Following on from Matthew Frawley's recent email (see below),
the following talk may be of interest to some COG
chatliners
Report
on ACT Lowland Native Grassland Investigation
By
Dr Maxine Cooper
Commissioner
for Sustainability and the Environment
Talk
To
Field
Naturalists Association of Canberra
and
Friends of Grasslands
7:30 pm
Thursday 6 August
Seminar
Room, Botany and Zoology Dept, ANU (Bg 116) off Daley
Rd
Dr Maxine
Cooper, the first full-time ACT Commissioner for Sustainability and the
Environment, will give a presentation to the Field Naturalists and Friends of
Grasslands on her important Report
on ACT Lowland Native Grassland Investigation,
which was submitted to the Government in March.
Her
investigation considered 49 lowland native grassland sites in the ACT, on both
National and Territory land. These
sites are the subject of Australian and ACT Government legislation and have a
number of land managers. Complex administrative arrangements exist including
memoranda of understanding, licences, leases (including land management
agreements) and Conservator?s Directions.
Dr
Cooper will outline some of her 32 recommendations to improve management of
these important and threatened grasslands, including:
?
the
need to take urgent land management action to protect sites that are in
critical, or approaching a critical condition (Recommendations 21 and 15). Of
the Territory?s lowland native grassland sites 20% are in critical condition,
40% are approaching a critical condition and 20% are in good
condition;
?
the
proposal that a Majura Valley Reserve (grassland) be planned and its boundaries
defined in the near future (Recommendation
23);
?
the
possibility of Mount Ainslie Reserve, Aranda Bushland and Black Mountain Reserve
being expanded to include some areas of lowland native grassland
(Recommendations 24 and 25);
?
the
opportunity to adopt a strategic approach to protect lowland native grassland
(particularly Natural Temperate Grassland and threatened grassland species) and
foster appropriate development through developing an offset policy. This policy
should include the identification of offset restoration sites (Recommendation
22); and
?
the
need for long-term land uses to be defined for some lowland native grassland
sites (Recommendation 26).
The
Report can be found at http://www.environmentcommissioner.act.gov.au/investigations_and_consultation/investigation
.
Prior
to taking up this position, Dr Cooper led the ACT?s Water Security
Taskforce. Dr Cooper has extensive
senior experience in both the public and private sectors. She has held statutory
positions as Conservator Flora and Fauna and as Chief Animal Welfare Officer for
the ACT.
Dr
Cooper?s professional life began as an urban and regional planner in Western Australia. She is a full-time member of the
Environment Institute of Australia and New
Zealand and the Planning Institute of Australia. She was recently made a fellow of the
Planning Institute for her contribution to the profession. Her focus on
sustainability was particularly recognised when she received a Professional
Fulbright Award to undertake work on this issue in the USA.
The Field
Nats meet at the
Gould Wing (Building 116) of the Botany and Zoology (BOZO) Dept, at the
Australian
National University. Access is via Daley Road. There is a map at the back of the FNAC
newsletter, which can be accessed at http://fnac.net.googlepages.com/fieldnatter
. For further details contact Tony
Lawson on 6161 9430 or .
