The Role of Environmental Movements

1. The Role of Environmental Movements

2. From the study design Key Knowledge: • The foundation and role of environmental movements in changing relationships with outdoor environments, in relation to at least one of the following: – The Wilderness Society – Australian Conservation Foundation – Victorian National Parks Association – Greenpeace – Gould League. Key Skills: • describe and analyse the changing relationships with Australian outdoor environments influenced by historical events and associated key social and cultural issues • evaluate the role of a specific environmental movement in changing relationships with outdoor environments

3. What is an environmental Movement • Non-government organisations • Groups who conduct campaigns on environmental issues • Community based and made up of volunteers • Aim to change government policy and protect environments.

4. Introduction: Why do we need to study this? • This area focuses on a time of real change in attitudes amongst society and the relationships we have with nature. Brief history: • Little early concern for the environment, although there was a recognition of pollution – particularly in water sources – as an issue. First environmental laws passed. • Naturalists become interested in Australian flora and fauna throughout the 19th century. • The first National Parks form in the latter part of the 19th century. Royal National Park in Sydney, declared in 1879, is the second such place in the world. • The rise of recreation in the early 20th century – including skiing, bushwalking, and scouting – gives Australians a greater connection with natural places and leads to the formation of many protection and preservation groups.

5. Student task • Use pages154-158 to answer the following • What management of public land in Victoria occurs? • What constitutes a National Park? • The National Parks Act has a set of criteria that needs to be met if an area is to be protected, what are they? • Describe how overtime our relationship has changed with outdoor environments? • How is someone's view and lifestyle in regards to the outdoors different if they are from an urban (city) environment compared to rural? • Why are environmental groups important, what do they do?

6. Established in 1952, • Not-for-profit, non-government organisation. • Funding: is provided by members who pay membership and regular donations to support our work. Other funds come from public fundraising, bequests and donations, and online and retail sales of campaign merchandise Vision “We share a vision of Victoria as a place with a diverse, secure and healthy natural environment cared for and appreciated by all”

7. Mission “The VNPA is Victoria's leading nature conservation organisation. VNPA is an independent, non-profit, membership-based group, which exists to protect Victoria's unique natural environment and biodiversity through the establishment and effective management of national parks, conservation reserves and other measures. We will achieve our vision by facilitating strategic campaigns and education programs, developing policies, through hands-on conservation work, and by running bushwalking and outdoor activity programs which promote the care and enjoyment of Victoria's natural heritage”

8. Achievements - A history of success • In 1952, when the VNPA was formed, Victoria had just 13 national parks and no National Parks Act. Today, largely due to the VNPA's efforts, Victoria has 45 national parks, 13 marine national parks, 11 marine sanctuaries and numerous other parks protected under the National Parks Act. • In May 1990, the Victorian National Parks Association – VNPA celebrated a significant victory for wilderness - the protection of the Sunset Country and Big Desert in Victoria's Mallee country through the declaration of new national parks and wilderness reserves. The three-year campaign led to the addition of 856,000 hectares to the existing reserve system, taking the total area in the Mallee now protected to over 1,000,000 hectares. • VNPA co-ordinated the campaign to stop the State Government and developers from building a new downhill ski resort on Mt Stirling (northeast Victoria) linked by gondola to the nearby Mt Buller resort. Mt Stirling is a very popular 'wilderness' cross-country ski and bushwalking destination and many people from all sides of the political spectrum were opposed to the proposed development

9. Achievements - A history of success • Through extensive work the VNPA influenced the recommendation to the Government that the ski development not proceed on environmental and economic grounds. In early 1997 the Government backed away from the development, declaring that Mt Stirling would remain a nature-based destination, and that no new downhill ski proposal should be considered there for at least 15 years. • In 2010, after years of persistent work by the VNPA, the Victorian Government established almost 100,000 hectares of new River Red Gum national parks in northern Victoria. • In recent years the VNPA was behind the successful campaign to create a world first system of marine national parks that collectively protects 5% of Victoria's coastal waters. • VNPA was also instrumental in ensuring that the Victorian Government ended licensed cattle grazing in Victoria's magnificent Alpine National Park.

