Much of the mountain country across south eastern Australia and lutruwita/ Tasmania is on protected public lands. While the ski resorts continue to intensify the impact of their existing footprint through continued building and infrastructure, across the undeveloped zones there are also a range of projects that threaten the health of ecosystems.
Seperately, each can feel insignificant. But when taken collectively the impact is enormous. This is a quick assessment of some of the big picture trends happening across the Alps and mountainous zones of Tasmania at present.
Climate change impacts intensify
While the snow industry continues to hurt after two short seasons, we have been lucky enough to avoid significant landscape scale fires in mountain zones in recent years. But the impacts of climate change, including more erratic winters, destruction of mountain forests due to climate change driven fire regimes and the continued spread of dieback in snow gum woodlands goes on.
Solutions and further info
Check here for the rescue plan for snow gums.
Consider attending the first ever snow gum summit, which will happen at Dinner Plain in mid February 2025. Details here.
Send a letter to the Victorian environment minister urging him to act to protect snow gum woodlands.
Invasive species
In a significant development both NSW and Victoria have been carrying out significant culling programs of feral horses. This is happening after years of delays and can be expected to reduce degradation of at risk alpine ecosystems.
Victoria has also been running a sustained culling program for deer. Deer continue to spread into new areas in Tasmania.
Solutions and extra info
The Invasive Species Council are a leading NGO active in this space.
Commercial development in the conservation estate
Falls to Hotham walk
While several state governments around the country continue to push for further commercial tourist development within national parks and other wild places, it does feel like momentum is slowing down. In Victoria the deeply unpopular Falls to Hotham ‘iconic walk’ expansion, which will see commercial tourist accommodation established within the Alpine national park, has been scaled back. It doesn’t seem like there is funding to start the project and the enormous costs of putting a proper walking track up the Diamantina Spur could well knock the project off.
It is currently in the ‘final assessments and approvals’ phase of design.
Solutions and further info
The Parks Victoria page on the project can be found here.
The Victorian National Parks Association is leading the campaign against the track upgrade. Their website is here.
‘Helicopter tourism’ company goes into liquidation
In some wonderful news, the company behind the highly controversial commercial tourism development at Lake Malbena on the central plateau in lutruwita/ Tasmania has been placed into liquidation.
It follows legal action by the Wilderness Society, which was owed court costs by the company – and comes after a decade of debate on tourism in wilderness areas.
Solutions and further info
Background story from the ABC here.
Background stories on the Lake Malbena saga from Mountain Journal here.
Logging ends in the Victorian high country
In a wonderful announcement, in 2023 the Victorian government announced that native forest logging on public lands in the eastern half of the state would end on January 1, 2024.
We are now in the post logging phase, and significant areas that had been earmarked for harvesting such as multiple areas around Mt Stirling, the headwaters of the Little Dargo and at Mt Wills are now safe.
A government process, led by the Great Outdoors Taskforce, is currently considering future land management options for the 1.8 million hectares of forest now saved from logging operations. They are expected to make recommendations to government by mid 2025.
Solutions and further info
Background on the Great Outdoors Taskforce process here.
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot
In a bizarre move, resort management at Falls Creek want to clear the Bogong High Plains road in winter up to the Rocky Valley dam in order to squeeze in a couple of hundred extra cars. This will mean that the road, currently the main entry point from the resort to the backcountry and cross country trails, will no longer be available to skiers.
This proposal is currently being contested in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (October 2024). We expect an outcome soon.
Solutions and further info
As always, action is the antidote to despair
Check here for a guide to groups active across the high country.
If you would like an issue or campaign added to this list, please send it through: cam.walker@foe.org.au
Mountain Journal 
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