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OT - cattle grazing in the alps 18-Jan-2011 At 7:04:22 PM richb

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Yeah, the alpine grazing issue is a contentious one...

As someone who has earned a living working with horses and cattle for the last few years, the idea of droving your cattle up into the high country for summer is very appealing. However, why should a handful of people get basically free agistment at the expense of the environment? Why do they get it just because they were there first? What would Melbournians do if John Batman's family all turned up and tried to take over the city because they were there first? (I know its drawing a long bow....)

If they decide that grazing will be re-instated for the long term, at least charge them reasonable rates for agistment and put into place KPI's that need to be achieved if they are to renew their lease. The KPI's should include pest-plant and pest-animal control, and if the DSE was actually funded properly, they could assist with chemical costs or equipment loan if the leaseholders are doing the work.

Whatever happens, most of the high country is now an altered environment and needs to be managed. Re-introducing grazing probably isn't the answer but just locking it up and doing nothing isn't the answer the either - especially as the DSE and Parks are chronically underfunded and understaffed.

While we're all banging on about cattle, what about bolts, chalk, tracks all over the place, soil compaction around the base of cliffs, litter, brushing of vast tracts of moss, human faeces and toilet paper, etc etc. A couple of times at Araps I've had tourists bail me up and berate me for vandalising the cliffs with chalk and bolts. I love climbing and I've made some great friends and my wife and I have had some wonderful times 'on the rocks', but no one is perfect I guess.