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A PAPER FROM THE URBAN IMPERATIVE [Table of contents] [Buy the book] [PDF version]
Some benefits of protected areas for urban communities: A view from Sydney, Australia
NICHOLAS CONNER The author is Principal Conservation Economist, New South Wales Department of Environment and Conservation, Sydney, Australia. Citation: This paper may be cited as: [Authors.] 2005. [Article title.] In Ted Trzyna, ed., The Urban Imperative. California Institute of Public Affairs, Sacramento, California. 1. INTRODUCTION Protected areas (PAs) are defined in this paper as relatively large areas of green open space managed by state agencies for natural and cultural heritage conservation, passive recreation, and amenity. These areas are variously categorized as national parks, regional parks, state parks, and other types of state-funded public open space. This definition does not include small municipal local parks, sports grounds, and open areas. In addition to their role in protecting natural and cultural heritage, PAs contribute economic and social benefits to urban communities. The type and level of benefits a particular PA contributes to individuals, businesses and the wider community relates to its geographical and financial accessibility (e.g., is it expensive to get there? Is there a high entry charge? How much will visitors spend in the local economy? What restrictions are there on the use of the PA and its products?). The nature and type of benefits provided by PAs will also be affected by the way they are managed. Some types of benefits will be obtained from areas that can be accessed by urban residents using public or private transport for day trips or shorter visits, for walks, picnics, and sightseeing. Other types of benefits relate to longer trips, such as weekend or school holiday trips to places further away, which can include longer periods in PAs, including staying in park accommodation or in nearby towns. Some types of benefits do not depend on actual visitation, but rather the knowledge that particular values of PAs are being protected. Different types of benefits are discussed below. 2. DEFINING BENEFITS Individuals, businesses and communities derive socio-economic benefits from PAs in a variety of ways. These include using the products of PAs, obtaining recreational experiences from visiting PAs, obtaining direct and indirect income from goods and services sold to visitors, benefiting from the biophysical services provided by PAs, and obtaining health benefits from environments protected by PAs. These benefits arise from the provision of “private” goods and “public” goods as discussed below. Supply of private goods PAs provide a range of goods which can be used directly by individuals and businesses, e.g., for food supply, for sale, or as an input into the production of saleable products. In economic terms, such goods can be classified as “private” goods, as they have the characteristics of being “rival” and “excludable.” Such goods are “rival” in that their consumption by one party precludes their consumption by anyone else, either because they are used up entirely, or are monopolized at any particular time by the first party. They are “excludable” in that it is possible for the supplier or potential consumer to restrict their supply or consumption to particular parties (e.g., through pricing strategies which exclude particular groups, allocation of quotas, etc.). Supply of public goods PAs also provide types of goods and services which directly and consequentially accrue to individuals but have no immediate commercial value and cannot readily be transformed into tradable commodities or services. Unlike private goods, these goods are non-rival and non-price excludable, in that they cannot easily be appropriated by individuals or made into private assets and withheld from others, and their use by one group does not necessarily reduce their use by other groups. These types of goods and services can be defined as “public” goods. Although individuals benefit from the provision of public goods, the supply of such goods is not restricted to specific individuals and deliberately withheld from others, and their consumption by one individual does not necessarily preclude their value to another. Direct and consequential benefits Benefits which individuals, businesses and communities obtain from the provision of private and public goods can be both direct and consequential. PAs provide direct benefits through supplying a range of goods which have a commercial value for individuals and businesses, and could be translated into income generating activity e.g., the commercial value of species hunted or collected, or income received by businesses operating tours in PAs. Individuals also obtain direct benefits from the knowledge that PAs are safeguarding natural and cultural heritage for posterity. PAs also provide consequential benefits. For example, local businesses will benefit from spending made by visitors who have been attracted to their area by the presence of a nearby PA. Local communities may benefit from rehabilitation of juvenile offenders through skills training programs operated in PAs by welfare agencies. Examples of some direct and consequential benefits of private and public goods and their benefits to individuals, businesses, and communities are summarized below. 