State party report on the state of conservation

Since the 2010 State of Conservation report the Australian Government has completed a number of projects mentioned in this report that both protect values and present the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. These include projects at the following locations and gateways:

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-08/32.COM/7B.Add,

2. Recalling Decision 31 COM 7B.43, adopted at its 31st session (Christchurch, 2007),

3. Takes note of the findings of the recent World Heritage Centre / ICOMOS / IUCN monitoring mission to the property, and requests the State Party to:

a) institute a mechanism through the future Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area management plan reviews, and involving all relevant stakeholders, to monitor, assess and manage the ecological integrity of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and adjoining reserves by considering activities related to forestry operations, road construction and regeneration fires in the areas adjacent to the property;

b) submit a proposal for modifying the boundaries of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area to include the adjacent 21 areas of national parks and state reserves, which are currently not a part of the inscribed World Heritage property but are covered by its management plan;

c) not to renew the existing leases for mineral exploration and exploitation within the property and immediately adjacent to it (such as in the Melaleuca Cox Bight area), after their expiry and to rehabilitate the areas concerned and to incorporate them into the World Heritage property. Further, no new mining licences should be granted within the property or in the areas which are being recommended for addition;

d) maintain and improve the resourcing for the research, documentation, protection, monitoring and effective management for archaeological and Aboriginal cultural sites both those within the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and those in the adjacent forestry areas that reflect the wider context of Aboriginal land-use practices and are of potential Outstanding Universal Value;

e) manage the forestry areas outside the inscribed property in order to protect cultural sites of potential Outstanding Universal Value;

f) ensure logging roads in areas adjacent to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area consider the ecological integrity, possible cultural sites and aesthetic values of the property, and reclaim roads no longer required;

g) prepare and implement a vegetation management plan covering the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area and the adjoining forest reserves jointly by national parks and the forestry authorities, to address representativity of vegetation types and to reduce risks, particularly from fires and climate change;

h) implement the recommendations emanating from the recently completed 2008 review of the Tasmania Regional Forest Agreement;

i) establish an active programme for monitoring the impacts of climate change on the property and incorporate this programme into a risk-reduction strategy and action plan;

4. Also requests the State Party to revise the Statement of Outstanding Universal Value for the property to include relevant recent natural and cultural knowledge available regarding the site, for approval by the World Heritage Committee;

5. Reiterates its request to the State Party to consider, at its own discretion, extension of the property to include appropriate areas of tall eucalyptus forest, having regard to the advice of IUCN; and also further requests the State Party to consider, at its own discretion, extension of the property to include appropriate cultural sites reflecting the wider context of Aboriginal land-use practices, and the possibility of re-nominating the property as a cultural landscape;

6. Requests moreover the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre, by 1 February 2010, an updated report on the state of conservation of the property, including a revised Statement of Outstanding Universal Value and progress related to the above mentioned issues, for examination by the World Heritage Committee at its 34th session in 2010.

Decision 31 COM 7B.43 – Tasmanian Wilderness (Australia)

The World Heritage Committee,

1.   Having examined Document WHC-07/31.COM/7B,

2.  Recalling Decision 30 COM 7B.32, adopted at its 30th session (Vilnius, 2006),

3.  Notes with concern the issues raised by NGOs in relation to the impacts of logging adjacent to the World Heritage property and the commencement of the North Weld Road which compromises options for future extensions to the World Heritage property;

4.  Urges the State Party to consider the extension of the World Heritage property to include critical old-growth forests to the east and north of the property, or at least to manage these forests in a manner which is consistent with a potential World Heritage value;

5. Expresses its concern about the risk from fire related to forest regeneration and natural events, and its possible adverse impact on the World Heritage property, and requests the State Party to prepare a Risk Management Plan and to consider distancing the logging operations from the boundary of the property;

6.  Taking into account the clarification provided orally by the State Party at the 31st session, also requests the State Party to invite a joint World Heritage Centre/IUCN/ICOMOS mission to assess the state of conservation of the property, focusing on:

a) appropriate management of areas of heritage value which are currently outside the property,

b)  an assessment of the degree of risk related to regeneration fires in areas adjacent to the World Heritage property as well as of the effectiveness of the fire management system in place,

c) impacts of proposed forestry operations (including the construction of new roads) on the outstanding universal value of the property,

7. Requests the State Party to provide the World Heritage Centre with an updated report by 1 February 2008 on the state of conservation of the property and the above mentioned issues for examination by the Committee at its 32nd session in 2008.

The World Heritage Committee,

1. Having examined Document WHC-06/30.COM/7B,

2. Commends the State Party for the implementation of a Supplementary Tasmanian Regional Forest Agreement, and recent efforts to increase the protection of old growth forests adjacent to the World Heritage property, thus increasing the buffer zone in certain areas;

3. Notes the concerns expressed by NGOs in relation to the impacts of logging adjacent to the World Heritage property and the potential for this activity to compromise options for future extensions to the World Heritage property;

4. Requests the State Party to submit a revised map of the World Heritage property, showing the areas of extended buffer zone and identifying other use zones directly adjacent to the boundary;

5. Notes that the World Heritage Centre has written to the State Party seeking comments on outstanding NGO concerns and that the State Party has indicated its willingness to provide a full response;

6. Requests the State Party to submit to the World Heritage Centre by 1 February 2007 a report on progress on the issues identified.