Resource Management and Geography - Theses
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ItemThe interaction between the environment land use and hydrology of the Bogong High Plains area from 1850 to 1985( 1990)The Bogong High Plains form part of the' Australian alpine area which contributes significantly to the water resources of south-eastern Australia. The dual factors of a high average annual runoff and low levels of variability by Australian standards point to the value of the area for water production and the need for optimum management criteria. However, the hydrological response of the streams draining the alpine area to changing environmental and land use factors has not been previously addressed. In this thesis the environmental and land use history of the Bogong High Plains Area has been documented. On the basis of historical reports and photographs, management decisions affecting the Alps, and ecological studies in the Area since the 1940s, trends in the environmental condition of the Bogong High Plains Area between 1850 and 1985 have been ascertained. The land use history of the Area has been documented, including: the Aboriginal visits to the area to exploit the Bogong moth; the use of the subalpine and alpine environments by graziers and their stock: the impact of gold milling activities in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries; the frequency, cause and extent of fire in the region; the construction and management of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme; the operation of logging activities in the area; and the tourist use of the region for summer and winter recreation. An examination of the hydrological characteristics of the Bogong High Plains Area then followed. Twelve catchments were selected for analysis, ranging in size from 1.35 to 146 square kilometres, and in altitude from 634 to 1922 metres. Differences in the physical, geological, geomorphological and vegetation characteristics were related to the average annual water balances and hydrological variability. A review of the literature on the effects of fire, forestry, mining, tracks and roads, engineering works and grazing on runoff was made preparatory to an assessment of the effect of land use practices on the runoff characteristics of the twelve catchments. Standard hydrological techniques were used to assess the impact on streamflow of bushfire, insect attack, forestry operations, mining activity, road construction, construction works for the hydro scheme, and cattle grazing. Some of the results were unexpected. Although grazing was the land use of longest duration, the long-term trends in streamflow and inter-catchment comparisons based on differential grazing pressures only partially demonstrated grazing had a noticeable impact on runoff characteristics. The effect of fire, forestry, insect attack and mining activity also yielded indeterminate results. By contrast, the construction of roads and the development of the Kiewa Hydro-Electric Scheme resulted in statistically significant changes in streamflow characteristics, including runoff volumes, baseflow properties, and the magnitude of flood events. A model of the environmental history of the Bogong High Plains Area is proposed, incorporating trends in climate, fire frequency, vegetation cover, land use activity, and hydrological characteristics. From the model it is suggested that the occupation of the Bogong High Plains Area by Europeans since the 1850s has resulted in irreversible changes to the hydrological regime which predated the period of stream gauge operation and which could only be partially correlated with ecological trends. The model is used to ascertain the hydrological response of catchments to different combinations and intensities of grazing, fire and site disturbance, in association with present and alternative climatologically conditions.
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Item'It's in your hands': an assessment of the Australian Landcare movement( 1995)Australia's 'Landcare' program is a community-based, participatory program, established by Government, to tackle the problem of land degradation. It has been hailed by some, as the most imaginative sustainable development policy anywhere in the world. There have been many studies which have sought to measure the success of Landcare, using quantitative indicators such as the number of Landcare groups. This thesis seeks to devise alternative ways for Landcare to be assessed and thought about. It focuses upon the practice of Landcare in one particular region of Victoria: a practice which is formed out of the complex interaction of state policy, community aspirations and capabilities and the broader political and economic context. At a theoretical level, this thesis is informed by several areas of the academic literature. In particular, the role of the state apparatus in environmental management, the environment and political economy, and theories of ideology. These theoretical arguments are elaborated in several ways: through a detailed review of the emergence of Landcare as policy, both in Victoria and at a Federal level; through consideration of the complex bureaucratic arrangements which have grown around Landcare; and through a case study. The case study draws upon the experience of Landcare by farmers on the Dundas Tablelands in Victoria's Western District. Through participant observation and in-depth interviewing across seven Landcare groups, some insight is offered into the practice of Landcare in a local setting, for example: the ways in which government rhetoric about Landcare is enacted at the local level; the way in which the Landcare bureaucracy works with, or against, the program; and the way in which funding arrangements contribute to Landcare's effect on-the-ground. The case study draws upon the experience of Landcare by farmers on the Dundas Tablelands in Victoria's Western District. Through participant observation and in-depth interviewing across seven Landcare groups, some insight is offered into the practice of Landcare in a local setting, for example: the ways in which government rhetoric about Landcare is enacted at the local level; the way in which the Landcare bureaucracy works with, or against, the program; and the way in which funding arrangements contribute to Landcare's effect on-the-ground. It is argued that without an improved understanding of its limitations, the Landcare program is unlikely to succeed in the long-term. In the meantime, there are indications that calls for the expansion of Landcare may be to the detriment of the program’s original objective, which was to ensure more sustainable use of agricultural land in Australia. Renewed consideration is urged, of the ways in which Landcare's 'success' is measured.