3. BENEFITS TO INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES Direct use of PA products In some locations, individuals and businesses derive direct economic benefits from operating guided tours in PAs, or harvesting or collecting the resources provided by PAs such as flowers and seeds, for subsistence use or sale. In developed countries, and particularly in urban and peri-urban areas, if such harvesting activity is permitted by park agencies it is likely to be strictly regulated. The supply of these types of goods would generally be managed through licences, quotas, permits or some other allocation system which enabled their consumption to be restricted by PA managers to prevent degradation. Purchases from local businesses and flow-on effects PA agencies can stimulate local businesses and commerce by purchasing local goods and services for park management. This expenditure results in flow-ons to other local businesses as they supply goods and services to the businesses dealing directly with the PA agency. Flow-ons to other business sectors also occur when the households directly employed in PA management spend their income on locally supplied goods and services. The business activity generated by this spending leads to incomes for, and spending by, the households employed in producing these goods and services, further stimulating local business activity. Expenditure on major capital works such as the upgrading or construction of roads and infrastructure in PAs can also generate local economic activity when local contractors and/or locally purchased goods and services are used. PAs attract visitors into the areas where they are located. While in the area, these visitors may purchase a range of goods and services such as accommodation, food and beverages, shopping, motor vehicle needs and other recreational activities. This expenditure has a positive direct impact on local businesses, producing flow-ons to other sectors of the economy, and creating new jobs. Local businesses may also operate concessions within parks selling food, souvenirs, recreational activities, etc. Recreational benefits PA visitors obtain a variety of psychological and physical benefits from the use of PAs for passive and active recreation. The economic value of these benefits for visitors can be estimated by using the costs that visitors are willing to incur in the park, plus any park entry fees, as a proxy for the value of the benefits they obtain there. Real estate values Crompton (2005) provides an extensive discussion of the influence of attractive park and open space environments on property values. In many countries, the higher price of residential properties close to PAs, relative to more distant properties, indicates the value individual purchasers place on the quality of the surrounding environment. The higher value of these properties results in their owners paying higher property taxes to governments. Thus public sector agencies receive benefits in the form of rate revenue as a consequence of the amenity values provided by PAs. Ecosystem services Natural environments provide a range of biophysical functions which provide economic benefits to businesses and communities in urban and non-urban areas. These functions include natural regulation of water flow and water quality, modification of microclimates, and assimilation of wastes. In many countries, the creation of protected areas helps to safeguard these biophysical functions (ecosystem services), and thus to maintain the economic benefits they contribute. The role of PAs in safeguarding the natural regulation of water quality and water flow is recognized by water utilities in major cities such as New York and Sydney, where drinking water supplies are derived from strictly protected water supply catchments. For example, the City of New York has invested $US 1.8 billion in the protection of the Catskills watershed which supplies the city with drinking water, instead of spending $US 6-8 billion on a proposed new water filtration plant (Postel, 2002). Investing in catchment rehabilitation also saves the city government $US 300 million per year in operating costs which would have been be incurred if the water filtration plant had been constructed (Stroud Water Research Center, 2000). Existence benefits Many of the benefits that urban communities obtain from PAs relate to physically visiting these areas. However, urban residents may also obtain benefits from the knowledge that particular values are being safeguarded by PAs in locations that are remote from urban areas and which they are unlikely to ever visit. For example, urban communities in developed countries can obtain benefits from the knowledge that PAs in different, often developing, countries are currently safeguarding natural and cultural heritage, and will do so for future generations. Personal health Medical research from developed countries (e.g. the USA and England) indicates that when people visit, or otherwise observe, natural environments they experience particular physiological and psychological effects such as lowered heart rate, lower blood pressure, stress reduction, and feelings of relaxation. These effects are in addition to the more direct effects associated with exercise and recreation in PAs and other natural environments. (See Countryside Agency 2003a, for a list of medical studies on the health benefits of activity in