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About the Strategy
The Draft Plan of Management for Kosciuszko National Park provides for the development of a human waste management strategy for the Main Range Management Unit. In summary, the Plan requires the Strategy to address: - best practice human waste management;
- the adequacy of existing toilet facilities;
- the provision of visitor information;
- appropriate waste management in the Main Range;
- a carry-out human waste disposal system for backcountry areas not serviced with toilets.
While the Strategy is an element of the new Draft Plan of Management, concerns regarding human waste management in the Main Range are longstanding. This draft Strategy aims to present a comprehensive review of existing issues and available options, and a coordinated set of solutions for the Main Range Management Unit.
The significance of the Main Range
The Main Range contains the most significant values of one of the most significant national parks in the world. The Unit is made up largely of alpine environments, and features Australia’s highest mountain, Mount Kosciuszko. It contains internationally significant physical and biological values, including glacial and periglacial landforms, threatened and alpine endemic flora and fauna, rare and endangered ecosystems and structurally unusual treeline formations. The spectacular glacial features and rolling alpine landscape of the Main Range have exceptionally high social value, expressed through increasingly high levels of visitation and recreational activity.
Recreation use
Summer visitation has increased dramatically, with a three-fold increase since 1982. During summer, over 1,500 people may visit the Main Range each day, mainly along the major routes via Thredbo or Charlotte Pass. Family groups are common, and most visitors stay for less than half a day. Popular summer activities include short and long walks (78.8% of visitors), sightseeing (11.6%), mountain biking (3.2%) and camping (1.9%). Winter use tends to be more dispersed than summer as skiers are less constrained by vegetation and the location of tracks. The main access points are Thredbo chairlift top station, Guthega Village and Guthega Power Station. Mount Kosciuszko is one of the most popular backcountry skiing destinations in the park. Camping in winter is centered on the huts and protected backcountry valleys.
Recreation settings
The Draft Plan of Management identifies the following four recreation settings: - major gateway or ‘grandstand’ sites (Charlotte Pass, Thredbo Chairlift);
- major walking tracks (Charlotte Pass - Thredbo Chairlift);
- secondary gateway sites (Guthega Village, Guthega Power Station); and
- backcountry areas.
The draft Strategy is organised around these settings, with a further distinction drawn between undeveloped backcountry areas and huts. Each setting carries its own cluster of constraints and opportunities, in terms of visitor expectations, attitudes and abilities, and environmental sensitivity. Under the Draft Plan of Management, toilets are acceptable in principle in each setting, with the exception of backcountry areas away from huts.
The current situation in the Main Range
At present, permanent toilets are provided at each of the primary gateway sites (top of Thredbo Chairlift and Charlotte Pass), at the Whites River corridor huts, and are proposed for Seaman’s Hut, on the Summit Walk, and Rawson Pass, below the Mount Kosciuszko summit. A toilet is available to visitors at the Guthega Power Station, and during daytime in winter a public toilet is available in the Nordic Centre at Guthega village. In the backcountry, where toilets are not provided, visitors are expected to comply with a minimal impact code involving the burial of waste well away from water sources. There are issues relating to signage at the Thredbo lower terminal, Thredbo chairlift, Charlotte Pass and Guthega Power Station facilities. Visitors have also reported odour problems at the Charlotte Pass facility. The absence of toilets on the long walk to Blue Lake from Charlotte Pass has presented problems for visitors. Evidence of unburied waste at points beside the walking tracks, around Seaman’s and Cootapatamba Huts and at dispersed campsites indicate non-compliance with the minimal impact code. Faecal waste may represent a health risk to backcountry campers through contamination of water sources.
Best practice human waste management
The Draft Plan of Management provides overarching principles and policies which form the basis for the best practice criteria. In addition, the draft Strategy applies the principle that all solid human wastes should be removed for disposal outside the Management Unit, because of the exceptional significance and sensitivity of the Main Range environment. The Strategy also applies the ‘minimum tool rule’, which aims to minimise management intervention while achieving management objectives. Selecting the most appropriate solution for a particular site is a two stage process: determining the best broad management option, then selecting between specific alternatives within that option. The draft Strategy provides a set of planning and design standards to assist with the assessment and selection of toilet systems and carry-out methods, incorporating environmental, functional and social criteria.
Alternatives for the Main Range
The wider range of broad management options to deal with human waste problems in natural areas is reviewed, including visitor use restrictions, changing the location of use areas, hardening the environment and active rehabilitation. Broad options which have potential for each recreation setting are identified. Alternative specific waste management systems within these options are reviewed and compared. The draft Strategy reviews experiences with human waste management in cold climate, sensitive environments in Australia and overseas, covering toilet systems, waste disposal options and waste carry-out programs.
Proposed new policies, facilities and actions
The draft Strategy proposes a range of management measures, including: - new toilet facilities at Rawson Pass, Seaman’s Hut and potentially at Cootapatamba Hut;
- phasing in a carry-out policy for backcountry areas of the Main Range;
- a raft of facilitation measures to support the carry-out policy including carry-out waste disposal facilities, commercial liaison, and communications and publicity;
- initial human health risk assessments of backcountry camping areas and watercourses;
- ongoing monitoring of facility performance, backcountry camping areas and watercourses; and
- improvements to signage and accessability at existing toilets, for example appropriate and effective signage at grandstand sites with clear messages such as “last toilet for x km’s” at Thredbo Chairlift.
Areas for future extension and development are also identified, including potential improvements to carry-out arrangements. Most of the proposals in the Strategy would be implemented over a 10 year timeframe, with monitoring and review continuing indefinitely. New works, reviews and assessments would take place within the first three years. The carry-out policy would be implemented following the establishment of infrastructure, communications and other arrangements.
The draft Strategy has been prepared by Paul McPherson and Michael Gromer of nghenvironmental, and recreation planning consultant Stig Virtanen for the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation.
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