The document discusses different ways to delineate and classify land in Victoria, Australia. It outlines several categories for distinguishing public land reserves, including national parks, state parks, wilderness parks, marine sanctuaries, state forests, and more. It provides brief descriptions and primary purposes for each type of land reserve.

1. WAYS TO DELINEATE
LAND

2. Some of the ways that we can distinguish areas within
the natural environment are
•Watersheds and catchment areas such as Murray Darling
Basin, Goulburn Broken catchment and swan bay
•Landforms such as the Great Dividing Range & Bogong
High Plains
•Land Management units, such as State Parks, National
Parks & State Forests
•Public & Private Land
•Vegetation types and ecosystems
•Communication corridors created by transmission lines

3. The total area of Victoria is 22 760 000 hectares.
The majority of this land is privately owned by
individuals, families, companies etc.
The remainder is referred to as public or crown land
and is managed by various government authorities
Parks Victoria manages 4.1 million hectares of public
land or approx. 17% of Victoria

4. Victoria’s reserve system consists of:
•>45 National Parks
•3 Wilderness Parks
•30 State Parks
•11 Marine Sanctuaries
•13 Marine National Parks
•37 Metropolitan Parks
•63 other parks (Regional & Reservoir)
•2785 natural features, reserves and conservation reserves
•8400 registered Indigenous cultural heritage sites
•2500 historic places parks
NB: figures accurate as of 2009
There are also other types of reserves, such as State
Forests , which are managed by the Dept. of
Sustainability and Environment (DSE).

5. Public land reserves within Victoria
DESCRIPTION PURPOSE
National Park
Extensive area of land, nationally
•Protect & conserve native species,
landscapes and cultural values
significant because of specific flora,
fauna, archaeological, historic &/or
•Protection of catchments
geographic features
•Recreation & education
•Limited areas of development

6. Public land reserves within Victoria
DESCRIPTION PURPOSE
Wilderness Park
Large area relatively unaltered by the •Maintain undisturbed nature
European settlement of Australia and •Maintain & protect natural
free of extractive processes processes
•Opportunities for isolated, self-
reliant recreation

7. Public land reserves within Victoria
DESCRIPTION PURPOSE
State Park
Natural Environments, scenic •Protect & conserve native species,
landscapes and land types landscapes and cultural values
complementing those found in •Protection of catchments
National Parks and representing the •Recreation & education
major land types of Victoria •Limited areas of development

8. Public land reserves within Victoria
DESCRIPTION PURPOSE
•provision of timber and other forest
products on a sustainable-yield basis
•supply of water and protection of
catchments
State Forest •protection and conservation of
Native Forests and other vegetation native flora and fauna, landscape,
available for conservation, recreation and other natural values, and
and resource harvesting archaeological and historical values
•provide opportunities for public
recreation and education and other
public services

9. Public land reserves within Victoria
DESCRIPTION PURPOSE
Reference Area
Undisturbed areas containing •Protect natural ecosystems for
representations of major ecosystems scientific, reference
•Restricted use for non-manipulative
scientific investigations

10. Public land reserves within Victoria
DESCRIPTION PURPOSE
•recreation for large numbers of
people associated with enjoyment of
the natural surroundings
Regional Park •protection and conservation of
Land containing indigenous & non- native flora, fauna and natural
indigenous vegetation and accessible features compatible with the above
from urban routes and centers. •limited exploitation of natural
resources in specified areas and
where compatible with both the
above

11. Public land reserves within Victoria
DESCRIPTION PURPOSE
•protection and conservation of
native flora, fauna, natural features,
and sites of archaeological or
historical importance
•diverse recreation and education
Marine National Parks associated with the enjoyment and
Highly protected area with no fishing, understanding of natural
extractive or damaging activities environments compatible with the
allowed. protection of park values
•development of selected areas for
more intensive recreation
•controlled commercial utilization of
natural resources in marine parks

12. Public land reserves within Victoria
DESCRIPTION PURPOSE
•protection and maintenance of the
Natural features reserve identified landscape and/or other
An area of land containing important values
elements of the natural environment, •recreation and education where
landscape, and/or geological or appropriate and where compatible
geomorphological features that are of with the above
scenic or conservation significance •controlled low­intensity exploitation
of natural resources compatible with
both the above

13. Public land reserves within Victoria
DESCRIPTION PURPOSE
Nature conservation •protection of species or
communities of native
reserve •plants and animals
An area of land and/or water of •education, scientific study, and
particular A importance because of its limited informal
significant floral or faunal values or •recreation compatible with that
natural habitat protection

14. Public land reserves within Victoria
DESCRIPTION PURPOSE
Historic and Cultural
features reserve
protection and maintenance of identified historical - relics and artefacts
An area of land containing significant recreation and education associated with the understanding of the history of
relics and/or artefacts of historical or the region, compatible with the above _
limited exploitation of natural resources compatible with both the above
cultural importance

15. Public land reserves within Victoria
DESCRIPTION PURPOSE
•provision of opportunities for
students to compare and study the
Education areas nature and functioning of natural
An area of land containing a diversity ecosystems and to conduct field
of land types capable of providing for analysis and manipulative
a range of educational experiences experiments
and having safe access •maintain the integrity of the
ecosystems so far as is compatible
with the above

16. Public land reserves within Victoria
DESCRIPTION PURPOSE
•protection of the water supply and
the operation of the water supply
system
Water Production •restriction of access to protect
An area of land in the catchment of or water quality
adjacent to a water supply storage or •conservation of the natural
offtake environment,'landscape and
features of cultural significance
where compatible with the first
object