natural environments). In addition, many people enjoy the aesthetic qualities of open space and find this adds a further psychological benefit to their experience (Hamilton-Smith, 2001). Interest in the health benefits of PAs has tended to focus on the physical and mental health effects of walking. Agencies in the USA and England, for example, are promoting the idea of using natural environments such as PAs for physical activity. The U.S. National Park Service has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services, and the Army Corps of Engineers, to promote physical activity on public lands, through their Rivers and Trails Program (National Park Service, 2002). Similarly, the Countryside Agency, which manages access to the countryside in England, and the British Heart Foundation sponsor and coordinate the “Walking the Way to Health” program, based on the use of local walking tracks and countryside footpaths (see Countryside Agency, 2003b). Several studies have described the physical health benefits for older and more sedentary groups of walkers, especially in natural environments such as PAs (see Countryside Agency, 2003b). A recent study of bush walking, power-walking, walking groups, and other organized recreational walking in Australia identified the following characteristics of participants: In 2000, an estimated 77,880 people over the age of 18 participated in organized walking activities. Participants were predominantly female, aged over 55, married, and resident in capital city regions of New South Wales and Victoria. Whereas women make up 45% of participants in all sports and physical activities, over 67% of walkers are women. The majority of walkers do not participate in other sport and physical activities. Unlike the majority of other organized sports and physical activities, participation rates do not start to decline until old age (Active Australia, 2003). 4. BENEFITS TO COMMUNITIES PAs provide benefits to communities through providing opportunities for community interaction. Such interaction can promote community cohesion and the quality of life of the members of these communities. This in turn can lead to a reduction in anti-social behavior and delinquency, and reduced need for policing and legal enforcement. These effects will also provide consequential benefits to individuals in terms of reduced personal and property offenses. Community quality of life Hamilton Smith (2001) has identified a range of benefits which national parks and other forms of protected open space can provide for communities; including the following:
The New South Wales Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) is currently collaborating with staff from the University of Western Sydney on a four-year research project to assess the contribution of PAs to community quality of life. This project will develop quality of life indicators in conjunction with a case study community, and identify the role of PAs in contributing to community quality of life aspirations in this community. Local perceptions of the value of PAs will then be compared and contrasted with the values attributed to these areas by external “experts,” and management initiatives sought to bridge differences in perceptions. It is intended that this research will provide information for PA managers to help to improve the effectiveness of their planning and delivery of park management to the community (Bushell, Staiff and Conner, 2002). Cultural heritage PAs provide community benefits through supporting cultural heritage, by protecting environments that have cultural value, and by providing venues for communities to meet to carry out cultural activities. Historic heritage National parks around Sydney provide benefits to urban communities through their role in protecting examples of the history of colonial settlement and development in Australia since 1788. The Blue Mountains National Park west of Sydney (now part of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area), for example, has considerable value as a record of the European exploration and settlement of New South Wales (NSW). This followed the first successful European crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813. The park is also associated with the development of the environmental conservation movement in NSW (as the focus of campaigns to establish PAs, including wilderness from the 1920s). The park contains large areas of land identified as Wilderness; the existence of these areas provides benefits to communities in terms of the value they attach to knowing that such special areas are being protected. Indigenous cultural heritage PAs also provide community benefits through protecting aboriginal cultural heritage for indigenous and non-indigenous communities. Aboriginal places of cultural significance in the Sydney region include cave shelters, axe grinding grooves, middens, rock engravings and art sites in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park in the north of Sydney, and red-hand caves in the Blue Mountains National Park. PAs can also play a role in improving community understanding of indigenous heritage through their educational activities. For example, DEC conducts an Aboriginal Discovery program as part of its state-wide community education program of guided walks, talks and tours in national parks. This program aims to foster appreciation and understanding