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1.1 STATUS Diggers Headland Crown Reserve comprises Reserve 44430 for Public Recreation, notified J6 October 1909. The Reserve Trustee is Diggers Headland (R44430) Reserve Trust which is managed by Ulmarra Shire Council. The reserve is part of the Crown Reserve system and the statutory provisions relating to the system are contained in Annexure 1. The duties of a reserve rust are contained in Annexure 2.
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1.2 STUDY AREA Diggers Headland Reserve is located in northern New South Wales and is bounded by the Yuraygir National Park to the north, south and west and the Solitary islands Marine Park to the east. It is located some 50 km south east of Grafton (refer Figure 1). Reserve R44430 comprises Lot 20, DP45976 and has an area of 23.04ha. (refer Figure 2)
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1.3 BACKGROUND Diggers Headland reserve is a popular recreation reserve used by local residents, campers and day users. All these groups use the area because of its obvious attractions; the beach, the adjacent national park, the low key atmosphere, and pastimes too numerous to mention. The environment in many parts of the reserve is in pristine condition. Diverse heaths are succeeded by woodlands which are in turn succeeded by open forest, all essentially weed free. The reserve contains swamp forest and wetland, not degraded by human impact or weed invasion and provides habitat for vulnerable and significant plant species. A diverse fauna is either resident or transient in the reserve. Information supplied by the National Parks and Wildlife Service suggest a range of threatened animal species likely to be present.
However, other areas of the reserve are under considerable pressure from past and present human interference. Erosion, weed invasion, littering and vandalism are causing serious degradation, especially adjacent to Zone 1, the area of highest use by the public. in fact, every boundary that Zone 1 shares with other zone boundaries is affected by at least one of the degrading factors mentioned above and in some areas by all of them. However, the interior of these affected areas is natural bushland and in good condition except for Zone 4, the foredune, which is degraded throughout from the effects of the destruction of natural vegetation, weed invasion and uncontrolled pedestrian access creating erosion. An opportunity exists at Diggers Headland to arrest this degradation and restore already degraded areas to their natural condition. This can be achieved through the active participation of all stakeholders in co-operation with the Reserve Trust Manager and through the management proposals presented in this document. The environmental problems discussed in this section are widespread along the NSW coast and restoration and regeneration programmes are being undertaken in many areas. Indeed, a community Dune Care group has been active at Diggers Headland. Various avenues are available where funding may be sought to carry out necessary works but the ultimate success of such progrAmmes, in any locality, depends on good planning the goodwill of the local community and the support of bodies such as the Reserve Trust and government departments. |
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