10. How they achieve this - What they do • The VNPA is the leading voice for nature conservation in Victoria, and meets regularly with heads of government agencies and State Government ministers. Generous philanthropic support from the community gives us the capacity to make a real difference to nature conservation in Victoria. • We are currently working towards increasing the protection of Victoria's marine and coastal environment, as well as endangered native grasslands. • We are also part of initiatives to protect remnant native vegetation and biodiversity on a landscape scale across Victoria as the leading member of the Victoria Naturally Alliance. We are also asking for greatly increased resources to ensure successful management of our national parks and reserves in the face of climate change. • We educate the community, industry and government on conservation issues by actively encouraging community involvement in conservation and appreciation of nature and national parks through community education work.

11. How they achieve this - Community focus • The VNPA runs the largest bushwalking and activities program in Victoria, including walking, canoeing and cycling. We also run Walk, Talk and Gawk - rambles with an expert naturalist guide. • The Association provides services to more than 3000 members and hosts a Friends Network for more than 200 "Friends of" parks groups throughout Victoria involved in tree planting, weed control, walk track planning and other activities. • We run the Nature Watch, program which monitors and provides input to park management and planning, and Reef Watch, a marine community monitoring program for scuba divers. • The VNPA has also produced many books on conservation issues in Victoria as well as the popular "in flower" field guides and "discovering our parks" guides. A new book 'Life on the rocky shores', has recently been published. • Victoria's parks and unique ecosystems face threats on a number of fronts, and VNPA is at the forefront of efforts to counter these threats.

12. What you need to know about the Environmental Movement – VNPA • DESCRIBE this environmental movement, including an overview of its foundation, aims and achievements • DESCRIBE how this environmental movement is connected with your chosen environment • EVALUATE the role this environmental movement has played in changing relationships with this environment. OK NOW LETS ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS!

13. Describe this environmental movement, including an overview of its foundation, aims and achievements This has been covered in previous slides but here is a shortened description: Describe – expands on your knowledge, marks usually depends on amount of information provided. A couple sentences are needed. • The VNPA is Victoria's leading nature conservation organisation. • VNPA is an independent, non-profit, membership-based group, which exists to protect Victoria's unique natural environment and biodiversity through the establishment and effective management of national parks, conservation reserves and other measures • In 1952, when the VNPA was formed, Victoria had just 13 national parks and no National Parks Act. Today, largely due to the VNPA's efforts, Victoria has 45 national parks, 13 marine national parks, 11 marine sanctuaries and numerous other parks protected under the National Parks Act • VNPA has secured the protection of almost 100,000 hectares of new River Red Gum national parks in northern Victoria • VNPA works through the avenues of public education and empowerment, advocacy and negotiation, political lobbying, desk and field research & community based activities

14. Describe how this environmental movement is connected with your chosen environment Describe – expands on your knowledge, marks usually depends on amount of information provided. A couple sentences are needed. Lets plan this answer by making a list of their involvement then will describe it on the next slide. List of ideas: • Major contribution in campaigning for the Nation Parks in Victoria. National Parks Act passed after VNPA established which protects areas of public land that satisfy its criteria. Great Otway National Park is one such area. • In recent years the VNPA was behind the successful campaign to create a world first system of marine national parks that collectively protects 5% of Victoria's coastal waters. Point Addis Marine National Park & Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary created due to VNPA’s efforts • The VNPA provides services to more than 3000 members and hosts a Friends Network for more than 200 "Friends of" parks groups throughout Victoria involved in tree planting, weed control, walk track planning and other activities. Friends of Moggs Creek (Aunty Marg!) is one such group they are involved with.