of Aboriginal cultural heritage by non-indigenous participants, and to build capacity in aboriginal communities to gain social, economic and environmental benefits through cultural education and tourism. During 2001/02, 41 Aboriginal discovery rangers were employed throughout NSW and conducted over 1,000 activities with aboriginal components with more than 17,500 participants (National Parks and Wildlife Service, 2002). Around Sydney, Aboriginal Discovery Tours include bush tucker and bush medicine tours at Botany Bay National Park with Aboriginal discovery rangers, and Discovery Tours at Bradleys Head in Sydney Harbour National Park which explore how local aboriginal people and European settlers made use of the local environment in the past (National Parks and Wildlife Service, 2003). Multicultural heritage Parks and other protected areas in and around Sydney are used by a wide range of different visitors for a variety of purposes, whether for education, passive or physical recreation and enjoyment, social gatherings, ceremonies, or cultural events. DEC has an ongoing program of research into the relationship between ethnicity and landscape and the ways different cultural groups perceive the natural environment and PAs. Research includes a study of the Macedonian community in Sydney (Thomas, 2001), and the experiences of Vietnamese people with PAs around the Georges River in South Sydney (Thomas, 2002). The first of these studies examined how national parks and other open spaces around Sydney played a unique role for Macedonian migrants in consolidating the feeling of being Macedonian in Australia. Picnics and barbeques in national parks provided occasions when they could be together en masse as Macedonians. Since the Second World War, the tradition of a Christmas Day picnic in Royal National Park in the South of Sydney has provided a way of welcoming new arrivals into the Australian Macedonian community (Thomas, 2001, 93). The second study examined the perceptions of Vietnamese Australians towards national parks. Many Vietnamese people see national parks as peaceful contrasts to the stresses of working lives and cities, but also perceive the areas beyond picnic sites as isolated and potentially dangerous (from snakes, spiders, etc.). As well as being used for recreation and leisure, national parks provide an important venue for religious activities and scouting activities, and often provide a sense of national belonging and pride in being Australian for many Vietnamese Australians. However, visits to national parks generally require a “cultural mediator” (either a non-Vietnamese friend or a younger Vietnamese person who had previously visited national parks) to suggest, initiate, and plan the visit (Thomas, 2002, 126). The above research illustrates the valuable role that protected areas can play in the maintenance and reinforcement of cultural networks, and is providing information to help park planning and management. Community services As well as providing quality of life and cultural benefits to communities, protected areas can support the services provided by government community service agencies. Education One of the objectives of many PA agencies is to encourage learning about natural and cultural heritage through the use of national parks and other protected areas. For example, DEC has a number of field studies centers in PAs, run jointly with, or solely by, the Department of Education and Training (DET), e.g., at Royal National Park, Botany Bay National Park, and Barren Grounds Nature Reserve. Around Sydney, DET uses PAs for running a number of their Technical and Further Education programs which include the statewide “Streamwatch” water monitoring program for schools, and helping students develop school environmental management plans. Many PAs provide valuable venues for higher education. DEC is currently collaborating with a number of universities, with students working on projects managed jointly by DEC. This gives park agency staff the opportunity to explain the importance of cultural and natural heritage conservation to students, and to assist students who wish to work on conservation related projects of practical value to their course and educational development. For example, DEC is participating in a research partnership with the University of Western Sydney and the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) to examine a wide range of biophysical, economic, and cultural issues relating to park and visitor management in PAs on the NSW South Coast. This project has been running for five years, with students and academic staff collaborating with DEC officers on a number of research projects. These include an analysis of the current park entry fee system, development of principles for a visitor impact monitoring system, and establishment of effective interpretation and education processes for a PA Visitor Centre south of Sydney. Welfare As well as being used by individuals and social groups for various activities, community service agencies in Sydney and Melbourne use PAs as a venue for providing a range of services such as sport and recreational programs, environmental education, health care, and skills development for target groups (see Section 5 below). The U.S. National Association of State Park Directors also identifies the positive value of state parks in reducing antisocial behavior by providing