Conservation Reserves

Points covered:

• What negative impacts have humans had on the environment?
• Why are conservation reserves necessary?
• How have the allocation of reserves in the past made conservation goals hard to achieve?
• Can conservation reserves protect the natural characteristics of an area as well as satisfy the interests of Indigenous people?

Humans have had, and are continuing to have, a variety of negative impacts on the environment. For example, large areas of natural vegetation have been modified or destroyed in order to make way for houses, roads, crops and grazing animals. In addition, we dam watercourses, alter drainage patterns, completely change fire regimes and harvest large quantities of natural products, such as timber. These activities have left the natural environment in a very fragmented state.

In order to minimise human impacts and protect the natural environment, it is necessary to establish conservation reserves, such as national parks, nature reserves, recreation areas, and conservation parks.

Government policy stipulates three key principles for reserves: comprehensiveness, adequacy and representativeness. Reserves should be comprehensive in providing protection for the full range of characteristics present in the natural environment. They should also protect adequate areas of each population, species and community to ensure the long-term survival of these natural characteristics. And they should include representatives of the diversity shown within each of these characteristics.

In the past, reserves were set aside in an ad hoc manner for all sorts of reasons, making conservation goals hard to achieve. Nowadays, we have a different understanding of the value of reserves, and the principles listed above help us to define and protect these areas.

Conservation reserves also need to satisfy the interests of local Indigenous people, who may use the land for traditional hunting and spiritual, religious and ceremonial activities. Existing conservation reserves are often unsuitable for these purposes.

It will be difficult for conservation reserves to protect the natural characteristics of an area as well as satisfy the interests of Indigenous people. Continuing debate and discussion concerning these issues can therefore be expected to continue into the future.

Graham H Pyke
Terrestrial Ecology
Australian Museum