Environment, Victoria (unpub.). Borneseed, Horehound and Stinkwort are clasiified as the major novious weeds that are present in the area. Stinkwort and Horehound occur mainly in places with clay soils especially close to the river and in places with a history of ground surface disturbance. These places are likely to have clay flats. Boneseed occurs in most cases in those places dominated by Yellow Gum species and next to the river. It is also common in the whole desert area even where soil has not been disturbed. Slender Thistle, Spear Thistle, Soldier Thistle, African daisy, Peterson’s curse and Saffron Thistle found in the area are also classified as noxious weeds. In order for the values of conservation to be maintained it is crucial for the control of these weeds to be carried out continuously. African daisy and Boneseed still appear in isolated patches. Their control needs start with the patches before they spread further; (DCE 1991 b). Environmental weeds are not noxious but can have great impacts on the conservation values of the park. Ana example of an environmental weed is the Perennial Veldt Grass, which was formerly used in the stabilization of sand dunes. It grows well on soils that are poor in nutrients and has a high ability to eliminate native species of plants even in big areas. It thrives well due to the disturbance of native flora through burning or otherwise. There are several other annual weeds in the park. Hares are found in the boundary sections as opposed to foxes which can be found throughout the park. They are suspected to be contributing to the reduction in number of the Mallefowl. Goats are found staying in groups of 20 in the park. They eat indigenous plants causing them not to regenerate. Their potential to breed is high meaning control should be done early. The western block has many feral cat populations. Cats predate on the silky mouse and the Mallefowl resulting in the decline of these species. Sheep occur both in the central and western bocks. They also feed on and limit the growth of indigenous plants. Yellow gum and river red gum trees host the feral European Honey bees. They occupy the hollows formerly used by native animals as nests; (DCE 1991 b). • Introduced pest fauna Ref: DCE 1991d, Pest Animal Management Strategy, Horsham Region, Department of Conservation and Environment, Victoria Pest animals account for about 15 species of all the species of animals found in the park. They are spread all over and they operate by competing with the native species where they fight to lower the distribution and population of indigenous species. They thrive well because of the man made water points created in the area. Rabbits are common near the river and on the boundary of the park with private land. They graze selectively and in the process destroy many indigenous plant species. NRE has an obligation of controlling the established, controlled, prohibited and the regulated pest animals. For pests like rabbits to be controlled effectively adjacent owners of land need to team up with NRE to launch a combined effort. Controlling pest animals is done by fumigation of warrens because it does not have a big impact on the values of conservation; (DCE 1991d). INFLUENCE/SIGNIFICANCE •       Stakeholders Volunteer groups operate under the umbrella of the Victorian National Parks association. They take part in park projects that would have otherwise been abandoned due to lack of funds. The Friends of Little Desert National Park has members from Melbourne and Victoria. It is involved in the removals weeds, collection of rubbish among other things. •       Aboriginal Culture Ref: Aboriginal Sites in the Horsham Region (unpub.) Bird, C.F.M. 1990 Aborigine Wergaia tribe lived in that area when the Europeans came. Their settlement was dictated by the presence of fresh water sites like swamps and lakes near the Wimmera river because of ready water sources and abundant food. There is little knowledge on the distribution of cultural sites in the place except along the river. Many sites are found within the red and yellow gum trees along the river. A study of Aboriginal culture was done along Wimmera River. Away from Wimmera River the occurrence of cultural sites is highly clustered and occurs in patches; (Bird, C.F.M. 1987). The area has a conflict since recreation by visitors is threatening to take it up from conservationists. Many sites have been destroyed by people who are not aware of their presence or importance. Cultural sites comprise of surface scatters, mounds, scarred trees, rock out crops, water holes and Middens. Scarred trees occur in Black Box and Red Gum communities where there are frequent fires and people collecting firewood. Midden sites are threatened by camping and picnics, vehicle tracks and increased bank erosion on the river; (Bird, C.F.M. 1990). CLIMATE •       Average temperature for “Dates from Monday 4th October to Friday 8th October 2010 Available at: (http://www.theaustralianweatherforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=687&start=100). Between 4th and 8th of October 2010 the average temperature for Little Desert National Park was 15 degrees centigrade. This the average temperature obtained for the 4 days in between those dates. •       Average rainfall Available Athttp://www.theaustralianweatherforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=687&start=100 Average rainfall for the period between 4th and 8th October was 67 mm. This was the average for those 4 days. FIRE Ref: Department of Primary Industries and Energy1990, Public Land Fire Management, Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra. •       Effects on National Park Fire plays a positive role in the perpetuation of many species of plants in the park. However its negative effects are also felt in places where rare plant species exist. Native rare plants that have been weakened in the past by other factors face a threat of extinction. This means there is gradual reduction in the biodiversity of the park. Positively it may cause the renewal and regeneration of some plant species but also some may die completely; (Department of Primary Industries and Energy1990). •       Impact of fires on Flora and Fauna Many communities of vegetation need fire in their growth. Wild fires, burning and the techniques of suppression of wildlife normally change the structure and makeup of flora and fauna in the park. Most plants are revitalized by the fire but some weak ones are killed. Animals especially the slow and small ones are killed by fire. The grazers and browsers enjoy when new vegetation sprouts after the fire; (Department of Primary Industries and Energy1990). How often are Fires in both the Lodge Block and Whimpey’s Block of the National Park? Fires are frequent in both the blocks during warm, dry sunny spring and winter each year. At this time the grass is dead and a lot of fuel is dry and available. Fire comes every spring and summer due to the high pressure in Southern Australia causing heavy South east to Northeast winds which boost fires in the whole of southern Australia; (Department of Primary Industries and Energy1990). Work Cited Frood, D. & Calder, M.,Nature Conservation in Victoria - Study Report, 1987.Victorian National Parks Association, Melbourne. Department of Primary Industries and Energy1990, Public Land Fire Management, Australian Government Publishing Service,Canberra. Aboriginal Sites in the Horsham Region (unpub.) Bird, C.F.M. 1990 DCE 1991b, Weed Control Strategy, HorshamRegion, Department of Conservation and Environment, Victoria (unpub.). Bird, C.F.M. 1987, Mount Talbot 1.Archaeological Excavation of an Aboriginal Rockshelter in Western Victoria, A Report to the Victorian Archaeological Survey (unpub.). DCE 1991d, Pest Animal Management Strategy, Horsham Region, Department of Conservation and Environment, Victoria (unpub.). Howard, T.M. 1974, Little Desert, WesternVictoria Vegetation Survey, Report prepared for the Fisheries and Wildlife Department, Melbourne (unpub.). Little Desert national park management plan; National Parks service; Department of natural resources and environment Victoria; June 1996 Wimmera Catchment Co-ordinating Group; Wimmera River IntegratedCatchment Management Strategy - FinalReport, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Victoria; (1992) CNR 1995b, Threatened Fauna in Victoria -1995, Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Victoria Read More