Tas Government rules out World Heritage mining, but snubs UNESCO’s logging call

In response to the UNESCO decision regarding Tasmania’s Wilderness World Heritage Area (WHA), the Tasmanian Government’s announcement to ‘rule out’ mining in the WHA represents just one part of a number of specific requests that make up the decision.

The decision also asks for logging to be prohibited, for wilderness to be retained in the management plan and for a comprehensive Aboriginal heritage survey.

‘A commitment to prohibit mining is welcome but represents only one part of the requested action and it must be extended to include logging,’ said Vica Bayley, spokesperson for the Wilderness Society.

‘A ban on logging across the entire World Heritage Area is specifically requested, but Government appear determined ignore this, seek to justify World Heritage logging and bulldoze ahead with changes that remove management plan protection for iconic forest areas.’

There appears confusion in the public debate as to exactly what the Hodgman Government proposes as possible regarding World Heritage logging. The facts are:

• Logging is currently prohibited in the WHA. The only timber extraction currently permitted under the existing (1999) plan is the salvage of driftwood huon pine from the shores of Macquarie Harbour[1];

• The draft WHA management plan proposes to introduce the logging of live trees, including huon pine and myrtle, in all management zones except the visitor services zone.[2]

• As part of tearing up the Tasmanian Forest Agreement, changes to conservation legislation enacted in Sept 2014 (after the World Heritage Committee’s June 2014 rejection of the delisting for logging proposal) allowed logging in Regional Reserves and Conservation Areas across the entire state;

• Iconic forest areas like parts of the Styx, Weld and upper Florentine are Regional Reserves or Conservation Areas, therefore proposed to be subject to logging under both the draft WHA management plan and their conservation status;

• Forestry legislation defines specialty timber harvesting as ‘partial harvest’,[3] which in turn is defined[4] as including variable retention (including aggregated retention) logging, commonly known as clump clearfelling;

• Over 20,000 ha of the World Heritage Listed Great Western Tiers is designated Future Potential Production Forest Land, promised back to the industry, including the eucalypt sawmilling and woodchipping industry, to enable it to grow. There are no ‘selective logging’ or ‘partial harvest’ constraints on the logging of these forests and it is current Government policy to grow the industry and therefore enable logging in these areas;

• Forests, including tall eucalypt forests with a rainforest understory (such as those in the Styx, Weld and upper Florentine) represent specific values that meet numerous World Heritage criterion and contribute to Outstanding Universal Value. The World Heritage values of these forests were specifically recognised in the 2013 extension and 2014 revocation rejection.[5]

‘Putting aside the fact that there is no place for logging inside a World Heritage area, Government is asking Tasmanians to trust it to log World Heritage value forests. This is the same Government that sought to delist 74,000 ha of World Heritage Forests, tore up the consensus-based Tasmanian Forest Agreement, reversed 400,000 ha of new forest reserves across the state to allow logging and seeks to expand destructive 4WD tracks across sensitive Aboriginal heritage.

‘Robin Gray and Ray Groom didn’t try to keep logging forests once they were added to the World Heritage Area. Similarly, the Hodgman Government should accept the decision of the World Heritage Committee and take steps to strengthen the conservation status of relevant areas to national park, so as to prohibit logging.

‘Many will see the Government’s determination to snub its nose at the international community’s call to protect outstanding values from logging as a senseless and risky strategy when wilderness, wild places and World Heritage are one of Tasmania’s key brands and our competitive advantage over other beautiful places in the world.

Refs …

[1] 1999 Management Plan Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area page 188 (http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/?base=6158 )
[2] http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/conservation/tasmanian-wilderness-world-heritage-area/new-tasmanian-wilderness-world-heritage-area-management-plan page 81
[3] FORESTRY (REBUILDING THE FOREST INDUSTRY) ACT 2014 (NO. 12 OF 2014) – SECT 3
[4] http://cdn.forestrytasmania.com.au/uploads/File/pdf/pdf2014/fmp_17_november_2014.pdf page 87
[5] http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/181
Vica Bayley Tasmanian Campaign Manager The Wilderness Society (Tasmania) Inc. www.wilderness.org.au