This is what NPWS says about the role of National Parks on its website.
http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/con ... onal-parks"The NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) is dedicated to the conservation of the state’s heritage sites through restoration, preservation and ongoing maintenance. NPWS works in partnership with other government agencies and communities to identify, protect and promote the heritage of NSW."
"NSW national parks not only provide areas for social and recreational use, they also preserve biodiversity, heritage sites and Aboriginal culture."
"National parks are areas of land protected because of their unspoilt landscapes, outstanding or representative ecosystems, Australian native plants and animals, and places of natural or cultural significance. In addition to their role in conservation, national parks provide opportunities for public nature appreciation, well-being, enjoyment, and as valuable scientific research. "
In recent years and especially since the 2003 fires, there has been a realisation by NPWS that the cultural heritage of the National Park includes its European heritage and that that heritage also needed to be conserved. Six huts have been rebuilt in recent years and huts which were formerly marked as being allowed to decay have received works which will prolong their lives. This process began even before 2003 when NPWS replaced Constances Hut with the Burrungubugge shelter.
On some other sites in the Jagungal Wilderness, such as the Boltons and Napthalis Homestead, and the CSIRO "Rabbit" Hut, it has erected explanatory boards which explain the history of the site.
The Management Tracks within the Park have also been upgraded especially the Grey Mare Fire Trail. In 2008 the Rural Fire Service was allowed to clear part of the track into Kidmans as far as Little Brassy Gap.
There is also an argument that the huts should not be seen in isolation and that the tracks which led to them are also part of our heritage. In fact, as "The Bundian Way" makes clear, some of the tracks were undoubtedly used by Aborigines living on the South Coast to visit the higher peaks on a seasonal basis.
Other tracks and huts record not only the grazing history of the area but also its mining history and the work of the Snowy Mountains Authority.
What it all means is that the Park needs management to meet all of these needs and in recent years NPWS has done a good job with limited resources. As part of this it has called on volunteers to help meet some of its workload. In an attempt to eliminate Orange Hawkweed it called for volunteers who were used to look for the weed in sections of the Park. As a result of that program it seems likely that the spread of the weed has been checked.
What is clear is that NPWS in recent times has managed KNP to meet not only Wilderness values but also cultural and heritage ones as well. On this basis, some track maintenance, possibly done by volunteers, is consistent with the the proper use of a National Park.