Southern Alps plan released

Press, 10 March 1982, Page 4

Southern Alps plan released

A management study of Crown land in the central Southern Alps has been released for public comment by the Lands and Survey Department. The management area consists of a large block of Crown land along the Main Divide between the Arthur’s Pass, Mount Cook, and Westland national parks. The Commissioner of Crown Lands for Canterbury (Mr E. J. Davies) said the approach adopted for the study recognised two tiers of planning. The first tier dealt with the development of an overall strategy for the area, establishing goals for management and deciding in principle on the main uses. The second tier was the way the strategy could be implemented and the appropriate uses permitted and encouraged.

The area would be divided into four units in recognition of the physical differences in

the region. They are the Adams, Whitcombe-Brown-ing, Wilberforce, and Rangi-tata-Rakaia Crown land management areas. The Adams management area comprises 56,000 ha of alpine and sub-alpine land, in South Westland. The Whitcombe-Browning area is 74,000 ha of lowland to alpine land in North Westland. The Wilberforce area is 23,000 ha of Crown land in the Upper Wilberforce Valley, with Crown land to the north-east of the North Mathias River and Canyon Creek. The Ran-gitata-Rakaia management area is 48,000 ha of Crown land in the headwaters of the Rangitata, Ashburton, and Rakaia rivers, and the high mountainous land on the Canterbury side of the Main Divide.

The management plans classify the land according to recommended land use. Three classes of land man-' agement are used — protection, recreation, and production.

Each class has a series of sub-classes for which management policies have been listed. These cover aspects. including aircraft use, hunting, recreational facilities, mining and hydro-electric" power, tourism, and com-j mercial game recovery. ’ “The department is invit-. ing public submissions on the options and policies that have been formulated in these draft management. 1 plans,” said Mr Davies. > Care had been taken dur-; ing the study to account for? the views and opinions of. local ' authorities, Govern-” ment departments, interested ■■ organisations, user groups and individuals when determining future Ihnd use options, he said. ) Copies of the management study can,be obtained from the 'Commissioner of Crown lands in Hokitika or Christchurch, and comments will be accepted to May 7.