a venue for recreational opportunities (National Association of State Park Directors, 2001). Protected areas can play a role in utilizing the labor and skills of people on Community Service Orders. In NSW, juveniles and adults placed on Community Service Orders by courts are required to work on community service programs. DEC recently completed a two-year project involving juvenile offenders performing community service activities. This program involved young offenders working 2 days per week, for up to 8 months, on outdoor tasks such as weed eradication, fence construction, maintenance of facilities, and other similar projects. Although the program has been deferred due to the need to allocate resources to fighting bush fires in the area, local DEC staff are keen to reintroduce this program in the near future. Thus PAs and other open space environments can play a role in the delivery of community programs, which provide benefits to community service agencies, to the wider community, and consequently to individuals. 5. VALUING PUBLIC OPEN SPACE FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE PROVISION: A CASE STUDY Background State-funded public open space in Sydney comprises relatively large areas of green open space managed by state government agencies for natural and cultural heritage, amenity, and passive recreation. Examples include the Blue Mountains National Park and Royal National Park, Centennial Park, Western Sydney Regional Park, and Sydney Olympic Parklands. Several state government community service agencies regularly use these areas as part of their programs, including the NSW Department of Health (e.g., as part of its Public Education Program), the Department of Education and Training (e.g., through Environmental Education Centres), and the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation. The existence of such areas provides benefits for these agencies, as it enables them to avoid the additional costs of having to use alternative venues for delivering their programs. Assessing the benefits of public open space The Sydney Urban Parks Education and Research Group (see Appendix 1) commissioned a study of these benefits for community service agencies (SUPER Group, 2001). The aims of the study were to:
Data collection Interviews were carried out with representatives of NSW and Victorian government agencies identified as having programs using public open space, to collect information on:
Estimating the economic benefits of public open space The economic benefits of public open space for the provision of community services were estimated by considering the programs delivered, and the expenditure that would be incurred “with” and “without” public open space being available. This is known as an Avoided Cost approach. In this study, avoided costs consist mainly of additional time and extra transport costs. Avoided costs are calculated as the additional amount that the agencies would have to pay for their programs to be delivered if public open space areas were not available. In this way, an avoided cost represents an economic benefit. Results Interviewees in community service agencies saw public open space contributing to the provision of community services through:
The interviewees also saw public open space as providing:
The economic contribution of public open space to community service provision was estimated through examining two case studies in Sydney and one in Melbourne (see Appendix 2), and deriving estimates of avoided costs for metropolitan Sydney and Melbourne as described below. Avoided costs (savings) for metropolitan regions Data was obtained from community service agency representatives on program costs with, and without, access to public open space. Avoided costs for the Sydney and Melbourne metropolitan regions as a whole were estimated by adding all the individual additional program costs that would be incurred without access to public open space. The total avoided cost in the Greater Sydney region was estimated as between Australian dollars (AUD) $10.6 million–$14.6 million per year. (As of this writing, one AUD was equivalent to about US $0.7.) Avoided costs for the Greater Melbourne Region were estimated as being between AUD $4.4m and $4.5m. Representatives of Sydney and Melbourne community service agencies surveyed for this study estimated that the current costs of delivering programs using open space would increase by 50% to 75% if they were unable to use public open space and had to make alternative arrangements. 6. ISSUES IN DELIVERING BENEFITS Establishment of a PA will not necessarily lead to the provision of the benefits described above. Park managers who wish to promote such benefits should be aware of the following factors which can influence the delivery and uptake of these benefits. Types of socio-economic benefits The nature of visitor infrastructure and facilities provided in a PA is likely to influence the category of visitor traveling to the area, the type of benefits visitors obtain, and the type of goods and services they would be looking to purchase in the area (which would generate private consequential benefits for local businesses). PA managers considering expenditure on visitor infrastructure and facilities in their parks should be aware of this effect. PA managers and agencies need to understand the potential socio-economic benefits of different PAs and to