15. Describe how this environmental movement is connected with your chosen environment Describe: The VNPA have been a major contributor in successfully campaigning for the establishment of National Parks and the National Parks Act, which protects public areas such as the Great Otway National Park, located within the Corangamite region. Also recently, due to the efforts of the VNPA, the Point Addis Marine National Park & Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary were created to help form a world first system of protected marine environments. They have used several different methods such as protests, development of postcards, petitions, community gatherings and internet communication to gain community support and change government policy. The VNPA’s involvement in protection & conservation of unique Victorian environments, helps maintain and improve areas such as those listed above. This was noted on our experience to the Corangamite region when participation with the “Friends of Moggs Creek” illustrated the commitment the VNPA have towards Victorian environments as they host, support and provide services to the “Friends of” network who do weed control, tree planting and other beneficial activities.

16. Evaluate the role this environmental movement has played in changing relationships with this environment. Key words: Evaluate, changing relationships, this environment • Evaluate: a response that provides reasons why something has occurred and gives a position (effective/ not effective) based on pros and cons. • Changing relationships: how has it changed perceptions, interactions and impacts • This environment: Make clear references to the chosen environment • Step 1: Outline a position: A positive or negative impact? • Step 2: How VNPA has encouraged positives impacts on the environment • Step 3: How VNPA changed the interactions with the environment • Step 4: How VNPA is/will/has changed perceptions of the environment

17. Evaluate the role this environmental movement has played in changing relationships with this environment. • The VNPA have and will continue to influence, in a positive way, peoples relationships with the Corangamite region and the areas within it including, Great Otway National Park, Point Addis National Marine Park & Eagle Rock Marine Sanctuary. • Relationships with the Corangamite region will change for the positive as the VNPA influences users to protect, conserve and better manage the unique environments located within it. Establishment of the marine national parks and sanctuaries and continual work of the ‘friends of’ network are evidence of positive impacts within the region. • Interactions in the Corangamite region have and will continue to change as community awareness about the significance of the unique environments found there keep on growing. Environments such as Point Addis and Eagle Rock now have a community based program, ‘Reef Watch’, to help protect and conserve them. Also as mentioned earlier, the continued support of the ‘friends of’ network improves people’s awareness about the importance of looking after the unique environments by weeding and planting trees. • The VNPA will encourage people to change their perception from the past that the Corangamite region was seen as a resource and adversary. People will begin to move to a more conservative perception of the land, seeing it as an area of iconic history, national beauty and overall appreciating the life and aesthetics of the area. • Overall, the VNPA’s role in the Corangamite region has and will continue to change relationships from those that represent Worthship to one that more reflects Kinship.

18. Previous Exam Question • Namean environmental movement that you have studied. • Explain why this movement originated. 2 marks • Outlinetwo significant developments related to this movement since its origin.4 marks • Identifya view held by this movement about natural environments. 1 mark • Describea method that this movement has used to promote its views about natural environments. 2 marks • Evaluatethe effectiveness of this method. 2 marks • Discussthe role of this environmental movement in changing human relationships with Australian environments. 3 marks Total 14 marks

19. Possible answer suggestions: • Perceptions: People are now much more aware of environmental issues because of TWS national involvement. There has been a change in the perception of the environment, becoming a major political issue – governments are taking notice of the communities changing perceptions and environmental issues can affect the way people act and vote. • Interactions: Conservation groups are now larger, organised groups with a broad range of issues rather than just single issue groups with local focus. People are now prepared to get organised and stand up for environments they know and even those they don’t know. • Impacts: Conservation groups have led to many positive outcomes for the environment – protection of areas and native species, regeneration of areas, tree planting, weed removal. • You could use your knowledge and specific examples of TWS and the Franklin/pedder campaign. Students should discuss two major points in relation to human relationships with the natural environment and how it has changed due to the growth of the conservation movement. 2 marks for each point if well discussed.