Willandra Lakes Region

Seventy percent of the area comprises pastoral stations leased from the State and administered by Crown Lands. The remaining land contains a large part of Mungo National Park, which is managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NSW NPWS), both agencies are within NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment (IUCN Consultation, 2017). The management plan for Mungo National Park addresses values, objectives and management issues (NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, 2006). NSW NPWS is developing a strategic management plan (SMP) which will provide a high level strategic direction for the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Area. This will a). apply to the entirety of the WHA, and b). will then inform any replacement or amendment of the 1996 park plan of management (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

The area of land managed by the NSW National Park and Wildlife Service within the World Heritage site has increased from 4.2% at the time of inscription to 29.9% of the World Heritage site, following the purchase of additional properties (World Heritage Committee, 2013). Most of this area is gazetted as National Park. The remainder of the World Heritage site comprises pastoral properties (World Heritage Committee, 2013). Every three to five years condition and management effectiveness is assessed through the NSW NPWS State of the Parks program, allowing for ongoing adaptive management (IUCN Consultation, 2017).

Revised boundaries were approved by the World Heritage Committee in 1995 on the basis that it would better define the area containing World Heritage values (World Heritage Committee, 1995). Signage has been erected at the site's boundaries along the main access roads acknowledging the Aboriginal Traditional Owners and the World Heritage Area (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

The NSW Government has been working towards developing a new State Environmental Planning Policy (SEPP) for the protection and management of its natural environment. The proposed new SEPP will be a consolidated SEPP and proposes to simplify the planning rules for a number of places including the Willandra Lakes Region (Willandra Lakes Regional Environmental Plan No. 1 – World Heritage Property (2001). The Explanation of Intended Effects (October 2017) sets out the proposed updates relating to planning arrangements for the Willandra Lakes Region (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

The Mungo Aboriginal Joint Management Committee and Willandra Lakes Elders Council dissolved in 2013. The Willandra Lakes Region Aboriginal Advisory Group formed in 2015 via an open, transparent community election. This Group contains representatives from each of the three tribal groups who are the traditional owners of the Country: Barkandji/Paakantyi, Mutthi Mutthi and Ngiyampaa. Members of this group also sit on the Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Advisory Committee (NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, 2020).
Members of the tribal groups are also employed on the National Park. Aboriginal people are also employed by the NSW NPWS and special grants from the Commonwealth Government fund some NPWS Aboriginal staff to work in the wider World Heritage site (NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, 2006). A new Willandra Lakes Region World Heritage Advisory Committee was appointed in 2018 and has 50% Aboriginal representation (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

The World Heritage values of the Willandra Lakes Region are protected as a matter of national environment significance under the Australian Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). Any new development proposal in the World Heritage site will be subject to assessment and approval under the EPBC Act if an action is considered likely to have significant impacts on World Heritage values. 30% of the World Heritage site is protected in national parks under NSW state legislation (IUCN Consultation, 2017). 70% of the site is manged as private pastoral leases that graze sheep including dorpers (an arid-adapted sheep breed). The pastoral lands are Western Lands Leases and fall under the Crown Land Management Act 2016. Relevant legislation also includes State Heritage Register listing, NSW National Parks and Wildlife Act 1974 (WHinNSW 2010), and National Heritage listing (World Heritage Committee, 2013). A NSW Regional Environmental Plan for the World Heritage site was gazetted in 2001 and provides the statutory basis for management (State Party of Australia, 2002). The legal framework is therefore enforced through both Australian and NSW government legislation (World Heritage Committee, 2013).

Enforcement is overall effective.

A management plan for the whole area, requested by the World Heritage Committee upon listing, was finalized in 1996 (World Heritage Committee, 2013). Review of the Plan is a priority of the new Advisory Committee (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

Agreement has been reached with most landholders to protect the most significant sites (State Party of Australia, 2002). There is ongoing engagement with landholders to identify significant areas and test assess past management practices (Barrett et al., 2016). Mining and associated water extraction from areas surrounding the World Heritage site has the potential to have major impacts on World Heritage values (State Party of Australia, 2002; World Heritage Committee, 2013). It is unclear whether the proposed new State Environmental Planning Policy will provide adequate protection of World Heritage values, as it is still in an early stage of development.

Annual funding is provided for the National Park by the NSW Government. There is some concern about on-going funding to protect World Heritage values (State Party of Australia, 2002; IUCN, 2003). On 27 September 2017 the Australian Government announced funding of AUD $330,000 per annum for five years from July 2018 to assist with management of the Willandra Lakes Region. The Australian Government funding supports a project officer role and operation of the Advisory Committee, and associated activities (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

The site has adequate staff employed by the NSW NPWS who carry out operational and program management for the national parks portion of the site (30%) (IUCN Consultation, 2017). In addition, the site is supported by Australian Government grants that provide for four staff members to administer the advisory bodies, community programs and site conservation works (IUCN Consultation, 2017). However, the only two conservation staff employed to work on the private land portion of the World Heritage site (70%) are funded externally through a competitive grant scheme. If these positions were lost, there would be no capacity for conservation work in the private portion of the site.

Interpretive facilities included a self-guided visitor centre at Mungo National Park, a guidebook and website. Improvements in interpretive materials were completed as part of an upgrade to the visitor centre and Zanci pastoral precinct on Mungo National Park in 2010/2011. An upgraded audio-visual room was completed in 2010 and audio-visual content upgrades are ongoing (IUCN Consultation, 2020). New interpretation has been installed to educate visitors on the impact of the removal of artefacts (IUCN Consultation, 2017). Additional interpretation is being developed with the Willandra Lakes Region Aboriginal Advisory Group to showcase the significance of the Willandra Lakes Fossil Trackway site.

There is a visitor centre, visitor facilities, brochures, and self-guided and guided tours available for the national park which is the only area open to visitors in the WHS. A small commercial tourist accommodation resort is located on an adjoining property. In the early 2000s, to mitigate risk to tourists and cultural heritage the Walls of China car park was relocated and a new boardwalk and viewing platform constructed (State Party of Australia, 2002). New signage was installed at key visitor sites around the park in 2010/2011 (IUCN Consultation, 2020).

Low resolution monitoring of the World Heritage values is occurring, although on a limited scientific basis. Monitoring programs have existed in the past, but lack of dedicated resources has seen them cease. Recent efforts have been made to observe landscape change through time using satellite imagery to model broad changes in total ground cover (Barrett et al., 2016). An ongoing/ recurrent budget for site monitoring and management is considered a major requirement (State Party of Australia, 2002).

It is essential to encourage environmental research, especially in agricultural sciences and land management, as well as to continue archaeological, paleontological and geological research and the importance of the site for such purposes needs to be emphasized in its management. At the time of listing in 1981, it was noted that research strongly aligned with archaeology with a need to investigate the natural elements of the World Heritage site. This is still the trend and plans are underway to develop a research prospectus with the newly appointed Advisory Committee to address this shortfall (IUCN Consultation, 2020).