consider the optimum mix of benefits they wish to promote for individual PAs, and across the range of PAs in their estate. Organizational culture Protected area agencies have traditionally seen their role as managing natural resources or providing venues for public access. Agencies which wish to encourage the provision of socio-economic benefits from their PAs will need to foster an organizational culture which supports the role of PAs in delivering socio-economic benefits. This will involve building organizational links between social science and natural science researchers, policy-makers, and park managers, and adopting strategic planning processes which incorporate the use of socio-economic issues and concerns in corporate planning, as well as protecting natural and cultural heritage. Park management plans and other planning instruments used by the park agency will also be needed to ensure that PAs can effectively deliver the socio-economic benefits in question over time. This will help to ensure that activities which deliver benefits are appropriately resourced. Relationships between communities and PA agencies The extent to which the potential benefits of PAs accrue to local communities depends on the economic and social culture of the community. This culture includes the willingness of local firms to provide goods and services to PA managers and visitors. It also concerns the willingness of local government authorities, progress associations, and other community groups to interact with PA managers to examine how the benefits provided by PAs can be captured by the local community. In their turn, PA managers may need to decide whether to obtain goods and services needed for PA management from larger regional businesses, or from smaller local firms where the required goods and services may be more costly, but where such local patronage may encourage community support for the presence of the PA. Equity issues The benefits provided by PAs accrue to a wide range of individuals and businesses and to the wider community. Not all these groups will benefit equally from the presence and management of PAs. In some cases, certain management approaches may impose costs on particular individuals and groups (for example, where upgrading park tracks and trails leads to conflicts between different users and the unintentional displacement of one group by another). PA managers need to be aware of these potential impacts, and should attempt to ensure that park establishment and management does not unintentionally create benefits for some groups at the expense of others. Coordinated planning and management PA managers need to be aware of programs being carried out in the community by other government agencies, and the extent to which the objectives of these programs coincide with, or are incompatible, with the objectives of the PA. Discussion and liaison with representatives of other government agencies can be helpful in identifying and achieving mutually compatible objectives and developing coordinated strategies. For example, where a range of tourist attractions exist in a particular area, PAs can promote tourism by acting as an additional visitor attraction, and by providing information on other venues to park visitors. Such examples of coordinated interagency approaches help to demonstrate to politicians and the public that PAs contribute to the economic and social welfare of the community. This can help to generate valuable public and political support for PA agencies in seeking resources for conservation from funding agencies. 7. CONCLUSIONS This paper has described some of the benefits of protected areas for urban constituencies and suggested a number of issues that PA managers need to consider in providing such benefits. Identifying and valuing the benefits of conservation is a first step in obtaining support for conservation from urban constituencies and decision-makers. PA managers will also need to enhance the level of public awareness of the benefits of PAs through promoting the natural and cultural heritage values of PAs and providing information to potential beneficiaries. This will encourage greater community awareness of the attributes of individual PAs, and the objectives of PAs in general. This, in turn, will lead to increased public benefits through higher existence values, higher private benefits from more visits to PAs (in terms of recreational experiences), and greater private benefits for local businesses from increased visitor expenditure. Information about these benefits will also need to be communicated to decision-makers and stakeholders through education and information dissemination, and involvement projects such as volunteer schemes and fundraising. These issues are discussed in other papers in this volume. Note: The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the New South Wales Department of Environment and Conservation. 8. REFERENCES Active Australia. 2003. Active facts - The numbers game: Walking. http://www.ausport.gov.au. Bushell, R., R.Staiff, and N. Conner. 2002. The role of nature-based tourism in the contribution of protected areas to quality of life in rural and regional communities in Australia. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management 9 (1). Crompton, J. 2005. The impact of parks on property values: empirical evidence from the past two decades in the United States. Managing Leisure 10 (4). Countryside Agency. 