Steps to protect pristine park

WILDERNESS: King Davids Peak and Lake Salome attract growing numbers to the Walls of Jerusalem National Park. Picture: GARRY BAILEY

LARGE groups of walkers and campers may be restricted in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park under a proposal to preserve the pristine wilderness.

About 4500 visitors are drawn to the park every year, making it the second most popular walking area in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area after the Overland Track.

However, as visitor numbers increase, the Parks and Wildlife Service is noticing an impact on the environment and is taking steps to ensure the park remains a truly wild destination.

Large groups can displace other campers from the park's limited number of camping platforms, causing visitors to camp in spots where vegetation could be damaged.

As a result, the Walls of Jerusalem Draft Recreation Zone Plan 2013, which is open for public comment, proposes that groups of more than seven people would need to register before visiting the park.

Parks and Wildlife Service northern regional manager Chris Colley said visitor numbers to the Walls of Jerusalem had been growing steadily.

Mr Colley said the park was attractive to groups such as schools and Scouts because it was easily accessible relative to other wilderness areas.

"The registration system is about trying to manage some of the larger groups that are using the area. We know of groups of around 20 and anecdotally we've had groups coming in that are larger than that," Mr Colley said.

"People go out there in twos and threes for a remote-area experience where they are not expecting to find a lot of people and to find a group of 10 or 20 really detracts from their experience."

The PWS plans to build additional camping spots in key areas because current camps cannot meet demand.

Mr Colley said the PWS was keen to encourage camping in designated areas only because vegetation in some alpine areas where camping has historically occurred still show no sign of recovery.

The Walls of Jerusalem draft recreation zone plan is open for public comment until July 19. On Wednesday Environment, Parks and Heritage Minister Brian Wightman announced a shake-up of parks management in Tasmania, with a new authority to be managed by a chief executive and guided by an appointed five-member multi-skilled board.

The draft plan can be viewed at the Parks and Wildlife Service  website.

blair.richards@news.com.au

Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang

Steps to protect pristine park

Dengan url

http://obrasartikel.blogspot.com/2013/07/steps-to-protect-pristine-park.html

Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya

Steps to protect pristine park

namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link

Steps to protect pristine park

sebagai sumbernya