*Pic: Rob Blakers, http://www.robblakers.com/
A conference exploring the role of civil society in World Heritage has heard a presentation on the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and the critical role the Tasmanian community has played in seeing the area listed, extended and defended.
The conference, hosted by international eNGO World Heritage Watch, explored the importance of environment groups, indigenous representatives and others in World Heritage advocacy, monitoring, ground truthing and protection.
Long-time campaigner and former Wilderness Society Tasmanian Campaign Manager Geoff Law was invited to present to the conference given the international interest in Tasmania’s World Heritage Area.
Geoff was awarded an Order of Australia for his services to conservation and has completed a Churchill Fellowship, investigating temperate World Heritage forests across the globe.
The conference, which precedes the official session of the World Heritage Committee has also heard from people working on issues such as the response to the Nepalese earthquake, the rescue of Timbuktu’s ancient manuscripts from Islamic jihadists, and numerous resource extraction or inappropriate development proposals in World Heritage sites in places like Tajikistan, Mongolia, Bulgaria and the Congo.
Download Geoff’s paper and powerpoint presentation to the conference …
Paper_WH_Watch_Tasmanian_Wilderness_Geoff_Law_FINAL_NO_PIX.doc
http://cdn-src.tasmaniantimes.com.s3.amazonaws.com/files/World_Heritage_Watch_June_2015.pdf
• Bryan Green: Abbott Government slaps down Hodgman and Groom
• Nick McKim: Hunt Leaves State Government Isolated on World Heritage Area Logging and Mining Commonwealth Environment Minister Greg Hunt has left the Tasmanian government completely isolated in its plan to allow logging and mining in Tasmania’s World Heritage Area. The United Nations has come down on the state government like a ton of bricks, and now Mr Hunt has failed to support plans for logging and mining. What more will it take for the Tasmanian government to see reason? The state government’s representative in Bonn will now be alone in arguing for logging and mining in the TWWHA. Minister Matthew Groom now has no option but to withdraw his plan and redraft it to ensure proper protection of natural and cultural heritage values. If the state government fails to see reason, there is a real risk that the United Nations will declare the WHA as ‘in danger’, which would be an extreme international embarrassment for Tasmania and Australia. Logging and mining in an area that has been protected for all of humanity for its outstanding universal values is like bulldozing the pyramids of Egypt and using the rubble as road gravel. It simply beggars belief.
• John Powell in Comments: Yes Hodgman and Groom are complicit in all that is wrong about their TWWHA legislation. However the real traitor is Minister Harriss of Aboriginal descent who is betraying his nation without shame it appears. May he visit the rock shelters adjacent to my property that TWS and others visited last Friday week, including an indigenous representative,and reflect on his ancestors and their magnificent ancient journeys in the Great Western Tiers. I know he will not because unlike Ta Ann I am unable to provide “funding” and **** accommodation, but I will serve a Liffey Pinot Noir.
