The Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate has released a long-term bushfire recovery plan for Namadgi National Park to coincide with the reopening of the Namadgi Visitor Information Centre.
Announced by Minister for the Environment and Land Management, Mick Gentleman, the Plan, ACT Bushfire and Flood Recovery Plan, responds to the risks identified immediately after the fires and floods in Namadgi National Park and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve.
In a statement, Mr Gentleman said there was a real danger that some of the things which made Namadgi and Tidbinbilla special would be lost if action wasn’t taken.
“This Plan will set us on a path to not only restore what was lost, but also to safeguard our natural environment and national parks for the future,” Mr Gentleman said.
“Our teams have done a tremendous amount of recovery work so far, however there is much more to do,” he said.
“As the snow melts our teams can accelerate efforts to implement the long-term recovery plan.”
Mr Gentleman said the Plan aimed to work alongside natural regeneration and would increase efforts to manage invasive plants and animals; protect vulnerable plants and animals; support catchment restoration efforts; manage and monitor erosion; manage impacts and threats to Aboriginal and European heritage; and consider climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.
He said the Plan would also see the restoration of infrastructure including roads, fences, walking tracks, signage, and bridges.
“In addition to the release of the ACT Bushfire Recovery Plan, I am pleased to welcome the community back to the Namadgi Visitor Information Centre,” he said.
“The Centre has been closed since the Orroral Valley Bushfire, and staff have taken advantage of the closure to refresh the building with a new paint job, flooring and shop infrastructure,” he said.
The Directorate’s 24-page Recovery Plan for Namadgi can be accessed at this PS News link.