2003a. Walking the Way to Health Initiative. Medical evidence. http://www.whi.org.uk. Countryside Agency. 2003b. Walking the Way to Health Initiative. http://www.whi.org.uk. Hamilton-Smith, E. 2001. The Social Benefits of Public Open Space: A Review. Sydney Urban Parks Education and Research (SUPER) Group, Sydney. National Park Service. 2002. President Bush highlights Rivers and Trails Program in the Healthier U.S. Initiative. Press release, 21 June, Washington, D.C. National Parks and Wildlife Service. 2002. Discovery Annual Report 2001/2002. National Parks and Wildlife Service, New South Wales, Sydney. National Parks and Wildlife Service. 2003. NPWS Guided Tours. http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au. National Association of State Park Directors. 2001. Personal/individual values and benefits of state parks. Postel, S. 2002. From Rio to Johannesberg: Securing Water for People, Crops and Ecosystems. World Summit Policy Brief No.8. Worldwatch Institute, Washington, D.C. Stroud Water Research Center. 2000. Water for Gotham: Stroud Center tackles New York City’s internationally envied system. Stroud Center Newsletter, Fall 2000. http://www.stroudcenter.org/newsletters SUPER Group. 2001. The Value of Public Open Space for Community Service Provision. Sydney Urban Parks Education and Research (SUPER) Group, Sydney. Thomas, Martin. 2001. A Multicultural Landscape: National Parks and the Macedonian Experience: Studies in the Cultural Construction of Open Space. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Sydney. Thomas, Mandy. 2002. Moving Landscapes: National Parks and the Vietnamese Experience: Studies in the Cultural Construction of Open Space. NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service, Sydney. _______________ APPENDIX 1: Sydney Urban Parks Education and Research Group (SUPER Group) The Sydney Urban Parks Education and Research (SUPER) Group was established in January 1998 to provide a strategic integrated approach to urban park research in Sydney. SUPER Group members are: NSW Department of Environment and Conservation, Centennial Park & Moore Park Trust; Parramatta Regional Park Trust; Sydney Olympic Park Authority; Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, NSW Department of Infrastructure Planning and Natural Resources, and the University of Technology, Sydney (School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism). The key objectives of the SUPER Group are to:
_______________ APPENDIX 2: Case study locations Centennial Parklands Centennial Parklands, in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs, comprises a total area of over 354 hectares. The parklands has more than five million visitors per year, who carry out a wide range of activities including golf, barbecues, picnics, walks, sporting pursuits, and bike riding. Facilities include gardens, a wetland, nature trails, bush tucker trails, birdwatching, and food outlets. Major users of the area are the NSW Department of Tourism, Sport, and Recreation, and NSW Department of Education and Training (Schools). Local schools actively use the parkland’s facilities and open spaces, with an average school week having over 200 sports oval bookings, for an average time of two hours. This represents an important sporting facility for local schools. School environmental programs also use the parks, with around 100 field excursions per year. The study identified Centennial Parklands as providing an annual avoided cost for community service agencies of AUD $4.0m. Western Sydney Regional Park Western Sydney Regional Park is located 30km from the Sydney central business district at Horsley Park, and when fully developed will cover 1,000 hectares. Recreational facilities in the park include playgrounds, walking and cycling paths, extended tracks for long-distance walkers, horse riding trails, open space, and kickabout playing surfaces. The park contains the Fairfield City Farm, the Sydney International Equestrian Centre, and the Olympic Mountain Biking Course. Park rangers assist Fairfield City Farm in an environmental education program for schools. School groups from the region use the park for environmental education field trips (tree planting, nature walks, etc.), cross-country races, and general excursions. Disability groups frequently use the park’s facilities, as does the NSW Department of Juvenile Justice for skills development classes for young offenders. The study identified this venue as providing an annual avoided cost for community service agencies of AUD $0.25m per year. Wattle Park Wattle Park in Melbourne is a 60-hectare recreation area that encloses a nine-hole golf course; a chalet used for weddings, meetings and conferences; a cricket oval; walking tracks; natural bushland; and a playground area. The Park receives approximately 500,000 visitors per year. Local people use the park for walking and picnicking; other regular users include university groups who use the area for environmental studies, and school students who use the playground and activity areas. The main state government agency depending on Wattle Park for the delivery of its programs is the Victorian Department of Education. The Department estimated that the annual avoided cost of using the park would be AUD $0.2m per year. Corrected 3/2008
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