This document is the Plan of Management for Bool Lagoon Game Reserve and Hacks Lagoon Conservation Park. The reserves have been considered together because they conserve contiguous wetland habitat and function jointly as part of the South Eastern Drainage Board’s drainage and flood mitigation scheme. The reserves are currently managed as a single unit, except on open days during the duck hunting season when shooting is permitted only within the game reserve.
Bool Lagoon Game Reserve and Hacks Lagoon Conservation Park fulfil a number of significant functions. Principally, the reserves form one of the most important wetland areas remaining in the South East, providing habitat for a diversity of waterbird species, a number of which rely on Bool Lagoon as a major-breeding and refuge area. On this basis both reserves were accepted for inclusion on the List of Wetlands of International Importance in 1985.
The lagoons act as a buffer storage basin in the drainage scheme for the South East and Bool Lagoon is a site highly favoured for recreational duck hunting. The reserves also have considerable potential for public use, enjoyment and education and will, over time play a significant role in the local tourism industry. This plan outlines proposals to effectively balance the future demands of visitor use in the reserves with the continued conservation of wildlife and management of waterfowl for game purposes.