Determination of the appropriate option for a given feature mainly depends on its sensitivity rating. Determination of the sensitivity of a site depends upon knowledge of its nature and response to processes and disturbances affecting the values of the site. The exclusion of artificial disturbances from a significant site or area is appropriate when the geoconservation values are of sufficiently high significance as to warrant preservation, and of sufficiently great sensitivity that disturbance is likely to degrade the values. This management option may apply to significant places with a sensitivity rating of 1 to 4 and, in the case of some highly significant features, to places with a sensitivity rating of 5 or 6. Examples may include parts of major active karst or fluvial systems, some classes of aeolian landforms, and fossil deposits of limited extent.
Major examples are signifcant active karst and fluvial landform systems.
Special presciptions required may include vigorous application of measures to avoid soil erosion and disturbance of riparian zones in the catchment of the significant features. Certain significant features such as some relict landforms and some soil types with sensitivity ratings 5 to 7 may be capable of maintaining their geoconservation values in the context of development activities conducted at lower intensities than normal. In the case of logging operations, for instance, suitable 'reduced intensity' operations might include selective logging, extended rotation times or cable logging. Some significant features may have values that are relatively robust to many artificial disturbances. The values of such features can be preserved in the context of a variety of development activities.