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In 1997
the Commonwealth Government launched its Wetlands Policy of the
Commonwealth Government of Australia.
The Wetlands
Policy covered peatlands and undertook to compliment the Ramsar
recommendation on peat. It states that the Commonwealth will "determine
the Impacts of the peat harvesting industry in Australia and recommend
appropriate steps for the Commonwealth Government to take, such
as the use of artificial plant propagation media in all Commonwealth-run
and funded activities and projects". (see below)
The Biodiversity
Group of Environment Australia had "considerable concerns with
the ongoing practice of peat mining in Australia, and encourages
further investigation into the impacts of peat mining and alternatives
to its use." It supported the arguments of the NSW National
Parks and Wildlife Service and the Australian Heritage Commission
against peat mining at Wingecarribee Swamp.
Extracts
from the Policy
5.2
Developing and supporting a strategic and coordinated wetlands research
effort
- Continue
to develop a strategic and coordinated approach to Commonwealth
funded wetland-related research through, for example, the National
Wetlands Research and Development Program.. Seek to engage a broad
range of joint venture partners in this Program from other government:
sectors and the private sector.
- Through
the above, foster research into the priority areas to address
wetland management issues. This should include, but not be limited
to, research to:
- identify
the full range e of threatening processes for wetlands and
establish how to manage these and other known threats facing
wetlands such as mater flow patterns and water quality, pollution
and invasive species;
- define
the role of wetlands in the hydrologic cycle;
- develop
suitable environmentally sensitive control methods and planning
mechanisms to avoid nuisance insect problems for urban wetlands;
- determine
the impacts of the peat harvesting industry in Australia and
recommend appropriate steps for the Commonwealth Government
to take, such as the use of artificial plant propagation media
in all Commonwealth-run and funded activities and projects;
- establish
strategies for managing visitor impacts on wetlands;
-
devise robust economic valuation techniques for wetlands:
- document
guidelines for achieving the wise use management of wetlands:
- clarify
the taxonomy and distribution of wetland dependent species:
and
-
improve information held on the migration and distribution
patterns of migratory waterbirds, focusing on the East Asian-Australasian
Flyway, through the development of appropriate colour marking
protocols and habitat studies, particularly with the assistance
of the Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme.
- Review
the screening procedures of-all relevant Commonwealth agencies
for plant and animal introductions into Australia to ensure that
the precautionary principle is exercised in decisions that may
impact on wetland systems.
- Support
research into purpose built wetlands and encourage the application
of this technology in accordance with the Guiding Principles of
this Policy.
5.3
Supporting mechanisms to encourage the understanding and application
of research findings
- Ensure
that results of research are widely disseminated in a user-friendly
form to those with wetland management and conservation responsibilities
in both government and nongovernment sectors, here and internationally
- Monitor
international advances in wetland management and draw them to
the attention of the Australian research community- and others
who can apply these locally.
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