The Club may take action on any conservation issue of interest to members, in conformity with the objectives of its Constitution.[1] Action includes: assisting with field-based work parties and making submissions on current issues to the relevant authorities/agencies.
However, given the Club’s limited resources, conservation activity must be prioritised. The following potential geographic areas of conservation activity are listed in order of priority (highest first):
- Issues affecting the areas in the ACT in which Club activities occur,
- Issues affecting the areas in NSW in which Club activities commonly occur, and
- Issues affecting other areas in which Club activities occur from time to time.
Field-based work parties
The Club will assist national and/or state park authorities and/or environmental agencies with conservation activities that contribute to the protection or rehabilitation of the natural flora and fauna in the ACT and NSW. Support for field-based conservation activities in other geographic areas outside of the ACT/NSW will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The types of activities supported will include weed monitoring/control and erosion control/track maintenance. Any other types of activities will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
The number of conservation activities carried out in any given year will take into consideration the capacity of the Club to implement them and an appropriate balance with other Club activities.
Submissions on current conservation/environmental issues
When choosing the type of conservation issues on which the Club will act, and the extent of Club involvement, priority will be given to:
- Issues that are of high interest to Club members
- Issues on which the Club has special expertise or abilities, such as making a submission on the effect of recreational track development (e.g. walking, cycling, horse riding, etc); and
- Issues on which the Club has been specifically invited to comment by a government agency, the ACT Conservation Council, Bushwalking NSW or a similar organisation. This includes general invitations for comments from community organisations on issues of interest to the Club.
For high-priority issues, the Club Committee will act as promptly as its volunteer resources permit, and keep Club members informed. For high-priority issues that are complex or potentially controversial (i.e. wide range of views, sensitive topic), the views of Club members will be sought at a general meeting and/or through written comments to the Committee. For low-priority issues, the Committee may simply place sufficient information in the It newsletter for members to take personal action if they wish, or the Committee may take no action if the issue is marginal to the Club’s interests.
In all cases, the Club will seek to achieve a considered balance between its bushwalking and conservation objectives.
Conservation submissions are recorded on the submissions page.
[1] Objective 2.2: foster appreciation and conservation of the Australian countryside, bushlands, fauna and flora and to encourage field studies; Objective 2.3: support the establishment and preservation of national parks and wilderness areas
