Chapter 1: Key Concepts & How to utilize this

Key Concepts of Chapter 1:

Australias Alps- the Brindabellas, the Snowy Mountains and
Victorias High Country.
Attitudes in the Alps:

Ever since the discovery of the Australian Alpine region and the first
ascent of Mount Kosciuszko in 1840, there have been a number of different
attitudes towards the Alps which were displayed.
Spiritual exhilaration Paul Edmund Strzelecki, similar to other
feelings of exhilaration relative to being the first of something to
achieve a goal
Adventure and Physical freedom: 1834 John Lhotsky experienced a
feeling of exuberance when Lhotsky had abandoned his everyday
worries and cares of living, where he experiences physical freedom
and adventure
Exploitation where the Australian Alps were to be exploited and
utilised for a materialistic human benefit from the resources it could
provide (anthropocentric worldview Worldviews and environment,
semester 2).
Appreciate and Conquer: Late 1800s John Gale expressed his
appreciation for the natural world, however this appreciation was
coupled with the desire to kill it and collect it as a trophy.
(contradictory actions).
Linked to the attitude of exploitation, in the 19 th and 20th centuries, the
Australian Alps were used to satisfy various personal and economical
needs and demands. This caused a variety of repercussions.
Disruption of Aboriginal Australians: season movements and visits
to the Alpine region. Disruption of indigenous land and lifestyle due
to logging, mining, widespread free-ranging sheep and cattle
grazing and land clearing for agriculture.
1932 first recognition of environmental destruction: a young
forester, Baldur Byles, highlights widespread damage resulting from
these activities in alpine and subalpine areas. Byles emphasized
that a conservative approach to land use was more logical that
allowing the damaging approach to continue, and that prevention
is better than a cure. Byles concern stemmed from previous
observation at the Taurus Mountains in Turkey, and his report stated
that the Australian Alps are the vital source of water catchments of
south-eastern Australia, where majority of the Australian population
live.
The continuation of land degradation begun to negatively impact
the quality of water catchments and Byles warning had little to no
impact until 1957.
Emphasis on a conservational approach had begun to occur,
however human interactions associated with power generation
recreation have recently been dominating.
Conservation:

Chapter 1: Key Concepts & How to utilize this

If natural places and processes within these places are destroyed,

then the overall loss isnt just personal and aesthetic but also
economic and social losses.
Over the last 50 years the Australian Alpine Regions have
experienced conservation, developmental and recreation & tourism
actions.

The Australian Alps National Parks

Alpine and/or Subalpine areas:

Within areas found from Canberra to New South Wales to eastern
Victoria there are 11 national parks and reserves, these
park/reserve lands cover approximately 62% of overall Alpine
country of Australia. Three national parks within the area include
Namadgi, Kosciuszko and Alpine.
Namadgi National Park: smallest region out of the three, the
Aboriginal Australian Name for the Brindabella Ranges which
occupies approximately 46% of the Australian Capital Territory.
Kosciuszko National Park: Largest of the three National parks
(690,000 hectares), reserved 1944-1967
Alpine National Park: The last to be declared and second largest NP
of the three mentioned (646,600 hectares). This national park was
formed when three smaller NPs were linked to form a complete
Alpine NP in 1989, these separate areas were the CobberasTingaringy, Wonnangatta-Moroka and Bogong.

The Alps: Their Physical Features

Physical Characteristics:
500km in length, average 50km width which in total occupies
25,000km2 or 0.3% of the Australian continent
These statistics are not solely inclusive of the snow country which
lies above 1400m above sea level, but also of surrounding slopes
and valleys.
In comparison to the average elevation of Australia at 300m above
sea level, this small region in Australia is a of high interest due to
high geological elevation, reliable high rainfall and snow cover
which has resulted in unique plants, soil, animals and landforms.
Highest peak in Victoria is Mount Bogong which has several peaks
over 1800 meters above sea level, containing its own plateau range
and the highest peak of Australia is Mount Kosciuszko at 2228
meters above sea level and the highest
The term Alpine is generally used to describe high mountain ranges with
the association that there may be an occurrence of snow at higher
elevations.
Definition: the area above a certain altitude that is treeless due to
the inability of trees to grow at low temperatures, in Australia this

Chapter 1: Key Concepts & How to utilize this

describes regions that are at elevations of 1700m- 1900m above

sea level.
The subalpine zone is lower in elevation at 1400 meters above sea
level and is where open grass and heathland areas vegetate,
including the presence of snowgum.
When referring to category Australian Alpine Regions, alpine and
subalpine zones are not the only areas which are considered,
forested montane and tableland zones which lie below the
alpine/subalpine region is also included.

The Australian Alps: Important for the nation and the world

Due to the national park legislative status, management ensures that

nature conservation is the highest priority and order land use in Australian
alpine regions. Aside from legislation, there are a number of other
agreements, programs and national and international legislation that
support conservative ideal.
Australias Heritage listing - (Environmental protection and
biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).
The Australian Alpine National Park is listed as one of 16
Australian Heritage Landscapes
Under the EPBC Act, actions by the state government which
may have a negative impact on species, communities or
ecological processes can be limited by the Federal
Governments Environmental Minister. This increases the
chance for the survival of populations of endangered species
in the region.
Alps to Atherton: The Great Eastern Ranges Initiative
Extending from the Australian Alpine region (north of
Melbourne) to the Atherton Tablelands (Northwest of Cairns in
North Queensland), the Great Eastern Ranges occur over
2800 kilometres.
Is a National program based on connectivity conservation
which to recognises the fact that ecological processes on a
larger scale need to occur which is significantly differing to
what was previously expected.
Over this area, there is an extensive level of variation in
terms of rainfall, temperature, soil types, altitude and
latitude. The region also supports significant level of
biodiversity which are dependent on a range of different
relative environments such as rainforests, wetlands and
grasslands.
Australian Alps and World Heritage
Despite the fact that the Australian Alps is a place of
universal significance, it has not been nominated as a
region of World Heritage Status.
Kosciuszsko National Park is one of 631 UNESCO Biosphere
reserves worldwide, which allows for the study and protection
of the worlds natural systems.

Chapter 1: Key Concepts & How to utilize this

Significance of the Australian Alps

The value that is held with the AANP is both scientific and aesthetic:
Scientific Value Recognising scientific and biological connections
between Australias Alpine environment and Alpine environments
globally. Being able to explain a linkage between to environments
which share similar characteristics however are separated by a vast
geographic distance contributes to the understanding of the
development of the Natural World as we know it today. This can
have a direct linkage to the processes of the super continent
landmass Gondwanaland. The AANP is also unique in which there
are 46 species of eucalypt which dominate and that pereglaciation
is evident above the treeline.
Aesthetic Value Aesthetically, Australian Alps has a number of
unique physical features such as rounded mountain tops in
comparison with the iconic European jagged peaks. Natural
landscapes which include a variety of gorges and escarpments as
well as the individuality of the Eucalypts and wildflowers also hold
a significant level of Aesthetic value.

Past and Future for the Alps:

Similarly, to what was observed in the past, the continuous growth of the
recreation and tourism industry has proved to be difficult to sustain, with
the addition of new technologies which allows for more access into these
remote locations.
Not only is human interaction with the environment constantly revealing
new challenged, but also the underlying impacts of climate change.
Overall, the concept of conservation is simply an ideal and depends on
individual personal opinions, rather than a level of social responsibility.