Learn about conservation in the Alps
Australian Alps Education Kit
Chapter 13 – Conservation in the Australian Alps
Australian Alps Liaison Committee, November 2005
Securing natural and cultural enviroments for the future
A group study plants in the
Australian Alps
Photo: Australian Alps Liaison
Committee
Conservation refers to the protection, preservation and careful management of the natural or cultural environment. This includes the preservation of specific sites or works of art, as well as specific species or areas of country.
However, conservation has a different meaning for different people, thus making the management of conservation often complex and controversial. Many of the conservation issues of the Australian Alps reflect these difficulties.
For the person who enjoys ‘wilderness’, conservation is the reservation of large, unspoilt tracts of land.
For the scientist, it is the preservation and understanding of ecosystems and the protection of species found there.
The first time that land within the Australian Alps was recognised for conservation purposes was in NSW between 1872 and 1890, when cave reserves were established in the Yarrangobilly area.
Apart from field naturalists, artists and scientists, the early conservationists in the Alps fell into two groups: bushwalkers and a group concerned with the protection of water catchments.
Nature conservation is now recognised by governments as the most important landuse for the Australian Alps.
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