naracoorte caves national park

• Visiting the Park
• Natural Attractions
• Park Management
• Friends of Parks
• The Caves
• Wonambi Fossil Centre
• Education
• Conferences and Events
• Links
• Downloadable Information
• Facilities and Fees

Naracoorte Caves National Park

Management Structure

Naracoorte Caves National Park is established under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1972 and is administered by our South East Region. As a World Heritage Property, the Commonwealth Department, Environment Australia, also plays a role in management via the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Management Plan

Day to day management is provided by district staff in accordance with the provisions of the Management Plan (650Kb PDF) for the park. An outline of the implementation of the management plan is provided in 'Management of Naracoorte Caves World Heritage Area' (50Kb PDF).

Research

Fossil Research

The research program at Naracoorte Caves is multi disciplinary and includes several institutions around Australia and some international involvement. Flinders University in Adelaide has been the primary research institution for over 30 years.

Projects are first assessed by our Permits Unit and then by the Chief Scientific Investigator for their potential contribution to the overall objectives of the program. Assessment is also carried out by the Caves Manager to address cave access, size of sample area, interpretive opportunities, logistical problems such as removing sediment from the cave for further analysis and most importantly, how the site will be managed post excavation. This process ensures maximum information is gleaned from each deposit, sets part of each site aside for future reference and protects other values of the caves. A Researcher's Protocol is in place to provide guidelines and requirements for researchers undertaking work at Naracoorte Caves.

Bat Cave Research

In 2000 it was observed that the invertebrate fauna in Bat Cave had declined and subsequent research has shown the bat population has also declined since the previous population estimates in the 1960s. A research program has been established to accurately determine the bat population and any factors that may have contributed to the decline.

Current work includes counting of bats using electronic methods by Terry Reardon of the South Australian Museum and Bentwing Bat ecology by Chris Grant from Deakin University.

Contact

Department for Environment and Heritage,
PO Box 134,
Naracoorte SA 5271,
Australia

Phone: (61 8) 8762 3412
Fax: (61 8) 8762 1231

CFS Hotline 1300 362 361