MEDIA RELEASE – 15/05/2009
Environment Tasmania, Tasmania’s peak environment body which supports the sensitive development of forest-based tourism, views Forestry Tasmania’s development and management of tourism in public forests as a clear conflict of interest.
Forestry Tasmania, legislated to supply a minimum of 300,000 cubic metres of sawlogs, is promoting new tourism ventures such as ‘Eagles Eyrie’ overlooking the Styx, while also conducting logging and roading operations into high conservation value forests- the very assets that attract visitors in the first place.
“Forestry Tasmania’s primary mandate, as set out by the State Government, is to log Tasmania’s publicly owned native forests, with potential tourism opportunities a secondary concern,” said Simon Branigan, policy coordinator for Environment Tasmania.
“We have a ludicrous situation where people with expertise in logging for wood production, are also charged with making decisions about tourism development. This is a clear conflict of interest where tourism and the environment always comes off second best,” he continued.
MEDIA RELEASE – 15/05/2009
CONFLICT OF INTEREST IN FOREST-BASED TOURISM MANAGEMENT
Environment Tasmania, Tasmania’s peak environment body which supports the sensitive development of forest-based tourism, views Forestry Tasmania’s development and management of tourism in public forests as a clear conflict of interest.
Forestry Tasmania, legislated to supply a minimum of 300,000 cubic metres of sawlogs, is promoting new tourism ventures such as ‘Eagles Eyrie’ overlooking the Styx, while also conducting logging and roading operations into high conservation value forests- the very assets that attract visitors in the first place.
“Forestry Tasmania’s primary mandate, as set out by the State Government, is to log Tasmania’s publicly owned native forests, with potential tourism opportunities a secondary concern,” said Simon Branigan, policy coordinator for Environment Tasmania.
“We have a ludicrous situation where people with expertise in logging for wood production, are also charged with making decisions about tourism development. This is a clear conflict of interest where tourism and the environment always comes off second best,” he continued.
“This situation is leading to the devaluing of the long-term tourism potential of places like the Upper Florentine Valley, and sends a hypocritical message to tourists that it is acceptable to destroy Tasmania’s environmental attractions.
International experts have also highlighted the inherent conflict of logging companies managing land for both timber and tourism values, pointing out the benefits of increased environmental protection to enhance tourism potential.
Director and Chair of the International Centre for Ecotourism Research[1] Professor Ralf Buckley has stated, “we haven’t yet seen forestry agencies bite the bullet, if you like, and recognise that the areas which are of highest value for timber are also of highest value for tourism, because people really want to see tall trees in relatively undisturbed forest eco-systems. And they will pay a great deal more for that privilege of seeing those areas, than can be achieved by cutting those trees down and logging them.”
“Tasmania needs to walk the talk and to protect the very thing that generates our international reputation and tourists travel here to see,” concluded Mr Branigan.
Environment Tasmania is Tasmania’s conservation council, an umbrella body that represents 26 Tasmanian conservation groups, with collective representation of over 6000 Tasmanians.
[1] http://www.abc.net.au/rn/science/earth/stories/s1044338.htm
