PLANNING FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF WILD CAVES IN DEUA NATIONAL PARK

STEVE DOVEY

Introduction

Karst Areas within Deua National Park

Within the Deua National Park there are six distinct karst areas. Five of these: Cleatmore, Marble Arch, Wyanbene, Bendethera and Deua are developed in limestone whilst the Big Hole is a pseudokarst feature developed in sediments but its development is thought to be related to karst processes.

Bendethera

The largest of the five limestone areas in the Park, the Bendethera limestone covers an area of approximately 4km long by 0.5km. Of the many caves known in the area, the main Bendethera cave (BD1) is the largest and most significant. This limestone area is important for scientific study and for recreation. It contains rare and undescribed species of flora and fauna, provides habitat for two species of bats and provides an opportunity for recreational caving.

Wyanbene

The Wyanbene karst area consists of a single lens of limestone approximately 2km long and contains at least 8 caves, some mine shafts and sinkholes. The area is readily accessible and popular for camping, day trips, bushwalking and adventure caving. The locality itself has significant historic and prehistoric aspects.

The main cave, Wyanbene Cave, is becoming increasingly popular amongst adventure cavers. It has some 1800 metres of passage following a stream and has challenges for most levels of caver. It also contains some significant features which include some very large avens. The Gunbarrel aven is a fluted, vertical walled chamber which is some 105 metres high. The cave also contains some large helictites and fine intact examples of calcite/aragonite flowers. These and other formations are still in good condition.

Marble Arch

The Marble Arch karst area is of quite small size, approximately 400m long by 60m, however it displays a considerable range of karst and geomorphic features which are well displayed. It includes a 'corridor' gorge, sprints and the five levels associated with the arch itself are an example of landscape development through time.

In some of the least accessible caves are contained some extremely fragile small mammal bone assemblages (Hall 1975).

The area is not heavily visited at present but its isolation and high scenic values are attracting increasing numbers of visitors. It is an easy 6km walk from the Berlang Rest Area.

The Big Hole

This area is the most heavily visited on the western side of Deua National Park. The Big Hole itself is the primary attraction. It is a dramatic feature, 110m in depth with steep eroding sides, and is reached by a short walk of 20m from a parking and rest area.

The site is well-known for its challenge to abseilers, however the Hole, in its natural setting, is a pleasant destination for day walks.

Deua Cave and Cleatmore

Both these areas are not extensive or well-known being located in more inaccessible areas of the Park. Deua Cave has been only recently discovered and is the least disturbed of all the known caves. Cleatmore karst area contains at least 20 smaller caves, some of which are maternity sites for bats.

History of Use and Management of Karst Areas

Some of the karst areas have already had a long history of use dating to last century whilst others have experienced a sharp increase in recreational pressure over the last decade endangering both fragile or significant features and the areas appeal in their natural setting(s).

Little active management of these areas had occurred until the gazettal of Deua National Park in 1979. The more widely known sporting cave areas such as Bungonia and Wee Jasper have 'distracted', to their own detriment, most Canberra and Sydney caving groups; however, it is evident that increasing community interest is being centred on these areas coinciding with improvement of access. Several of the caves in Deua National Park have suffered unacceptable impacts from visitor use.

The challenge to the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service is to protect these areas from further impact and yet still allow their appreciation and use by a diversity of user groups. This must be achieved with limited resources, in terms of both staff time and funding. Approximately 10% of all staff time is stretched to cover all aspects of cave management, from on-site contact or monitoring to the planning process itself.

The Planning Process

Narooma District of the National Parks and Wildlife Service has recently completed a management plan for the karst area within Deua National Park.

The purpose of the plan is:

• to provide explicit guidelines to the manager on protection, research and provision of recreational opportunities within the karst areas of Deua National Park;
• to identify funding requirements and to provide the basis for works proposals in karst areas; and
• to form the basis of the 'section' on karst area management, for the Deua National Park Plan of Management.

Until a plan of management is adopted for the Park this plan will be the basis for managing karst areas in Deua National Park.

Steps in Planning Process

The following steps were undertaken to construct the Draft Plan.

• summarising all available information (individual area summaries);
• classifying each karst area and the caves;
• determine management objectives; and
• specifying realistic practices to achieve the objectives.

Individual Area Summaries

Information relevant to the karst resources was initially found to be scattered over a range of sources. These sources included printed documents such as scientific papers, speleologist's trip reports and newspaper articles, however, a lot of information lay in the combined memories of many people including Service staff and cave user groups.

