This review examines the ecological effects of roads and utility corridors such as powerlines, pipelines, canals and railway lines on undisturbed habitat and native wildlife. Public concern about roads in natural areas is increasing, as shown by the public protests against forest roads in the Central Highlands of Victoria and the National Estate areas in the south-east forests of New South Wales. The Daintree Read through Queensland's tropical rainforest created an international protest and remains Australia's most notorious road. The original Very Fast Train (VFT) proposal favoured a route which would have divided the two major wilderness areas of the Gippsland forests in Victoria by creating a fenced impenetrable barrier to some wildlife. Planning authorities need to address the impacts of fragmentation of natural habitats by such developments. Although it is difficult to draw conclusions from a comparison of studies covering different countries, species and habitats, areas of concern for wildlife conservation and management emerge, including increased mortality, divided populations and invasions of common species. There is a need for studies on the effects of these linear artifacts on Australian wildlife.

ABSTRACT Australia's system of conservation reserves is inadequate to conserve continental biodiversity. Reserves are small, isolated, and unrepresentative of continental ecosystems to the extent that entire groups of organisms, such as nomadic and migratory birds, are poorly conserved. The reasons for the inadequacy of the reserve system are historical and embedded in politics, emotion, and ideology. To illustrate these ideas, I describe my experiences in dealing with the politics, emotion, and ideology of reserve selection and management from the late 1960's to the early 1990's in New South Wales first as a member of the Scientific Committee advising the Minister of Lands and then as a member of the New South Wales National Parks Advisory Council. An emphasis on pristine landscapes and wildness compromised recommendations for the development of the New South Wales' reserve system. My account of events as I experienced them may be of interest to persons tracing the history of reserve selection in Australia and of value to those seeking a better system of reserves for the conservation of Australia's biota. Not everyone will agree with my views, but creating a reserve system capable of conserving Australia's biodiversity requires a new vision for conservation. There is evidence that this is happening, with increased scientific involvement in reserve selection, design, and management, but politics, emotion, and ideology continue to dominate Australian conservation efforts.

This is a history of beginnings, but it doesn't come from 1879. Rather it is about the politics of the World Centennial of National Parks in 1972. Not in 1964 - 100 years after the first national park in the world, Yosemite. Nor in 1979 - 100 years after Royal National Park was legislated as the first national park in the world. The politics of the decision to rewrite history to make Yellowstone National Park the signature ‘first’ national park in the world is entangled with the perception of RNP's history. This decision reveals much about the workings of Earth Day politics in USA in 1970, and also the networks between national parks managers in Australia and in the United States in this period. The story speaks to the tensions between the national and global in the politics of biological diversity at a time when national parks were seen as the primary solution to a crisis of extinctions. It also reflects the tensions in Australia inherent in the constitutional responsibility for ‘national’ parks being vested in the states and the issues this still raises for Australia's international responsibilities for global biodiversity.

Historically, most people have tended to visit national parks for ‘rest, relaxation and reinvigoration’, typically resulting in moderate ecological impacts. However, increasingly, recreation in natural areas is including ‘adventure’ sports. One such recreation/sport that now incorporates a range of forms, including adventure derivatives, is mountain biking. In the more extreme forms, riders use extensive trials, often with steep segments and natural or human-made obstacles demonstrate technical skills (e.g., balance, calculated risk-taking, excitement, speed). Appreciation of the natural environment is seldom, if ever, a reason for participation. In this paper we consider the potential for impact on the fauna of national parks. While there is a dearth of information on the impact of mountain biking, we conclude that park management needs to be strategic in their consideration of the issues associated with mountain biking or the outcome will be further degradation of natural areas and, at the least, loss of many animals if not major threats to populations.

ABSTRACT This paper a) gives an historical view of national parks and other protected areas since the 19th century, b) gives a history of national parks and nature reserves in NSW, c) shows how recent has been the recognition that fauna conservation depends upon protected areas, d) reflects how much has been achieved in the last 50 years, and e) considers what must be done to stop an ever–increasing list of our fauna becoming extinct, including identifying the crucial role of scientific study in this endeavour. The evolving debate of what burden protected areas should carry in conserving the nation's fauna is a central theme of this paper. The First World Congress on National Parks in 1962 produced ideals that are inspiring, connected and ecological. What was not apparent in 1962 was the scale of the problem of conserving the flora and fauna of the world. I present the case that the principles of protecting areas, fauna conservation and scientific research for nature conservation have been slow to take hold and uneasy in their political relationships as a land use option, but are now beginning to be seen as a key element in conserving a nation's wildlife. Protected areas, whether for wildlife, game, plants, ecosystems or scenery for public enjoyment, are a late competitor for large tracts of land. The historical account shows how distinct African, American, British and Australian protected area development has been, with common threads being how the ideal of protected areas is contested territory, and the linking over time of the concepts of fauna conservation and protected areas. The British story differs markedly from that in the USA and Africa. In 1943, a Nature Reserves Committee was appointed to draw up a rationale and list of National Habitat Reserves and Scientific Areas. Its report led directly to the appointment of the Nature Conservancy in 1949 charged with the establishment of National Nature Reserves, disseminating advice on nature conservation generally, and carrying out the research relevant to those responsibilities. These are crucial dates for the origin of nature reserves in Britain, the important role of research, and the central position of an ecological outlook on nature conservation, rather than the more limited label of preservation. Protected areas in Australia are often under–estimated, both for wildlife research and as havens for fauna populations, and for the research value of protected areas to conserve biodiversity in NSW. The published articulation of these values, and specifically the value of National Parks and Nature Reserves for research, is hard to find except in the recent literature. A review of the last four decades of published papers shows how much has changed in this short time. Given the long history of resistance to establishing protected areas, Australia's fauna is at an ever–increasing risk of extinction as natural habitats are relentlessly lost to economic growth and a rising human population. The problem, as I read the historical record, is that although we are learning fast, the loss of species, landscapes and ecosystems is happening even faster. From the First World Parks Congress in 1962 to today, the interpretation of the value of the national parks for fauna conservation remains contested, but the weight of historical and scientific opinion is ever stronger on the need for protected areas for conserving fauna.