A meeting was held and attended by Service staff and representatives of user groups with the aim of collecting and cataloguing quickly and readily available information sources.

The information acquired was fully indexed into the District reference system, then summarised briefly and included in the Plan as individual area summaries, along with copies of maps and surveys.

These summaries allow the characteristics and significant features of an area to be reviewed simply and then compared to other areas. They also provide justification for decisions on management objectives and practices and also a suitable framework then exists for the addition of new material at a later date.

Classification

During and following the information gathering meeting as outlined above, all the areas and the caves they contained have been classified simply as follows.

The class in which a cave is placed has direct bearing upon the management emphasis concerning that cave's future use and the likely effects upon significant features. The significance of any known feature was assessed based upon criteria as provided by Adrian Davey (Davey 1984), however, if not enough information was known then an area was simply left unclassified and afforded the maximum protection possible.

Similarly, the classification may change if further information highlights hitherto unknown significant features (e.g. rare faunal habitat) or monitoring shows that the protection level given proves to be inadequate.

Determining management objectives and practices

A number of key objectives apply to the whole group of karst areas.

The primary objective of management is:

• to protect karst and its associated natural and cultural resources.

In addition to the primary objective, three secondary objectives apply:

• to encourage scientific and educational enquiry into environmental features and processes, prehistoric and historic features and management of park use;
• to provide for appropriate recreational opportunities;
• to increase public understanding of karst resources.

Within the same section, a number of practices relating directly to the above objectives are outlined under the following headings.

• karst and catchment protection; - water quality - vehicle access - management works
• research and monitoring;
• recreation;
• interpretation; and
• public safety.

Each karst area was also considered individually with specific management objectives and practices.The specific practices had to achieve the objectives and provide clear guidelines to the manager on protection, research and provision of appropriate recreational opportunities within any given area.

As such this section is the 'working' section of the plan. It is referred to directly when making decisions and controls the priority under which any works project is implemented.

Impementation and Success of the Plan

Unlike two years ago, where management was ad-hoc and decisions based upon a largely unknown information base, Narooma District now has an 'intelligent' framework in which to make informed management decisions and methods of monitoring the effects of these decisions. It is also recognised that planning is a dynamic on-going process and, as more information becomes available, the management will be re-examined and changes made, where justified.

The plan has been used to seek funding for Capital Works Projects and controls the priority for expenditure of any available maintenance funds.

Wyanbene Cave Permit Systems

The first work program implemented centres upon control of recreational use of Wyanbene Cave. As outlined earlier, this cave has experienced a growing reputation as an adventure cave and the degree of visitor impact until 1985 was increasing significantly. Despite this, the cave still contains fragile formations and other vulnerable features.

As described by the plan, 1600 metres of passage may be entered by permit holders only, a gate being installed to prevent access by others.

The advantages to the District of this system has been threefold:

• we have a method of monitoring numbers using cave and the type of recreation sought;
• a brief assessment of the safety and equipment may be made; and
• a medium exists for Service staff to communicate directly to caves.

After the first twelve months, a review of the system indicated that most cavers welcomed the protection given to the cave and appreciated the level of communication maintained between the Service and themselves. So far no damage to significant features has occurred.

Big Hole visitor facilities and viewing platform

The second works program currently being implemented is centred upon visitor use of the Big Hole. A viewing platform is being provided to enable safe viewing of the Hole and signs are being used to educate visitors and broaden their appreciation of the whole area.

If not carefully planned, however, these works, whilst successfully promoting the Big Hole as a scenic attraction, could possibly compromise the use of Marble Arch and Cleatmore karst areas, both of which are located in the same area and contain important vulnerable natural values.

Funding for this program was gained by using the Plan as justification.

Conclusion

The planning process itself can become an unwieldy, time-consuming endeavour which swallows an organisation's often scarce resources and possibly eventuates in a Management Plan which is ignored or misunderstood by those directly involved in its implementation.

In this case, the NPWS has sought to quickly produce a rational framework which will describe and classify the variety of caving areas in Deua National Park and provide a direction for their future management.

References

HALL, LS (1975) A Recent Bone Deposit at Marble Arch, NSW, Proc. 10th ASF Biennial Conference, pp 35-46

DAVEY, AG (ed) (1984) Evaluation Criteria for the Cave and Karst Heritage of Australia - Report of the Australian Speleological Federation national Heritage Assessment Study. Helicite 15(2) 3-40